Arturo Alcaraz

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In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Pineda and the surname or paternal family name is Alcaraz.
Arturo Alcaraz
Born
Arturo Pineda Alcaraz

(1916-03-21)March 21, 1916
Manila, Philippine Islands
DiedMarch 10, 2001(2001-03-10) (aged 84)
NationalityFilipino
Alma mater
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsVolcanology, Seismology, & Geology
Institutions

Arturo Pineda Alcaraz (March 21, 1916[1] – March 10, 2001[2]) was a Filipino volcanologist known for his work on geothermal energy. He received the 1982 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service.[3]

Early life and education

Arturo Pineda Alcaraz was born on March 21, 1916, to Conrado Alcaraz and Paz Pineda in

Lucena, Quezon and had his high school education in Camarines Norte and Baguio.[1]

His father's cousin, Leopoldo Faustino, who was then Head of the

Mapúa Institute of Technology offered a degree in mining engineering where Alcaraz transferred to and received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1937. After graduating, he joined the Bureau of Mines.[1]

He then received his

M.S. in Geology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1941 through a government scholarship. On his way back to the Philippines, Alcaraz boarded a Japanese ship in San Francisco. While the ship was crossing the Pacific Ocean, the United States government froze all Japanese assets. As a result, Alcaraz and the other returning Filipino scholars were stranded in Tokyo after the ship failed to continue to the Philippines, which was a territory of the United States at that time. Assisted by the American Embassy, they were able to return to Manila by the end of August 1941.[1]

In 1948, Alcaraz received a grant from the United States Government under the postwar Rehabilitation Act to study microseismology at the Opa-locka Naval Air Station in Florida. In 1955, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and received a Certificate in Volcanology from the University of California, Berkeley.[1][4] He was also awarded a Colombo Plan Fellowship and took a three-month training course on geothermal energy at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan.

Career

After graduating in 1937, Alcaraz joined the Bureau of Mines as an aide in the geology division. A year later, he went to the United States to study for his master's degree. Upon his return in 1941, the Bureau of Mines assigned him to Busuanga Island, Palawan to study manganese deposits.[5]

After the

Philippine Weather Bureau
, offered him the post of Chief Geophysicist. Alcaraz had met Lachica on the ship from San Francisco.

After the Allied victory in the Battle of Manila, Alcaraz took leave from the Weather Bureau and did a few months of volunteer work as a civilian engineer for the U.S. Army and surveyed the Port Area for clearing and rebuilding. After the end of World War II, he remained as the Chief Geophysicist of the Weather Bureau.

In 1947, Alcaraz studied the eruption of the

Mayon Volcano
. Since he did not have a personal vehicle, he travelled around the base of the volcano on public buses. He also met with municipal officials and discussed contingency plans for the local population.

In December 1951,

Mayon Volcano
.

See also

Further reading

  • Ferrer, Anthony P.; Ramos, Emmanuel G. (2002). Pillars of Philippine geology: Prof. Arturo P. Alcaraz, 1916-2001 : a legacy of pioneering work in volcanology and geothermal energy development. PNOC-Energy Development Corporation.
  • Philippine geographical journal. Philippine Geographical Society. 1976.
  • World directory of crystallographers and of other scientists employing crystallographic methods. Kluwer Academic Publishers. 1960.
    ISBN 978-0-7817-1970-4
    .     International Union of Crystallography
  • NIST special publication. U. S. Govt. Print. Off. 1969. National Institute of Standards and Technology (U.S.), United States. National Bureau of Standards
  • Guillermo, A. R. en Win, M.K., Historical dictionary of the Philippines,
    The Scarecrow Press
    , Inc, 1997.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation. (1982). Alcaraz, Arturo Pineda | Biography Archived 2016-10-11 at the Wayback Machine. Manila: Author
  2. ^ Vasquez, N. C. (2001, April – June). In Memoriam: Arturo P. Alcaraz. IGA News, pp. 6 -7.
  3. ^ Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation. (1982). Alcaraz, Arturo Pineda | Citation Archived 2016-10-11 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Fellows: Arturo P. Alcaraz.
  5. ^ "1982 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Government Service - Arturo Pineda Alcaraz". 5 July 2012. Archived from the original on 5 July 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2019.

External links

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