Kazim Ergin (May 21, 1915 – November 24, 2002) was a Turkish

geophysicist Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

Early years

Ergin was born on May 21, 1915, in

Gaziantep Gaziantep (), previously and still informally called Aintab or Antep (), is a major city and capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region, approximat ...

, in southeastern

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. He completed his primary, secondary and high school education in Gaziantep under difficult conditions, with many interruptions due to the French occupation of the city during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After completing his basic education, he received his B.Sc. degree in mathematics at

Istanbul University , image = Istanbul_University_logo.svg , image_size = 200px , latin_name = Universitas Istanbulensis , motto = tr, Tarihten Geleceğe Bilim Köprüsü , mottoeng = Science Bridge from Past to the Future , established = 1453 1846 1933 ...

. In June 1937, he was sent by the Mineral Research and Exploration Institute of Turkey (MTA) to study mining, metallurgical and petroleum engineering at Bergakademie Freiberg near

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. His studies were interrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, but he moved to the United States to continue his education. He studied

geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

and

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

(MIT) and received his B.Sc. degree in geological sciences there on December 18, 1942. In the meantime, he began studying for his M.Sc. degree with

Beno Gutenberg Beno Gutenberg (; June 4, 1889 – January 25, 1960) was a German-American seismologist who made several important contributions to the science. He was a colleague and mentor of Charles Francis Richter at the California Institute of Technol ...

at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

(Caltech) and obtained the degree in 1943. After Ergin received his master's degree, Gutenberg suggested he study seismic wave reflection and

refraction In physics, refraction is the redirection of a wave as it passes from one medium to another. The redirection can be caused by the wave's change in speed or by a change in the medium. Refraction of light is the most commonly observed phenomeno ...

at the rock-water interface for a Ph.D. degree. Unfortunately, MTA Institute requested his return to Turkey because his services were needed.Taymaz, T., 2004, Geophysicists - Kazım Ergin (''EOS'', Vol.85, No.14, 6 April 2004.
- Bediz, P, Taymaz, T., 2003, Memorial - Kazım Ergin, ''The Leading Edge'', Vol.22, No.9, September 2003)

Career

Ergin worked at Caltech as a research fellow for a while and then returned to

. He was appointed director of the Department of

Geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

at MTA Institute in March 1953, and served until 1956 on various important projects. On June 15, 1956, he was appointed professor of geophysics at the Faculty of Mining Engineering of

Istanbul Technical University Istanbul Technical University ( tr, İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, commonly referred to as ITU or The Technical University) is an international technical university located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the world's third-oldest technical university ...

(ITU), where he established a modern department of geophysical engineering and trained many students over the years. Kazım Ergin died aged 87 in Istanbul on November 24, 2002. He was a recipient of the

TÜBİTAK The Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu, TÜBİTAK) is a national agency of Turkey whose stated goal is to develop "science, technology and innovation" (STI) policies ...

Service Award.

References

External links

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ergin, Kazim 1915 births People from Gaziantep Turkish geophysicists Istanbul University alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni California Institute of Technology alumni Academic staff of Istanbul Technical University Rectors of Istanbul Technical University Recipients of TÜBİTAK Service Award 2002 deaths