Biography:Dilhan Eryurt

Dilhan Eryurt
Born	(1926-11-29)29 November 1926 Izmir
Died	13 September 2012(2012-09-13) (aged 85) Ankara
Alma mater	Istanbul University, University of Michigan, University of Ankara
Known for	astrophysicist
Scientific career
Institutions	Indiana University, Goethe Link Observatory Goddard Space Flight Center, Middle East Technical University

Prof. Dr. Dilhan Eryurt (29 November 1926, Izmir, 13 September 2012, Ankara) was a Turkish astrophysicist.

She was a scientist who contributed to his research and evolution of astronomy.

In 1961-1973 Eryurt, who was the first Turkish scientist at Middle East Technical University, took a position in NASA and established the astrophysics department in Middle East Technical University and was the Dean of METU Science and Literature Faculty from 1988 to 1993.

Life

She was born on 29 November 1926, in Izmir. Her father was Abidin Ege who was a MP in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for Denizli Province in 1944.

Shortly after his father's arrival in İzmir, her family moved to Istanbul, and then to Ankara a few years later. After completing her primary education in Ankara, she continued to Ankara Girls High School. In high school she had a special interest in mathematics. For this reason, after graduating from high school, he entered Istanbul University, Department of Mathematics and Astronomy. She pursued her interest in Astronomy during her university study.

After graduating from Istanbul University, in 1946, she worked as an honorary assistant for two years at Tevfik Oktay Kabakçıoğlu, who was assigned to open an astronomy department at Ankara University. She continued her graduate studies at the University of Michigan for a while and in 1953 he completed her doctorate at the Department of Astrophysics at the University of Ankara and then was associate professor.

In 1959, she went to Canada for two years with a scholarship of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Here Prof. Dr. Alastari worked with G. W. Cameron. She then went to the US and worked for the Soroptimist Federation of America at Indiana University, on the.identification of star models at the Goethe Link Observatory. She worked with Marshall Wrubel. After this experience, she worked at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. She worked with Alastair G. W. Cameron, on research on solar history. During this period, she was he only woman astronomer working at the institution.

Dilhan Eryurt's work at the Goddard Institute revealed some facts about the sun that were not understood until then. The fact that the brightness of the Sun has not increased since its formation was revealed that it was much brighter and warmer in the past. The studies were important at that time to influence the course of new space flights. She was awarded the Apollo Achievement Award in 1969 for her successful work on the first landing on the moon. After completing her two years of study at the Goddard Institute, Eryurt continued to work at the institute as a senior researcher. The institute sent her to the University of California to study about the formation and development of stars.

In 1968, she came to Turkey and organized the first National Astronomy Congress with the support of Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey.

Between 1969 and 1973, she continued her scientific research at NASA. In 1973 he returned to the ODTÜ Physics Department and founded astrophysics branch. In 1977, she was awarded with Tübitak Science Award. In 1988, she was chairman of the physics department for six months, and then became a dean of the Faculty of Science and Letters for five years. In 1993, she retired.

She died in Ankara after a heart attack on 13 September 2012.