Steve & Linda Berg Scholarship

Steven (Steve) Berg was born in Minneapolis in 1948 and lived in Bayport, Minnesota for six months. At that time, the Berg family moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Three years later, the Bergs moved to Chicago and then, five years later, to Auburn, Washington. Berg always thinks of Auburn as his childhood home. It was here that he attended grade, junior high and high school.
After high school, Berg attended Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1970 with a B.S. in Biology.

After six months of active duty with the Washington State National Guard, Berg began graduate studies in the Biochemistry Department at Purdue University in 1971. Four years later, Berg received his PhD in Biochemistry from Purdue. While a graduate student at Purdue, Berg began his research in the area of photosynthesis. Berg continued his study of photosynthesis during a two-year postdoctoral at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Berg was hired as an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Denver (DU) in the fall of 1977. Berg was promoted to associate professor and received tenure at DU in 1980. Berg continued his studies of photosynthesis at the DU with the help of undergraduate and graduate students. Berg was elected chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at DU and served from 1983 through 1985.

In the fall of 1986, Berg returned to Minnesota to serve as full professor in the Biology Department at Winona State University. Berg served as chair of the Biology Department for nine consecutive years, from the fall of 1986 through the summer of 1995. At Winona State University (WSU), Berg maintained his NSF sponsored research in photosynthesis with the assistance of a technician and many undergraduate students. Berg vigorously supported undergraduate research throughout his career and was instrumental in developing faculty directed undergraduate research programs at WSU including the Honors in Biology Program which emphasizes student participation in research.

Scholarship contact is Steve.