Ranga Yogeshwar will receive the award, endowed by the Deutsche Bank with 10 000 Euros, during a festive event on the 21st of May in the presence of Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister President Torsten Albig. The laudatory speech will be given by the renowned climate scientist Professor Mojib Latif.
September 2011, a fjord off Trontheim, 200 meters depth. A fascinated Ranga Yogeshwar peers out of the large window of the submersible JAGO. Before him lies the world of cold water corals which he is seeing for the first time. In the spotlight of GEOMAR’s underwater vehicle, delicate coral colonies lighten up in colors ranging from white to red. Ranga Yogeshwar later presented the impressions he collected during this dive in his television show “Quarks & Co”.
In his television broadcasts, which also include “Die große Show der Naturwunder” (The Great Show about Wonders of Nature), he highlights scientific topics from different, partly unusual perspectives and comprehensibly communicates the often complex issues to a broad audience. As recognition for his work in the field of science communication he is thus receiving the Meerespreis 2013 from GEOMAR and the Deutsche Bank. The award is endowed with 10 000 Euros from the Deutsche Bank.
“Ranga Yogeshwar has an unusual gift. On the one hand, as a physicist, he has the ability to understand complex phenomena. On the other hand he can, untypical for many scientists, explain these issues easily in words and with examples,” says Professor Herzig, Director of GEOMAR. “Especially in the area of marine research we find that physical, chemical, biological and geological processes are tightly interconnected. To break through this is already enough of a challenge. Ranga Yogeshwar goes a step further and translates these interconnections in easily understandable language. For this unusual work, we are pleased to award him this year’s Meerespreis,” continues Herzig.
In his welcome speech, Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister President Torsten Albig underlines the importance of marine research for Schleswig-Holstein and the necessity of communicating scientific results to the public. “Ranga Yogeshwar makes us smarter and at the same time manages to make knowledge exciting and entertaining. It is incredibly important to sensitize as many people as possible to the value of protecting the sea,” says Albig.
The renowned climate scientist Professor Mojib Latif emphasizes in his laudatory speech Yogeshwar’s endeavor to continue pointing out the effects of climate change on the world’s largest ecosystem, the ocean, in an urgent jet understandable way, whilst remaining exact in his scientific argumentation. “That is extremely difficult yet of fundamental importance, as we need to maintain our planet for future generations,” expresses Professor Latif.
Thorsten Frahm from the Deutsche Bank, responsible for corporate customers in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, recognizes the award winner. “Ranga Yogeshwar especially inspires young people to learn more about the exciting world of science. With his impressive communicative talent and personal dedication, he continues to show us how valuable yet vulnerable the seas are. As the Deutsche Bank, it is our pleasure to endow the Meerespreis for the fifth time.”
The award ceremony is taking place at GEOMAR with approximately 300 guests. The well-known TV presenter Annika de Buhr guides the guests through a diverse 1 ½ hour program. “The award ceremony of the Meerespreis is always a very special event for us in which we not only honor a distinguished awardee but also offer an attractive program for our guests,” explains Professor Herzig. “The Meerespreis has grown in significance over the last years and has become the most important award in the field of marine research in Germany.”
Images in higher Resolution:
Prof. Mojib Latif (l.), GEOMAR-Director Prof. Peter Herzig (2nd from l.), TV presenter Annika de Buhr, GEOMAR Executive Director Michael Wagner (2nd from r.) and Christian Maaß from the Deutsche Bank (r.) congratulate the awardee Ranga Yogeshwar. Photo: J. Steffen, GEOMAR
Ranga Yogeshwar in the submersible JAGO.
Background information:
The GEOMAR – Deutsche Bank Meerespreis:
Since 2009 the Meerespreis has been awarded to persons that especially excel in marine research and the communication of “marine knowledge”. The award is endowed with 10 000 Euros. The awardees so far have been the climate scientists Mojib Latif, the marine biologist Prof. Dr. Karin Lochte, the bestselling author Frank Schätzing and His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Republic of Cape Verde, José Maria Neves.
Ranga Yogeshwar was born in 1959 in Luxembourg as the son of an Indian engineer and a Luxembourgian artist. Most of his early childhood he spent in India. After going to the primary school there, he did his Abitur in Luxembourg. Ranga Yogeshwar studied Physics at the RWTH in Aachen and worked at the Swiss Institute for Nuclear Research (SIN), at CERN in Genf as well as at the Research Centre Jülich. In 1987 the physicist joined the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne as editor and lead the program group Science for numerous years. Since 2008 he has been working as an independent journalist and author. Yogeshwar has developed, produced and presented numerous TV shows, and is one of the best-known science journalists in Germany. His books are bestsellers and have been translated into several languages. Ranga Yogeshwar is the father of four children and lives with his family close to Cologne. (Text from www.yogeshwar.de)
Links:
www.geomar.de GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.
www.yogeshwar.de Ranga Yogeshwar
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Peter Herzig, Tel (+49) 431-600 2800
pherzig@geomar.de
Dr. Andreas Villwock (Communication & Media), Tel. (+49) 431 600-2802
avillwock@geomar.de
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