In Memoriam

Aug 28, 2017

We sadly mourn the loss of Birgit Schmincke. She passed away on August 22 after bravely enduring a difficult illness. Birgit worked for almost 15 years at MARUM in the secretarial office of the organic geochemistry working group, and played an energetic role in the development of the group. An invaluable aspect of her contribution was her extensive knowledge of the university. Trained as a biologist, for her the thematic basis of the group and the goals of the institute were near to her heart.

Her daily work included dealing with all of the administrative needs of the group with a broad oversight, from the administration of finances to technical assistance with research proposals. In addition, Birgit always supported international guests with great pleasure in the implementation of their research goals. In particular, she played a crucial role in the technical organization of the former MARUM Fellowship Program for foreign students as well as for the International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry held in 2009 in the Bremen Congress Center. We have pleasant memories of long nights before the submission of research proposals when Birgit would assist us with a cool head and strong nerves. She was able to share the joy of large and small successes with her colleagues. Birgit was always ready to help and always in a good mood. She felt at home in MARUM.

She was the good fairy of the organic geochemistry group – we miss her greatly.