Kazim M. Ergin (1915-2002)

Abstract

The international community of Earth scientists was saddened by the death of Professor Dr. Kazim M. Ergin on 24 November 2002. Dr. Ergin possessed the rare distinction of excelling professionally in both the applied and theoretical aspects of geophysics, with accomplishments both in industry and in academia. He was born in 1915 in the city of Gaziantep, Turkey. In 1937, while attending the University of Istanbul and pursuing a degree in mathematics, he was awarded a scholarship from the Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA) Institute to study geology in Germany. After a short while there, his studies were interrupted by World War II. Fortunately, he was able to resume his education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was awarded a B.S. in Geology. He then moved to Caltech to pursue graduate work toward the degrees of M.S. and Ph.D. At Caltech he studied under world-renowned theoretical seismologist Beno Gutenberg and several other prominent scientists. Upon receiving his M.S. degree (1943), …