Ahmet Mete Işıkara (22 October 1941 – 21 January 2013) was a Turkish geophysicist and earthquake scientist, well known for his efforts to create public awareness of the need for protection and safety during earthquakes.

Early years

Işıkara was born 1941 in Mersin. In 1947 he went to primary school and in 1954 to junior highschool in Mersin.Biography
After finishing high school in Mersin, he studied in Istanbul University graduating in 1965. In the same year, he began his academic career as an geophysics assistant at the Faculty of Science. He continued his studies in

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

and

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

. Ahmet Mete Işıkara married in 1969 to Aysel Ahıska, the daughter of singer Necmi Rıza Ahıska. From this marriage, son Cengiz and daughter Yeşim were born.

Career

Up to 1976 Işıkara studied on the

terrestrial magnetism Earth's magnetic field, also known as the geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from Earth's interior out into space, where it interacts with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun. The magnetic fi ...

. Between 1976-1983 he served as the chairman of the Turkish National Geodesy and

Geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' so ...

Association and as well as the

Aeronomy Aeronomy is the scientific study of the upper atmosphere of the Earth and corresponding regions of the atmospheres of other planets. It is a branch of both atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric physics. Scientists specializing in aeronomy, known a ...

Commission between 1976-1983. From 1979 to 1982, he was the coordinator of the European Workgroup for

Earthquake Prediction Earthquake prediction is a branch of the science of seismology concerned with the specification of the time, location, and magnitude of future earthquakes within stated limits, and particularly "the determination of parameters for the ''next'' ...

, and in the years 1980-1983 he represented Turkey in the Earthquake Specialists Committee of the Council of Europe. In 1985, he entered

Boğaziçi University Boğaziçi University ( tr, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi), also known as Bosphorus University, is a major research university in Istanbul, Turkey. Its main campus is located on the European side of the Bosphorus strait. It has six faculties and tw ...

, and was appointed assistant director of Earthquake Research Center of

Kandilli Observatory Kandilli Observatory, or more formally Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (KOERI, tr, Kandilli Rasathanesi ve Deprem Araştırma Enstitüsü) is a Turkish observatory, which is also specialized on earthquake research. It is si ...

. In 1991, he became director of the observatory, and served at this post until 2002. Following the 1999 İzmit earthquake, he repeatedly addressed people on television to create awareness for protection and safety during earthquakes. In this period, he earned the nickname ''Deprem Dede'' ( en, Grandpa Earthquake). His quote "Quakes don’t kill, buildings do." became famous. In 2003, he was appointed chairman of the newly established Association of Preparation for Disaster and Training for Earthquake ( tr, Afete Hazırlık ve Deprem Eğitimi Derneği (AHDER)). Işıkara was last serving as the head consultant of the Turkish Red Crescent.

Politics

Işıkara tried to enter politics in the 2002 general elections, running for a seat in the parliament from the

True Path Party The True Path Party ( tr, Doğru Yol Partisi, DYP) was a centre-right political party in Turkey, active from 1983 to 2007. For most of its history, the party's central figure was Süleyman Demirel, a former Prime Minister of Turkey who previously ...

(DYP). According to election system of Turkey, parties which fail to receive less than 10% of all votes are not qualified to gain seats in the parliament. In the 2002 elections, DYP received slightly less than 10% and Işıkara was not able to enter the parliament.

Death

Ahmet Mete Işıkara died on 21 January 2013 due to respiratory insufficiency in a hospital in Istanbul, where he was treated since 44 days in the intensive care unit. He was laid to rest at the

Feriköy Cemetery The Feriköy Cemetery ( tr, Feriköy Mezarlığı) is a burial ground situated in Feriköy quarter of Şişli district on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality. Many prominent figures from the ...

, Istanbul.

Legacy

In Mersin a primary school is named after him School page
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isikara, Ahmet Mete 1941 births Turkish scientists People from Mersin Earthquakes in Turkey Date of birth unknown Turkish geophysicists Istanbul University alumni Academic staff of Boğaziçi University Respiratory disease deaths in Turkey Deaths from respiratory failure Alumni of Imperial College London University of Göttingen alumni 2013 deaths Burials at Feriköy Cemetery