Person
Bullen, Keith Edward (1906 - 1976)
FAA FRS
- Born
- 29 June 1906
Auckland, New Zealand - Died
- 23 September 1976
Auckland, New Zealand - Occupation
- Mathematician and Seismologist
Summary
Keith Bullen was Professor of Applied Mathematics, University of Sydney 1946-1971 but had earlier worked at Auckland University College 1928-1940 and the University of Melbourne 1940-1945. He studied at Cambridge under H. Jeffreys working on theoretical seismology. Much of his later work was directed towards confirming the theory of the Earth having a solid core. His suggestion that nuclear explosions be monitored so the resulting earthquake waves could be studied was ultimately accepted. Bullen was active in international seismology, serving on policy bodies and in executive positions in organisations such of the International Association of Seismology, of which he was President from 1954 to 1957. Among his publications were An introduction to the theory of seismology (1947, 3rd edition 1963), which became the standard text and was translated into other languages, and The Earth's density (1975).
Details
Chronology
- 1926
- Education - Bachelor of Arts (BA), Auckland University College, New Zealand
- 1926 - 1927
- Career position - Teacher, Auckland Grammar School, New Zealand
- 1928
- Education - Master of Arts (MA), Auckland University College, New Zealand
- 1928 - 1931
- Career position - Lecturer in mathematics, Auckland University College
- 1930
- Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), Auckland University College, New Zealand
- 1933 - 1976
- Award - Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society, United Kingdom
- 1934 - 1940
- Career position - Lecturer in mathematics, Auckland University College
- 1937
- Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Cambridge
- 1940 - 1945
- Career position - Senior Lecturer in mathematics, University of Melbourne
- 1946
- Education - Doctor of Science (ScD), University of Cambridge
- 1946 - 1971
- Career position - Professor of Applied Mathematics, University of Sydney
- 1949
- Award - Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal, Australian Academy of Science
- 1949 - 1976
- Award - Fellow, The Royal Society, London (FRS)
- 1953
- Award - Walter Burfitt Prize, Royal Society of New South Wales
- 1953 - 1976
- Award - Petitioner for the Academy, Founding Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA)
- 1954 - 1957
- Career position - President, International Association of Seismology
- 1955
- Award - Bicentennial Medal, Columbia University, New York, U.S.A.
- 1958
- Career position - Vice-President, Committee on Antarctic Research, International Council of Scientific Unions
- 1960 - 1976
- Award - Foreign Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
- 1961
- Award - William Bowie Medal, American Geophysical Union
- 1961 - 1976
- Award - Foreign Associate, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
- 1962 - 1976
- Award - Fellow, American Geophysical Union
- 1963
- Award - Doctor of Science (DSc), honoris causa, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- 1963
- Award - Arthur L. Day Medal, Geological Society of America
- 1963 - 1967
- Career position - Vice-President, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics
- 1963 - 1976
- Award - Honorary Fellow, Royal Society of New Zealand
- 1963 - 1976
- Award - Honorary Fellow, Geological Society of America
- 1965
- Award - Royal Society of Victoria Medal for Excellence in Scientific Research
- 1967 - 1976
- Award - Honorary Fellow, Geological Society of London
- 1968
- Award - Elected to the Pontifical Academy of Science, Rome
- 1969
- Award - Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture, Australian Academy of Science
- 1971
- Life event - Retired
- 1971 - 1975
- Career position - Chairman, International Committee for the Standard Earth Model
- 1973 - 1976
- Career position - Member of Council, International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering
- 1974
- Award - Gold Medal, Royal Astronomical Society, United Kingdom
- 1974 - 1976
- Award - Fellow, Royal Society of New South Wales
- 1975
- Award - Doctor of Science (DSc), honoris causa, University of Sydney
Related entries
Archival resources
Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science
- Keith Edward Bullen, FAA - Records, 1926 - 1976, MS 223; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details
University of Sydney, Archives
- Keith Edward Bullen - Records, 1915 - 1976, P 25; University of Sydney, Archives. Details
Published resources
Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions
- Smith, Ailie, Adolph Basser Library Manuscript Collection, eScholarship Research Centre, 2012, http://www.eoas.info/basser_browse.html. Details
Book Sections
- Winch, Denis E., 'Bullen, Keith Edward (1906-1976), seismologist and professor of applied mathematics' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 13: 1940 - 1980 A-De, John Ritchie, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1993), pp. 295-297. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130334b.htm. Details
Journal Articles
- 'Obituary: K. E. Bullen', Search, 7 (11-12) (1976), 459. Details
- Bullen, K. E., 'Obituary: Thomas Noel Burke-Gaffney, S. J.', Australian Journal of Science, 21 (5) (1958), 133-134. Details
- Bullen, K. E., 'Obituary: Roger Chapman Thorne', Australian Journal of Science, 22 (3) (1959), 109-110. Details
- Bullen, K. E., 'Thomas MacFarland Cherry', Records of the Australian Academy of Science, 1 (2) (1967), 97-107. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9670120097. Details
- Hales, A. L., 'Keith Edward Bullen 1906-1976', Records of the Australian Academy of Science, 4 (2) (1979), 42-64. http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9790420042.htm. Details
- Jeffreys, Harold, 'Keith Edward Bullen, 29 June 1906 - 23 September 1976', Biographical memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 23 (1977), 19-39. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbm.1977.0002. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1361292. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/59158642. Details
- 'Bullen, K E (1906-1976)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1215230. Details
Resource Sections
- 'Bullen, Keith Edward', in Physics in Australia to 1945, R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham, Australian Science Archives Project, June 1995, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/physics/P001455p.htm. Details
- Hales, A. L., 'Keith Edward Bullen 1906-1976', in Australian Academy of Science Biographical Memoirs, Australian Academy of Science, 2006, https://www.science.org.au/fellowship/fellows/biographical-memoirs-1/keith-edward-bullen-1906-1976. Details
See also
- Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal, Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, 2023. https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/awards-and-opportunities/thomas-ranken-lyle-medal. Details
- Paterson, M. S., 'John Conrad Jaeger 1907-1979', Historical Records of Australian Science, 5 (3) (1982), 64-88. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9820530064. Details
Digital resources
Gavan McCarthy and Helen Cohn
Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 17 April 2024
- Foundation Supporter - Committee to Review Australian Studies in Tertiary Education