James Freeman Gilbert
Encyclopedia
J. Freeman Gilbert is an American geophysicist, best known for his work with George E. Backus on inverting geophysical data, and also for his role in establishing an international network of long-period seismometers.
Gilbert was born in Vincennes, Indiana
. His undergraduate and graduate degrees were earned from MIT (B.S., 1953, and Ph.D. in geophysics, 1956), and he continued at MIT as a postdoctoral fellow until 1957, when he moved to the University of California, Los Angeles
. At UCLA he was an assistant, then associate, professor, but left to take an appointment as
a senior researcher at Texas Instruments
. In 1961, he was recruited by Walter Munk
to the Institute of Geophysics and
Planetary Physics (IGPP) at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
, also becoming a professor of Geophysics at the University of California, San Diego
. He has remained at UCSD and is now Emeritus Professor.
Gilbert was among the first to recognize that the free oscillations of the Earth (so-called bell-ringing modes) could be measured immediately following large earthquakes, and could be used to produce structural models of the inner earth. In collaboration with Adam Dziewonski
, he applied these ideas first to seismic records from the 1964 Alaska earthquake and then to records from the 1970 Colombia earthquake. In this context he and Backus developed robust methods for inverting seismic data.
By the early 1970s it was clear that better data from long-period seismometers was needed for this kind of work.
Gilbert convinced geophysicist/philanthropist Cecil Green
to fund a network of seismometers designed to provide data for global studies of the Earth. The first of 40 stations of this International Deployment of Accelerometers (IDA) array (the acronym also commemorating co-philanthropist Ida Green) was installed in 1974, and it continues in operation to this day.
Gilbert has received many honors, including the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
in 1981; the William Bowie Medal
in 1999; and the Medal of the Seismological Society of America
in 2004.
Gilbert was born in Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
. His undergraduate and graduate degrees were earned from MIT (B.S., 1953, and Ph.D. in geophysics, 1956), and he continued at MIT as a postdoctoral fellow until 1957, when he moved to the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. At UCLA he was an assistant, then associate, professor, but left to take an appointment as
a senior researcher at Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
. In 1961, he was recruited by Walter Munk
Walter Munk
Walter Heinrich Munk is an American physical oceanographer. He is professor of geophysics emeritus and holds the Secretary of the Navy/Chief of Naval Operations Oceanography Chair at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California.-Early life:Born in 1917 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary,...
to the Institute of Geophysics and
Planetary Physics (IGPP) at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, is one of the oldest and largest centers for ocean and earth science research, graduate training, and public service in the world...
, also becoming a professor of Geophysics at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
. He has remained at UCSD and is now Emeritus Professor.
Gilbert was among the first to recognize that the free oscillations of the Earth (so-called bell-ringing modes) could be measured immediately following large earthquakes, and could be used to produce structural models of the inner earth. In collaboration with Adam Dziewonski
Adam Dziewonski
Adam Marian Dziewoński is a Polish-American geophysicist who has made seminal contributions to the determination of the large-scale structure of the Earth's interior and the nature of earthquakes using seismological methods. He is the Frank B. Baird, Jr...
, he applied these ideas first to seismic records from the 1964 Alaska earthquake and then to records from the 1970 Colombia earthquake. In this context he and Backus developed robust methods for inverting seismic data.
By the early 1970s it was clear that better data from long-period seismometers was needed for this kind of work.
Gilbert convinced geophysicist/philanthropist Cecil Green
Cecil Howard Green
Cecil Howard Green was a British-born American geophysicist who trained at the University of British Columbia and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology....
to fund a network of seismometers designed to provide data for global studies of the Earth. The first of 40 stations of this International Deployment of Accelerometers (IDA) array (the acronym also commemorating co-philanthropist Ida Green) was installed in 1974, and it continues in operation to this day.
Gilbert has received many honors, including the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gold 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...
in 1981; the William Bowie Medal
William Bowie Medal
The William Bowie Medal is awarded annually by the American Geophysical Union for 'outstanding contributions to fundamental geophysics and for unselfish cooperation in research"...
in 1999; and the Medal of the Seismological Society of America
Seismological Society of America
The Seismological Society of America is an international society devoted to the advancement of seismology and its applications in understanding and mitigating earthquake hazards and in imaging the structure of the Earth....
in 2004.