Brian Kennett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brian Kennett
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| Professor of Seismology, Australian National University | |
| In office 1984–2016 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Brian Leslie Norman Kennett
7 May 1948 Croydon, Surrey, England |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day |
Brian Leslie Norman Kennett was born on May 7, 1948, in Croydon, England. He is a very smart scientist who studies math and physics, especially how the Earth shakes. This field is called seismology. He used to be a professor at the Australian National University and is now a professor emeritus there. This means he's retired but still connected to the university.
Contents
Brian Kennett's Education and Career
Early Studies and Research
Brian Kennett studied Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge in England. He earned his first degree in 1969. Then, in 1973, he completed his Ph.D. in theoretical seismology. This means he learned how to use math and physics to understand earthquakes and the Earth's inside.
After his Ph.D., he worked as a research fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He also spent time as a visiting researcher at the University of California, San Diego. In 1975, he returned to Cambridge and taught there for a while.
Moving to Australia
In 1984, Professor Kennett moved to Australia. He joined the Research School of Earth Sciences at the Australian National University (ANU). There, he started important programs to study earthquakes. These programs involved both observing earthquakes and using theories to understand them.
He also visited other universities around the world. For example, he was a visiting scientist at the University of Tokyo in 2002. From 2006 to 2010, he was the director of the Research School of Earth Sciences at ANU.
Contributions to Seismology
Professor Kennett has made big discoveries about what the Earth is like deep inside. He developed ways to understand seismograms. These are the wavy lines that show how the ground shakes during an earthquake. His work helped scientists study the Earth's mantle, which is the layer beneath the crust.
He also created special models that show how fast earthquake waves travel. These models help scientists figure out where an earthquake started. Two famous models he helped create are called IASP91 and AK135.
Awards and Honours
Professor Kennett has received many important awards for his work. These awards show how much his research has helped us understand the Earth.
- 1972: Smith Prize from the University of Cambridge
- 1981: Adams Prize from the University of Cambridge
- 1994: Became a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
- 2004: Received the Humboldt Prize
- 2005: Awarded the Jaeger Medal
- 2005: Became a Fellow of the Royal Society of London
- 2006: Received the Murchison Medal
- 2007: Awarded the Beno Gutenberg Medal
- 2008: Received the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society for Geophysics
- 2011: Awarded the Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture
- 2017: Received the Inge Lehmann Medal
