Mahmoud Hessaby
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Mahmoud Hessaby (in Persian محمود حسابی - other spellings: Mahmood Hesabi) (February 23, 1903 - September 3, 1992) was a prominent Iranian scientist, researcher and distinguished professor of the University of Tehran.
Hessaby was born in Tehran; at the age of seven he moved to Beirut where he began attending school. At the age of seven he memorised the Qur'an by heart and later he started to read the masterpieces of Persian literature. At the early age of seventeen he obtained his Bachelor's in Arts and Sciences from the American University of Beirut. Later he obtained his B.A. in civil engineering while working as a draftsman. After a short period of time he obtained a B.A. in Mathematics and Astronomy.
He continued his studies and as a graduate of the Engineering school of Beirut was admitted to the École Superieure d'Electricité and in 1925 graduated from this school at the same time he was hired by the French Electric Railway Co. He had a scientific mind and continued his research in Physics at the Sorbonne University and obtained his Ph.D. in Physics from that University at the age of twenty-five.
In 1947, he published his classic papers on "Continuous particles". Then he proposed his model of "Infinitely extended particles" in 1957. The medal of the commandeur de la Légion d'honneur, France's greatest scientific medal, was awarded to him for his achievements.
Mahmoud Hessaby was the only Iranian student of Albert Einstein and during his years of scientific research he had meetings with well-known scientists such as Erwin Schrödinger, Max Born, Enrico Fermi, Paul Dirac, Aage Niels Bohr, and scholars such as Bertrand Russell and André Gide.
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[edit] Achievements
According to the Professor Hessaby Institute, the following were some of his accomplishments:
- Founding the Highway Engineering school and teaching there from 1928
- Survey and drawing of the first coastal road-map between Persian Gulf ports
- Founding the "teachers college" and teaching there from 1928
- Construction of the first radio-set in Iran (1928)
- Construction of the first weather-station in 1931
- Installation and operation of the first radiology center in Iran in 1931
- Calculation and setting of Iranian time (1932)
- Founding the first private hospital in Iran (Goharshad Hospital) in 1933
- Writing the University carechair and founding Tehran University (1934)
- Founding the Engineering school in 1934 and acting as the dean of that school until 1936 and teaching there from then on
- Founding the faculty of science and acting as its dean from 1942 to 1948
- Commissioned for the dispossession of British Petroleum Company during the government of Dr Mossadegh and appointed as the first general manager of the National Iranian Oil Company
- Minister of Education in the cabinet of Dr. Mossadegh from 1951 to 1952
- Opposing the contract with the consortium while in the Senate of Iran in 1954
- Opposing the membership of Iran in CENTO
- Founding the Telecommunication Center of Assad-Abad in Hamedan (1959)
- Writing the standards charter for the standards Institute of Iran (1954)
- Founding the Geophysical Institute of Tehran University (1961)
- Title of distinguished professor of Tehran University from 1971
- Founding the atomic research center and atomic reactor at Tehran University
- Founding the atomic Energy center of Iran, member of the UN scientific sub-committee of peaceful use of member of the international space committee (1981)
- Establishment of Iran's space research committee and member of the international space committee (1981)
- Establishment of the Iranian music society and founding the Persian language Academy
He continued lecturing at University for three working generations, teaching seven generations of students and professors. He spoke five living languages: Persian, French, English, German and Arabic and he also knew a little of Sanskrit, Latin, Greek, Pahlavi, Avestan, Turkish and Italian which he used for his etymological studies.
During the congress on "60 years of physics in Iran" the services rendered by him were deeply appreciated and he was entitled "the father of physics in Iran".
As Hesaby wished, he was buried in his motherland, Tafresh.
[edit] Key publications
- HESSABY M, MODEL OF AN INFINITE PARTICLE, JOURNAL DE PHYSIQUE ET LE RADIUM 18 (5): 323-326 1957
- SOUCHAY P, HESSABY A, CONFIRMATION ET NATURE DES FAIBLES ACIDITES DES ACIDES PERIODIQUE ET TELLURIQUE, BULLETIN DE LA SOCIETE CHIMIQUE DE FRANCE 20 (6): 614-621 1953
- HESSABY A, SOUCHAY P, ETUDE DES PERIODATES ET TELLURATES DE LITHIUM, BULLETIN DE LA SOCIETE CHIMIQUE DE FRANCE 20 (6): 606-614 1953
- SOUCHAY P, HESSABY A, EXISTE-T-IL DES SELS BASIQUES DARGENT, BULLETIN DE LA SOCIETE CHIMIQUE DE FRANCE 20 (6): 599-606 1953
- HESSABY M, THEORETICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF A LIGHT-CHARGED PARTICLE OF MASS GREATER THAN THAT OF THE ELECTRON, PHYSICAL REVIEW 73 (9): 1128-1128 1948
- HESSABY M, CONTINUOUS PARTICLES, PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 33 (6): 189-194 1947
- HESSABY M, CONTINUOUS PARTICLES, PHYSICAL REVIEW 72 (6): 536-536 1947
[edit] Awards and honours
- Légion d'honneur, France.
- Father of Iranian Physics, By Iran's Physical Society.
[edit] See also
Other Iranian Légion d'honneur recipients:
- Shirin Ebadi
- Abbas Kiarostami
- Reza Deghati
- Shahram Nazeri
- Mohamad Ali Sepanlou
- Pari Saberi
- Houshang Kavousi
- Reza Seyed Hosseini
- Jalal Sattari
[edit] Sources
- Dr. Mahmoud Hessaby at website of University of Tehran.
