Eric Berger
Born (1973-04-19) April 19, 1973 (age 50)
EducationUniversity of Texas at Austin (BA)
University of Missouri (MA)
Occupations

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

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 was on NASA and private aerospace companies.[3][6] Berger authored Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days that Launched SpaceX, 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] Berger was replaced as senior editor at the ARS in early 2024 and subsequently left the ARS to launch his own space industry newsletter ("Liftoff").

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. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b 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.
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