Chaim Leib Pekeris | |
|---|---|
חיים לייב פקריס | |
 | |
| Born | (1908-06-15)June 15, 1908 |
| Died | February 24, 1993(1993-02-24) (aged 84) |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Known for | surface waves, stability of pipe flow |
| Spouse | Leah Kaplan |
| Awards | Weizmann Prize (1957) Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1980) Israel Prize (1980) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Geophysics |
| Institutions | Massachusetts Institute of Technology Columbia University Institute for Advanced Study Weizmann Institute of Science |
Chaim Leib Pekeris (Hebrew:חיים לייב פקריס; June 15, 1908 – February 24, 1993)[1] was an Israeli-American physicist andmathematician. He made notable contributions togeophysics and the spectral theory of many-electron atoms, in particular thehelium atom. He was also one of the designers of the first computer in Israel,WEIZAC.
Pekeris was born inAlytus,Vilna Governorate on June 15, 1908. With the assistance of his uncle, Pekeris and his two brothers emigrated to theUnited States around 1925.[2] He entered theMassachusetts Institute of Technology in 1925 graduating in 1929 with a B.Sc. in meteorology. Pekeris also took his graduate studies at MIT, studying underCarl-Gustav Rossby. In January 1933 he married Lea Kaplan, who was also born in Lithuania. He graduated with hisSc.D.doctoral degree in 1934.[2][3][4]
In 1934 Pekeris joined the faculty at M.I.T. as an instructor ingeophysics in the department of geology. He became a US citizen in 1938.[5] Pekeris remained at M.I.T until 1941 when he moved to the Hudson Laboratories ofColumbia University to conduct military research. In 1946 he joined theInstitute for Advanced Study.
Pekeris and his wife moved to Israel in 1948,[2] where he joined theWeizmann Institute as head of its department of applied mathematics in 1949.[6] During the1948 Arab–Israeli War he was involved in a clandestine program inNew York State developing munitions for the newborn State of Israel.[7]
Pekeris received the Gold Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society in 1980, and the Israel Prize from the State of Israel in 1981.[3]Teddy Kollek, the mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 to 1993, said in 1990: "I have told you a lot about Chaim Pekeris tonight and there is much more that I could tell, but you will understand that there are reasons that I can’t. Let me simply say that Chaim Pekeris played a most significant role in the establishment of the State of Israel."[3] He died inRehovot, Israel on February 24, 1993.[2][3]
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