Veikko Aleksanteri Heiskanen (V. A. Heiskanen; also spelled Weikko Aleksanteri (or W. A.) Heiskanen; 23 July 1895 – 23 October 1971) was a Finnish geodesist and geophysicist.[1][2] He was known for his refinement of George Biddell Airy and John Henry Pratt's theories of isostasy into his own, the Heiskanen hypothesis.[3][4] With Felix Andries Vening Meinesz, he wrote the textbook The Earth and its Gravity Field (1958),[5][6] and in 1960 a paper by Heiskanen, "The latest achievements of physical geodesy" was discussed in the scientific literature.[7] With Helmut Moritz, Heiskanen wrote the textbook Physical Geodesy (1967), which became a standard text the field of geodesy and for the study of the geoid.[8][9] Heiskanen's doctoral students include Ivan I. Mueller.
Born c. 23 July 1895[a] in Kangaslampi, Finland, he grew up on a small farm. He attended the University of Helsinki and in three years received a Candidate in Philosophy degree (some texts state he received the Master of Science degree).[10][11] In 1927 he received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the university.[12]
The Kaarina and Weikko A. Heiskanen Fund endows the Kaarina and Weikko A. Heiskanen Award,[13] which is awarded annually by the Ohio State University.[14] The university hosted the Weikko A. Heiskanen Symposium in Geodesy in 2002 to celebrate that geodesy had been studied at Ohio State for 50 years.[15]
A book, Surveyor of the Globe, was written as a biography of Heiskanen by Juhani A. Kakkuri and published in 2008 and 2017.[16][17]
Career chronology
edit- Senior geodesist – Finnish Geodetic Institute (1921–1928)
- Lecturer in geodesy – University of Helsinki (1926–?)
- Professor of geodesy – Finland Institute of Technology (1928–1949)
- Chief of the Geodetic Section – Finland Institute of Technology (1935–1949)
- Director – International Isostatic Institute (1936–?)
- Member – Finnish Parliament (1933–1936)
- Chairman – Finnish Geographical Society (1941–1942)
Notes
edit- ^ This is the accepted date in most biographical works.
References
edit- ^ "Veikko Heiskanen". Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ Cook, A. H. (21 July 1956). "Prof. W. A. Heiskanen: Sixtieth Birthday Volume". Nature. 178 (4525): 111–112. doi:10.1038/178111a0.
- ^ Holmes, Gillian S. (2014). "Isostasy". In Lerner, K. Lee; Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth (eds.). The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Vol. 4 (5th ed.). Gale. pp. 2436–2438. Gale CX3727801360.
- ^ "Heiskanen hypothesis". Britannica. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ Dicke, Robert H. (20 February 1959). "The Earth and its Gravity Field". Book Reviews. Science. 129 (3347): 460. doi:10.1126/science.129.3347.460.b.
- ^ Korff, Serge A. (May 1959). "The Earth and Its Gravity Field". Books. Physics Today. 12 (5): 44–46. doi:10.1063/1.3060812.
- ^ O'Keefe, John A. (June 1961). "Discussion of paper by W. A. Heiskanen, "The latest achievements of physical geodesy"". Letters to the Editor. Journal of Geophysical Research. 66 (6): 1992. doi:10.1029/JZ066i006p01992.
- ^ J. E. J. (4 June 1967). "Physical Geodesy". Reviews. Geological Magazine. 104 (3): 302. doi:10.1017/S0016756800048834.
- ^ Robbins, A. R. (12 August 1967). "Text for Geodesists". Book Reviews. Nature. 215 (5102): 793. doi:10.1038/215793a0.
- ^ Kakkuri, Juhani (2009). "Veikko Heiskanen and Helmut Moritz" (PDF). Sitzungsberichte der Leibniz-Sozietät der Wissenschaften zu Berlin. 104: 57–63. ISBN 978-3-89626-884-6. ISSN 0947-5850.
- ^ Ahonen, Kathleen (2008). "Heiskanen, Weikko Aleksanteri". Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Vol. 17. Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 403–404. Gale CX2830905153 – via Encyclopedia.com.
- ^ Karttunen, Hannu. "Heiskanen, Weikko Aleksanteri (1895-1971)". University of Turku. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "Kaarina and Weikko A. Heiskanen Award Endowed Fund for Excellence in Geodetic Science". School of Earth Sciences. Ohio State University. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "Kaarina and Weikko A. Heiskanen Fund". School of Earth Sciences. Ohio State University. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ Shum, C.K. (23 January 2002). "[IGSMAIL-3709]: Heiskanen Symposium in Geodesy, Oct 1-4, 2002, Columbus, OH, USA". International GNSS Service. Retrieved 17 March 2024. (See Proceedings)
- ^ Grafarend, Erik W. (October 2017). Tóth, Gyula (ed.). "Book Review: Juhani A. Kakkuri: Surveyor of the Globe. Story of the life of V.A.Heiskanen" (PDF). IAG Newsletter. Information Service of the International Association of Geodesy: 14–16.
- ^ Poutanen, Markku; Kuusniemi, Heidi (August–September 2022). Tóth, Gyula (ed.). "Obituary: Juhani Kakkuri (1933 - 2022)". IAG Newsletter. Information Service of the International Association of Geodesy: 8–9.
- ^ "Finnish Geodetic Institute: Prof. W. A. Heiskanen". News. Nature. 164 (4162): 214. 1 August 1949. doi:10.1038/164214b0.
Further reading
edit- Juhani Kakkuri, "Maapallon mittaaja" Maankäyttö
- Jari Juutilainen, "V. A. Heiskanen Memorial" Taurus Hill Observatory
- Jarkko Koskinen "The man who took us to the Moon, Prof V. A. Heiskanen" National Land Survey of Finland
- Martin Vermeer Physical Geodesy
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