Oral Histories
Interview of Leon Knopoff
UCLA faculty member in geophysics and research musicologist.
- Topic:
- Science, Medicine, and TechnologyUCLA and University of California HistoryUCLA Faculty
- Biographical Note:
- UCLA faculty member in geophysics and research musicologist.
- Interviewee:
- Knopoff, Leon
- Persons Present:
- Knopoff and Van Benschoten.
- Place Conducted:
- Knopoff’s office at UCLA.
- Supporting Documents:
- Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
- Interviewer Background and Preparation:
- The interview was conducted by William Van Benschoten, UCLA Center for Oral History Research; B.A., History, UC Riverside, 1990; M.A., History, UC Riverside, 1991; C.Phil., History, UCLA, 1995.
- Processing of Interview:
- The transcript is a verbatim transcription of the recording. It was transcribed by a professional transcribing agency using a list of proper names and specialized terminology supplied by the interviewer. Leon and Joanne Knopoff were then given an opportunity to review the transcript and they made a number of corrections and additions. Those corrections were entered into the text without further editing or review on the part of the Center for Oral History Research staff.
- Length:
- 9 hrs.
- Language:
- English
- Copyright:
- Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
- Audio:
Growing up in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles—Family background—Role of tradition and religion in Knopoff’s childhood—The Labor
Movement in 1920s and 1930s Los Angeles—More on family background—Father’s pacifism—Parents’ politics—Family life while
growing up—Growing up during the Great Depression.
More on family life while growing up—Early education—Piano
lessons, early exposure to classical music, and the importance of
musical education—Teaching musical acoustics—Interest in music
endures at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)—UCLA
Institute of Ethnomusicology—More on early education—Leg and
knee problems—High school classes in math and science—Enduring
interest in solving puzzles—Attends Los Angeles City College—
College physics—Transfers to California Institute of Technology
(Caltech)—Attends graduate school in physics.
Parental expectations concerning college—Father’s careers while
Knopoff was growing up—Summer work while in high school and
college—Influential teachers—Attending Caltech during the Second
World War—More on influential teachers—More on attending Caltech
during the Second World War Attending Caltech during the Second
World War—Listening to music on the radio and attending movies as a
family—Effect of family’s nomadism—High school chemistry
competition.
More on childhood—Witnessing the body of a dead cousin after a hit and run accident—Choice of physics as a field of study—Ph.D. oral examinations at Caltech—Deciding to attend graduate school at
Caltech—Knopoff’s graduate work in frequency modulated radio at
Caltech—Knopoff’s fathers’ death—Leaves Caltech to teach at Miami
University (“Miami”)—William H. Pickering—More on graduate
school at Caltech—More on leaving Caltech to teach at Miami—
Adjusting culturally to Ohio.
Teaching at Miami—Completes thesis and receives Ph.D. from
Caltech—Knopoff is hired to conduct research at UCLA—Leaves
Miami for position at UCLA—Louis B. Slichter—Harald Sverdrup and
others establish the Institute of Geophysics at UCLA.
More on the establishment of the Institute of Geophysics at UCLA—
Knopoff’s research at the Institute of Geophysics—Publishes his first
paper—Helps recruit Gordon MacDonald—Works on the Seismic
Scattering Project—Meets and marries his wife, Joanne Van Cleef
Knopoff—Knopoff’s mother’s death—Interest in the philosophy of
Hans Reichenbach—The variety of resources and stimuli at UCLA.
More on the variety of resources and stimuli at UCLA.
The loyalty oath—Cooperation and competition between the different
University of California campuses—The development of Knopoff’s
interest in attenuation—The development of long-period seismometers
and the World-Wide Standard Seismographic Network (WWSSN).
More on the development of long-period seismometers and the
WWSSN—Travels to the South Pole for WWSSN—Significance of the
Earth’s poles for seismographic research—The activities of the
Institute of Geophysics—Knopoff’s decision not to leave UCLA for
Caltech.
More on Knopoff’s decision not to leave UCLA for Caltech—Devises
a method for dating ancient pottery using thermoluminescence—Joins
the UCLA Institute of Ethnomusicology—Reconciling seemingly
disparate interests—Research concerning the structure of the upper
mantle and geological inversion—The International Geophysical Year
and the Upper Mantle Project—International scientific inquiry and
exchanges—Knopoff appointed as the UCLA campus director of the
Institute of Geophysics.
Knopoff is voted into the National Academy of Sciences—Future
challenges for the Institute of Geophysics—Frank Press—The sources
of Knopoff’s scientific creativity—Important teachers and Knopoff’s
own teaching philosophy—Complex systems—Research on model and
theoretical seismicity.
More on research on model and theoretical seismicity—Government programs concerning earthquake prediction.
More on government programs concerning earthquake prediction—
Challenges in earthquake prediction—Changes in building codes
related to earthquakes—Earthquake preparedness—The future of and
challenges in the field of solid earth geophysics—The problems of big
science.
More on the problems of big science—Function of competition in
science—What Knopoff has learned from past mistakes—Memorials to
other scientists—The importance of the history of science—Work with
the Atomic Energy Commission—Knopoff’s commitment to
teaching—More on complex systems—A typical day for Knopoff—
Hobbies.
More on hobbies—Knopoff’s travels.