Eric Berger (journalist)

Last updated

Eric Berger
Eric Berger (cropped).jpg
Berger in 2020
Born (1973-04-19) April 19, 1973 (age 51)
Michigan, U.S.
Education University of Texas at Austin (BA)
University of Missouri (MA)
Mississippi State University
Occupations
Years active1998–present
Known for
  • Ars Technica , senior space editor
  • Space City Weather, editor
Notable work
  • Liftoff
  • Reentry

Eric Berger (born April 19, 1973) [1] [2] is an American journalist and meteorologist who is the senior space editor at Ars Technica and the editor of Space City Weather, a website covering weather in Houston.

Contents

Early life, education, and family

Berger, who was raised in Michigan, [3] graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in astronomy. [4] Berger then attended graduate school at the University of Missouri where he received a master's degree in journalism. [5] In 2014, Berger completed a distance learning program at Mississippi State University to become a certified meteorologist. [6] [3] Berger lives in League City, Texas, with his wife, Amanda, and two daughters. [3]

Career

Science journalism

Berger began working at the Houston Chronicle in 1998. He started his career at the Chronicle as a general assignments reporter before transitioning to the science desk in late 2001. [7] In 2005, he launched a science and technology blog on the Houston Chronicle website called SciGuy, which focused primarily on chemistry, physics, and astronomy. [6] Berger also began writing about weather during his time at the Chronicle. [3] Berger's coverage of Hurricane Ike contributed to the staff of the Houston Chronicle becoming a nominated finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting in 2009. [8]

After leaving the Houston Chronicle and joining Ars Technica, Berger also started the Space City Weather blog in October 2015. [3] The blog, which is operated jointly by Berger and forecast meteorologist Matt Lanza, provides weather forecasts for the Greater Houston area. [9] The blog's readership increased drastically during Hurricane Harvey, with over one million visits to the site on August 27, 2017. [3] In recognition of Berger and Lanza's service to Houston as weather forecasters, the mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, declared June 8, 2021, as "Space City Weather Day". [9]

Space industry journalism

In October 2015, Berger left the Houston Chronicle to write for Ars Technica . As the senior space editor at Ars, Berger's primary focus is on NASA and private aerospace companies. [3] [6] Berger authored Liftoff, which was published by William Morrow and Company and released in March 2021. [10] [11] The book chronicles the early history of SpaceX and the protracted development program of the Falcon 1 launch vehicle. [12] He released a sequel in 2024, Reentry, that details the rise of the company through the first Falcon 9 launch, the development of the Dragon capsule, the inaugural Falcon Heavy launch, and the company's first human spaceflight. [13]

References

  1. ↑ Hixenbaugh, Mike; Hunn, David; Collette, Mark (September 2, 2017). "Terror, heartbreak and heroism as five Houstonians brave America's worst storm". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  2. ↑ Anthony Colangelo & Jake Robins (February 16, 2023). "Episode 95 – Horsesh (with Eric Berger)". Off-Nominal (Podcast). Event occurs at 04:02. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jones, Chris (December 20, 2017). "Meet the Unlikely Hero Who Predicted Hurricane Harvey's Floods". Wired . Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  4. ↑ Airhart, Marc G. "Alumnus Eric Berger Reflects on the Joys of Science Communication". Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  5. ↑ Mackey, Weezie. "Rain Man". Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 Hardy, Michael (June 29, 2021). "Eric Berger Knows Which Way the Wind Blows" . Texas Monthly . Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  7. ↑ Balke, Jeff (June 13, 2012). "Know Your Local Media: The Chron's Eric Berger on Hurricanes, Climate Change and Evacuating Katy". Houston Press . Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  8. ↑ Delaney, Edward J. "Breaking news online: How two Pulitzer finalists used the web". Nieman Journalism Lab . Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Welch, Monique (June 8, 2021). "Houston officially declares today, June 8, as Space City Weather Day". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days that Launched SpaceX". Publishers Weekly . February 17, 2021. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Liftoff". Kirkus Reviews . January 6, 2021. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  12. ↑ Thornhill, John (April 7, 2021). "Liftoff by Eric Berger — Musk's otherworldly ambition". Financial Times . Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  13. ↑ Tribou, Richard (September 21, 2024). "Review: Eric Berger's new book 'Reentry' digs deeper into SpaceX feats of last decade". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
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