Chaim L. Pekeris
Encyclopedia
Chaim Leib Pekeris was an Israeli-American physicist and mathematician. He made notable contributions to geophysics
and the spectral theory of many-electron atoms, in particular the Helium atom
. He was also one of the designers of the first computer in Israel, WEIZAC
.
, Lithuania
. With the assistance of his uncle, Pekeris and his two brothers emigrated to the United States
around 1925. He entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1925 graduating in 1929 with a B.Sc. in meteorology. He received his Sc.D. from M.I.T. in 1933.
In 1934 Pekeris joined the faculty at M.I.T. as an instructor in geophysics
in the Department of Geology. He became a US citizen in 1938. Pekeris remained at M.I.T until 1941 when he moved to the Hudson Laboratories of Columbia University
to conduct military research. In 1946 he joined the Institute for Advanced Study
. Teddy Kollek
said "Let me simply say that Chaim Pekeris played a most significant role in the establishment of the State of Israel." Pekeris moved to Israel in 1948 and joined the Weizmann Institute as head of its Department of Applied Mathematics in 1949.
He died in Rehovot
, Israel on February 24, 1993.
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
and the spectral theory of many-electron atoms, in particular the Helium atom
Helium atom
Helium is an element and the next simplest atom to solve after the hydrogen atom. Helium is composed of two electrons in orbit around a nucleus containing two protons along with either one or two neutrons, depending on the isotope. The hydrogen atom is used extensively to aid in solving the helium...
. He was also one of the designers of the first computer in Israel, WEIZAC
WEIZAC
The WEIZAC was the first computer in Israel, and one of the first large-scale, stored-program, electronic computers in the world....
.
Biography
Pekeris was bon in AlytusAlytus
Alytus is a city with municipal rights in southern Lithuania. It is the capital of Alytus County. Its population in 2007 was 68,835. Alytus is the historical centre of the Dzūkija region. The city lies on the banks of the Nemunas River. The major highways linking Vilnius, Kaunas, Lazdijai, and...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. With the assistance of his uncle, Pekeris and his two brothers emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
around 1925. He entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 1925 graduating in 1929 with a B.Sc. in meteorology. He received his Sc.D. from M.I.T. in 1933.
In 1934 Pekeris joined the faculty at M.I.T. as an instructor in geophysics
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
in the Department of Geology. He became a US citizen in 1938. Pekeris remained at M.I.T until 1941 when he moved to the Hudson Laboratories of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
to conduct military research. In 1946 he joined the Institute for Advanced Study
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
. Teddy Kollek
Teddy Kollek
Theodor "Teddy" Kollek was mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 to 1993, and founder of the Jerusalem Foundation. Kollek was re-elected five times, in 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983 and 1989...
said "Let me simply say that Chaim Pekeris played a most significant role in the establishment of the State of Israel." Pekeris moved to Israel in 1948 and joined the Weizmann Institute as head of its Department of Applied Mathematics in 1949.
He died in Rehovot
Rehovot
Rehovot is a city in the Center District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 112,700. Rehovot's official website estimates the population at 114,000.Rehovot was built on the site of Doron,...
, Israel on February 24, 1993.
Awards and honors
- Rockefeller FellowRockefeller FoundationThe Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
(1934) - Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
(1946) - Member of the National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
(1972) - Vetlesen PrizeVetlesen PrizeThe Vetlesen Prize is awarded from Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation.-Background:The Vetlesen Prize has been described as an attempt to establish an equivalent of a Nobel award for geophysics or geology...
(1974) - Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical SocietyGold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society-History:In the early years, more than one medal was often awarded in a year, but by 1833 only one medal was being awarded per year. This caused a problem when Neptune was discovered in 1846, because many felt an award should jointly be made to John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier...
(1980) - Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
, for physics (1980).