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Nierenberg (William) Papers
SMC 0013
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: William Nierenberg Papers
Creator:
Nierenberg, William A. (William Aaron), 1919-2000
Identifier/Call Number: SMC 0013
Physical Description:
76 Linear feet
(187 archives boxes, 1 record carton, 1 shoebox, and 1 oversize folder)
Date (inclusive): 1932-2000 (bulk 1965-1986)
Abstract: Papers of William Nierenberg, documenting the full spectrum of his long career as a professor, academic administrator, and
advisor to major science-oriented government committees. The collection is focused on his years as director of the Scripps
Institution of Oceanography (SIO).
Languages:
English
.
Scope and Content of Collection
Papers of William Nierenberg, documenting the full spectrum of his long career as a professor, academic administrator, and
advisor to major science-oriented government committees. The collection is focused on his years as director of the Scripps
Institution of Oceanography (SIO).
The Nierenberg Papers include voluminous correspondence, manuscripts, office files, documentation of service and participation
in organizations and committees, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and other files collected by William Nierenberg. There
is very little personal material in the collection, though the detail provided by the record of his time as director of SIO
is extensive, including daily office correspondence and telephone messages. A small amount of material dated 1939-1965 documents
Nierenberg's graduate research and lecture materials from the University of Michigan and UC Berkeley. Of particular note is
documentation of Nierenberg's role as a science advisor to the government and major boards and organizations, including: NATO/UNESCO,
the National Research Council's Climate Research Board, the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere (NACOA),
the NASA Advisory Council, the National Science Board's Committee on International Science, White House Office of Science
and Technology Policy, JASON Defense Science Advisory Group, and the Defense Science Board. Nierenberg actively consulted
on the subjects of strategic defense, ocean policy, global climate change and its effects, and more during the pivital decades
of the second half of the twentieth century, and his papers include correspondence and meeting minutes revealing thought processes
and decisions in these areas.
Arranged in nine series: 1) BIOGRAPHICAL, 2) CORRESPONDENCE, 3) ORGANIZATIONS, 4) NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON OCEANS AND
ATMOSPHERE, 5) UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, 6) WRITINGS AND TALKS, 7) STUDY AND TEACHING, 8) PHOTOGRAPHS, and 9) AUDIOVISUAL
MATERIALS.
William Aaron Nierenberg (1919-2000) was born in New York City on February 3, 1919. He attended Townsend Harris High School
and graduated Summa Cum Laude from City College New York in 1939 with a B.S. in Math and Physics.
He began graduate work in physics at Columbia in 1939. When the United States joined World War II, he was recruited to the
Manhattan Project by Enrico Fermi and John R. Dunning, where he worked as a section leader from 1942-1945. Following the war,
Nierenberg returned to Columbia and received his PhD in Physics in 1947. His advisor was I. I. Rabi.
After two years on the faculty of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Nierenberg became a professor of Physics at University
of California, Berkeley in 1950, where he established the Atomic Beam Laboratory. In 1965 Nierenberg accepted an offer to
become the director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a position he held until he stepped down in 1986.
Nierenberg held many high level international scientific and diplomatic positions and titles throughout his long career, including:
NATO Science Advisor, member of JASON, and chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmospheric Records (NACOA).
He was a member of: the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Geophysical
Union, the American Philosophical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Academy of Engineering,
as well as dozens of professional societies and committees, and had a long history of serving as a consultant within academia
and both the government and private sectors.
William Nierenberg died of cancer on September 11, 2000.
William Nierenberg Papers. SMC 13. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library.
Acquired 1984-2001
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. ALLOW ONE WEEK FOR RETRIEVAL OF MATERIALS.
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Original media recording formats are restricted. Viewing/listening copies may be available for researchers.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Office of the Director Records. SAC 1. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego Library.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Nierenberg, William A. (William Aaron), 1919-2000 -- Archives
National Research Council (U.S.). Climate Board
United States. National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere
NASA Advisory Council
National Science Board (U.S.). Committee on International Science
United States. Office of Science and Technology Policy
NATO Science Committee
United States. Defense Science Board
JASON Defense Advisory Group
U.S.-U.S.S.R. Joint Commission on Scientific and Technical Cooperation-Water Resources
Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Office of the Director