Dr. Syun-Ichi Akasofu, Professor of Physics, Emeritus, was director of the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks from 1986 to 1999 and the founding director of the International Arctic Research Center of the University of Alaska Fairbanks from its establishment in 1998 until January of 2007. He originally came to the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1958 as a graduate student to study the aurora under Sydney Chapman, receiving his PhD in 1961. He has been professor of geophysics since 1964. Dr. Akasofu has published more than 550 professional journal articles, authored and co-authored 11 books. 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, 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. As director of the International Arctic Research Center, he supported an international project of the Arctic Ocean. 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."
| Types | Person, Academic |