Ole J. Kleppa
| Ole Jakob Kleppa | |
|---|---|
Ole Kleppa, circa 2000
|
|
| Born |
February 4, 1920 Kristiania, Norway |
| Died | May 27, 2007 (aged 87) Lubbock, Texas, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Norwegian Institute of Technology |
| Known for | Invention of the Kleppa Calorimeter |
| Awards | Huffman Memorial Award (1982), U.S. Scientist Humboldt Award (1983–1984), Hume Rothery Award (1994) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physical chemistry |
| Institutions | University of Chicago |
| Notable students | Reatha King, Alexandra Navrotsky |
Ole J. Kleppa (February 4, 1920 – May 27, 2007) was a Norwegian-born physical chemist and a pioneer and leading authority in the study of metals, molten salts, ceramics and minerals at high temperatures. Kleppa was a professor at the University of Chicago, where he held appointments in the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Geophysical Sciences, the James Franck Institute, and the College. He was the director of the James Franck Institute and the Materials Research Laboratory.
Kleppa was born in Kristiania, Norway to Per and Karen Kleppa. After completing secondary school, Kleppa received his Master of Science degree in chemical engineering in 1946 and his Ph.D. in 1956 from the Norwegian Institute of Technology.
His education, however, was interrupted by the German invasion of Norway. As a leader in student government, Kleppa helped organize organized readings at which participants extolled freedom and Norwegian nationalism and took part in other resistance activities. Feeling that the situation was getting dangerous, Kleppa along with five or six others then decided to disguise themselves as berry pickers and flee Norway for neutral Sweden. After the war, Kleppa learned from his aunt that he crossed the border on the very day that she had received a letter from the Gestapo seeking to question him. After a year of teaching chemistry and physics in Uppsala, Sweden he flew to Great Britain, where he served in the Norwegian Army as an Intelligence Officer.
Kleppa served as an officer in a Norwegian military unit while in Britain. In 1943, he was sent to Iceland for eight months to teach U.S. soldiers to work in cold weather environments and to train them in winter warfare tactics. In Iceland Kleppa also befriended Kristjan Eldjarn, who later became Iceland's third president.
...
Wikipedia