Syun-Ichi Akasofu
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| Syun-Ichi Akasofu | |
|---|---|
 Dr. Akasofu |
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| Born | December 4, 1930 Nagano-ken, Japan |
| Residence |  United States |
| Citizenship | American |
| Field | Geophysics |
| Institutions | University of Alaska Fairbanks |
| Alma mater | Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan (B.A., 1953; M.S., 1957), University of Alaska Fairbanks (Ph.D., 1961) |
| Academic advisor | Sydney Chapman |
| Known for | Space physics, Aurora research |
| Notable prizes | Chapman Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, Fellow of the AGU, John Adam Fleming Medal of the AGU, Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence of the University of Alaska, and Order of the Sacred Treasures, Gold and Silver Stars by the Emperor of Japan |
Syun-Ichi Akasofu (赤祖父 俊一 Akasofu Shun'ichi?, Ph.D., born December 4, 1930, Nagano-ken, Japan), is the Founding Director of the International Arctic Research Center of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and its Director since its establishment in 1998 until January of 2007.
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[edit] Background
Dr. Akasofu earned a B.S. and a M.S. in geophysics at Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, in 1953 and 1957. respectively. He earned a Ph.D in geophysics at UAF in 1961. Within the framework of his Ph.D. thesis he studied the aurora. His scientific adviser was Sydney Chapman. Dr. Akasofu has been a professor of geophysics at UAF since 1964. He has collaborated with numerous colleagues nationally and internationally, and has guided nine students to their Ph.D. degrees. As Director of the Geophysical Institute (1986-1999), Dr. Akasofu concentrated his effort on establishing the institute as a key research center in the Arctic. He also played a critical role in the establishment of the Alaska Volcano Observatory and the modernization of the Poker Flat Research Range.
Dr. Akasofu has served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research (1972-74) and the Journal of Geomagnetism & Geoelectricity (1972-present), respectively. Furthermore, he has served as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Planetary Space Science (1969-present), the Editorial Advisory Board of Space Science Reviews (1967-77), and the Editorial Committee of Space Science Reviews (1977-present).
Akasofu's auroral work has earned national and international recognition. His paper on the aurora published in 1964 was cited as one of the most quoted papers. In 1980, he was named a Distinguished Alumnus by UAF, and in 1981 and again in 2002, he was named one of the "1000 Most Cited Scientists". The Royal Astronomical Society of London presented Dr. Akasofu with its Chapman Medal in 1976. He has been honored with the Japan Academy of Sciences Award, the John Adams Fleming Award of the American Geophysical Union {AGU), and in 2003, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Star, was conferred on him by the Emperor of Japan. In 1985, Dr. Akasofu became the first recipient of the Chapman Chair Professorship at the UAF; and in 1987, he was named one of the "Centennial Alumni" by the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges. In addition, he has received awards of appreciation for his efforts in support of international science activities from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 1993 and from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Japan in 1996. He was the recipient of the University of Alaska Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence in 1997, and was named a Fellow of the AGU in 1977, and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2001. He received also the 1999 Alaskan of the Year Denali Award, and the 2003 Aurora Award from the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors' Bureau.
Upon his retirement in 2007, the University of Alaska Board of Regents officially named the building that houses the International Arctic Research Center the "Syun-Ichi Akasofu Building" in recognition of "his tireless vision and dedicated service to the university, the state, and country in advancing arctic science."
[edit] Climate change
Akasofu is one of the 400 scientists listed in a report issued by the Republican minority of the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works entitled Over 400 Prominent Scientists Disputed Man-Made Global Warming Claims in 2007 who were said to dispute the theory of anthropogenic global warming.
- [1]On the Fundamental Defect in the IPCC’s Approach to Global Warming Research by Syun-Ichi Akasofu, Climate Science: Roger Pielke Sr. Research Group Weblog, June 15 2007
- Is the Earth still recovering from the “Little Ice Age”? A possible cause of global warming
[edit] Selected Publications
Dr. Akasofu has published more than 550 professional journal articles, authored and co-authored 10 books and has been the invited author of many encyclopedia articles. He is a highly cited author.
- Akasofu, S.-I., Polar and Magnetospheric Substorms, D. Reidel Pub. Co., Dordrecht, Holland, 1968, (also a Russian edition).
- Akasofu, S.-I., B. Fogle, and B. Haurwitz, Sydney Chapman, Eighty, published by the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Publishing Service of the University of Colorado, 1968.
- Akasofu, S.-I. and S. Chapman, Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Clarendon Press, Oxford, England, 1972, (also a Russian and Chinese edition).
- Akasofu, S.-I., The Aurora: A Discharge Phenomenon Surrounding the Earth, (in Japanese), Chuo-koran- sha, Tokyo, Japan.
- Akasofu, S.-I., Physics of Magnetospheric Substorms, D. Reidel, Pub. Co., Dordrecht, Holland, 1977.
- Akasofu, S.-I., Aurora Borealis: The Amazing Northern Lights, Alaska Geographic Society, Alaska Northwest Pub. Co., 6, 2, 1979, (also a Japanese edition).
- Akasofu, S.-I. (ed.), Dynamics of the Magnetosphere, D. Reidel Pub. Co., Dordrecht, Holland, 1979.
- Akasofu, S.-I. and J.R. Kan (eds.), Physics of Auroral Arc Formation, Am. Geophys. Union, Washington, D.C., 1981.
- Akasofu, S.-I. and Y. Kamide (eds.), The Solar Wind and the Earth, Geophys. Astrophys. Monographs, Terra Scientific Pub. Co., Tokyo, Japan, and D. Reidel Pub. Co., Dordrecht, Holland, 1987.
- Akasofu, S.-I., Secrets of the Aurora Borealis, Alaska Geographic Society, Banta Publications Group/Hart Press, Vol. 29, No. 1, 2002.
- Akasofu, S.-I. Exploring the Secrets of the Aurora, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands, 2002.
[edit] Awards and Honors
- 1976 - Chapman Medal, Royal Astronomical Society
- 1977 - The Japan Academy of Sciences Award
- 1979 - Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- 1979 - John Adam Fleming Medal, AGU
- 1980 - Named a Distinguished Alumnus by UAF
- 1981 - Named one of the "1,000 Most-Cited Contemporary Scientists by Current Contents
- 1985 - First recipient of the Sydney Chapman Chair professorship, UAF
- 1985 - Special Lecture for the Emperor of Japan on the aurora (October 3)
- 1986 - Member of the International Academy of Aeronautics, Paris
- 1987 - Named one of the "Centennial Alumni" by the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges
- 1993 - Japan Foreign Minister's Award for Promoting International Relations and Cultural Exchange between Japan and Alaska
- 1996 - Japan Posts and Telecommunications Minister Award for Contributions to the US-Japan Joint Project on Environmental Science in Alaska
- 1997 - Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence, University of Alaska
- 1999 - Alaskan of the Year - Denali Award
- 2002 - Named one of the "World's Most Cited Authors in Space Physics" by Current Contents ISI
- 2003 - Order of the Sacred Treasures, Gold and Silver Stars by the Emperor of Japan
