ADAM MARIAN DZIEWONSKI

1936 - 2016

DZIEWONSKI, Adam Marian Frank F. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science, Emeritus at Harvard University, passed away on March 1, 2016 in Cambridge, only one month after being diagnosed with cancer, in his 80th year. Professor Dziewonski was a towering figure in the field of solid earth geophysics. Specializing in seismology, he made many seminal contributions to our knowledge of the Earth's deep structure and earthquake source processes. One of his greatest achievements was providing the first direct proof that the central part of the Earth's iron core is solid. He also contributed in many ways to the research infrastructure in this field. In particular, he was one of the main drivers of the establishment of an international global network of state-of-the-art seismic observatories and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, that to this day provide essential information for world-wide earthquake monitoring and investigation of the Earth's interior. Professor Dziewonski's fundamental contributions to Earth Science were recognized nationally and internationally. His list of awards includes the Crafoord Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Harry Fielding Reid Medal of the Seismological Society of America, and the William Bowie Medal from the American Geophysical Union. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences. Adam Dziewonski was born in Lwow (then a part of Poland) on November 15, 1936. He was educated at the University of Warsaw and the Academy of Mines and Metallurgy, where he obtained a Doctor of Technical Sciences degree in 1965. Since then, he lived and worked in the U. S., first at the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies in Dallas, Texas, then at the University of Texas at Dallas, and finally at Harvard University. As professor emeritus, he was still actively involved in research at the time of his passing. Adam's wife of 43 years, Sybil, passed away in 2010. He is survived by his brother, Stanislaw, sister-in-law, Ewa, two nephews, three grandnieces and two grandnephews, all of Wroclaw, Poland. A memorial service will be held at St. Theresa, the Little Flower Church, 15 Still River Road, Route 110, Harvard, MA on April 16, 2016 at 11:00am. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to Mount Auburn Cancer Care, Mount Auburn Hospital, Development Office, 330 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, donate.mountauburnhospital.org/donate