Tarık Galip Somer (1926–1997) was a
Turkish academic.
Early life
He was born in 1926 in the
Develi
Develi, formerly known as ''Averak'' or ''Everek'', is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Kayseri Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,892 km2, and its population is 66,840 (2022).
History
The historical name of the town is Eve ...
,
Kayseri
Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...
. His father was Mehmet, and his mother was Elmas.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...
in the United States, followed by a Master of Science degree from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
and a PhD from the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
.
[Ankara University pge ](_blank)
/ref> After completing his education, he worked as a research engineer at Dupont Co. from 1954 to 1956.
Academic life
After returning to Turkey, he joined the Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University (commonly referred to as METU; in Turkish language, Turkish, ''Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi'', ODTÜ) is a prestigious public university, public Institute of technology, technical university located in Ankara, ...
(METU) in Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
. From 1958 to 1970, he served as the founding dean of the Chemical Engineering Department at METU. Between 1973 and 1974, he held the position of vice rector at METU, and from 1974 to 1976, he served as the rector of the university. During the 1976–1977 academic year, he was a visiting professor at Technical University of Darmstadt
Technical may refer to:
* Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle
* Technical area, an area which a manager, other coaching personnel, and substitutes are allowed to occupy during a football match
* Technical advisor, a person who ad ...
, Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. From 1982 to 1987, he served as the rector of Ankara University
Ankara University () is a public university, public research university in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the History of the Republic of Turkey, formation of the Turkish republ ...
.[
]
Other posts
In 1966 he served in the research and development commission of the Ministry of Defense. Between 1980 and 1982, he was the technical adviser in UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
. During his service term in UNESCO, he contributed to the establishment of the university system in Uganda
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
. Between 1984 and 1985 he was the chairmen of Turkish Universities High Council.
In 1966, he served on the Research and Development Commission of the Ministry of National Defense
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divide ...
. From 1980 to 1982, he worked as a technical adviser for UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
, where he contributed to the development of the university system in Uganda
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
. Between 1984 and 1985, he served as the chairman of the Turkish Universities High Council. He passed away in 1997.
Legacy
At METU, the ''Tarık Somer Academic Success Award'' is presented to outstanding academics in the field of chemical engineering.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Somer, Tarik Galip
People from Develi
1926 births
1997 deaths
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni
Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
Academic staff of Middle East Technical University
Rectors of Middle East Technical University
Rectors of Ankara University
Academic staff of Technische Universität Darmstadt