Nefise Akçelik (b. 1955,Muratlı - d. 5 October 2003) was a Turkishcivil engineer who specialised in building tunnels. TheOrdu Nefise Akçelik Tunnel is named in her honour.
Nefise Akçelik | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1955 (1955) |
| Died | 5 October 2003(2003-10-05) (aged 47–48) |
| Occupation | Civil Engineer |
Akçelik was born in theMuratlı district ofTekirdağ in Turkey in 1955. She completed her secondary education atErenköy Kız Lisesi’ the Erenköy Girls' High School inIstanbul.
Age 16, Akçelik enrolled in the civil engineering department ofKaradeniz Teknik Üniversitesi (KTÜ) where she was the only female student in her department. Akçelik graduated from university in 1976 at the age of 20, having learned English and French as well as civil engineering.[1]
In 1989, Akçelik earned a master's degree from the Department of Geotechnics in the Institute of Science atGazi University inAnkara and received the title of technical chief.
In 1978, she started working at theGeneral Directorate of Highways Technical Research Department, in the Ground Mechanics and Tunnels Branch Directorate. She was appointed as chief of tunnel and structures, then promoted to become deputy branch manager and branch manager.
Akçelik worked on over 200 tunnel andgeotechnical projects in her career.[1][2] She prepared specifications for tunnel projects, construction and road engineering services. Akçelik wrote two books on problems in tunnel construction and weak ground problems and precautions on highways and authored 21 articles which were published in national and international conference proceedings.
Akçelik spoke at the conference on the Use of Underground Structures organised by theInternational Tunneling and Underground Space Association in Istanbul in October 2002 and contributed to the organisation's international working groups.[3][4]
She was known for helping to support other women engineers.[2]
Nefise Akçelik retired in September 2003.
Nefise Akçelik, married her colleague İbrahim Ethem Akçelik in 1978. The couple had a daughter, Oya, in 1979[2] and a son, Oğuz, in 1989.[1]
According to her husband, Akçelik was a socialist, anti-capitalist, anti-militarist and internationalist.
She died on October 5, 2003, of complications from cancer.[5]
The Hapan Tunnel, which Akçelik was involved in building but did not live to see completed was renamed theOrdu Nefise Akçelik Tunnel in her honour in 2007.[6] The highwaytunnel is inOrdu Province, northernTurkey. At a length of 3,825 m (12,549 ft), it was the country's longest tunnel at the time of its opening.
Nefise Akçelik was commemorated at the 31stInternational Tunneling and Underground Space Association World Tunneling Congress in 2005.[2]