William M. Kaula

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
William Mason Kaula
Born(1926-05-19)May 19, 1926
National Geodetic Survey,
United States Army Corps of Engineers

William M. Kaula (May 19, 1926 – April 1, 2000) was an

geophysicist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.[1][2][3][4][5]
Kaula was most notable for his contributions to
planetary physicists of the last four decades".[4]

Education and early career

He graduated from

West Point (the top military school in the United States) in 1948 with a B.S. in Military Engineering, then served in the Army Corps of Engineers, leading a topographic survey of New Britain, an island in the Pacific. Kaula received a 1953 M.S. degree from Ohio State University in geodesy. In 1958 he was named chief of the Division of Geodesy of the Army Map Service. From 1960 – 1963 Kaula was a research scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.[6]

UCLA professor

Kaula was Professor of Geophysics at the Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics, UCLA (1963 – 1992). He was a participant in several NASA missions, including as Laser Altimeter principal investigator on

National Geodetic Survey in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.[8]

Honors and legacy

He was a fellow (1964) and recipient of the

Guggenheim fellowship (1978),[9]
and NASA Medal for exceptional scientific achievement (1983). He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences for his scientific contributions notwithstanding his not having a doctorate, a rare such instance.[2] Asteroid
5485 Kaula is named after him.[10]
The American Geophysical Union instituted the William Kaula Award (2003) in his honor.[11]

Selected publications

References

  1. ^ a b William Kaula, 73, Who Drew Maps of Earth Using Satellites, James Glanz, NY Times, April 13, 2000
  2. ^ a b c d National Academies of Science:Biographical Memoirs:William M. Kaula, By Donald L. Turcotte
  3. ^ University of California, IN MEMORIAM, William M. Kaula, Professor Emeritus of Geophysics, Los Angeles, 1926—2000
  4. ^ a b c Los Angeles Times:William M. Kaula; Planetary Physicist at UCLA;April 08, 2000
  5. ^ West Point Eulogy:William Mason Kaula; West Point, 1948; Be Thou At Peace
  6. ^ biography at AIP Physics History Network
  7. ^ Laser Altimeter at NSSDC
  8. ^ biography at AIP Physics History Network
  9. ^ Kaula at gf.org
  10. ^ obituary at Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society
  11. ^ honors recognition at AGU

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_M._Kaula&oldid=1210057648"