Nazım Terzioglu

Nazim Terzioglu has been awarded on December 2, 1982 the TÜBITAK Service Award thanks to his contributions to the development of mathematics in our country.

His family established a Mathematics Research Award on behalf of Terzioglu who gave efforts during his life for the development of mathematics and the creation of a research potential. For the first time, this award had been given to three young mathematicians in a ceremony at the Faculty of Science of Istanbul University on September 20, 1981, which is the fifth year of his death. The second award in 1982 was given to a young mathematician in the opening ceremony of the International Symposium on Mathematics that was held on 14–24 September 1982 at the Karadeniz Technical University where Terzioglu served as the founder-rector.

Nazım Terzioğlu (1912–September 20, 1976) was one of the first mathematicians in Turkish academia.

As an outcome of the negotiations with Silivri Municipality, Terzioglu provided Istanbul University with 35 acres of land to be donated in Silivri. In a part of this land, 18 study rooms, 3 large conference halls, a library and a guest house to accommodate scientists coming from abroad were constructed in accord with his order. Terzioglu considered graduate education very seriously. He believed that talented young people ought to be trained in a particular way. To provide such an environment, he invited foreign scientists and organized congresses, seminars, colloquia, summer and progress courses in Silivri facilities which was opened into use on September 3, 1973. Thanks to these activities, he made significant contributions to the education of young generations. The scientific meetings organized by Terzioglu in Silivri facilities are:

In 1973, Terzioglu was selected as a member of Hahnemann Medical Society of America. In 1974, he has been awarded the Medal of Merit of Federal Republic of Germany by the German President on his endeavor for the development of Turkish–German relations. He also has two medals given by the Prague University and the Finland University of Jyväskylä.

Terzioglu, who had an important role in the revival of the Union of Balkan Mathematicians (Union Balkanique des Mathematiciens) which was founded before the World War II, had been the president of that organization for two periods (1966–1971). He was also selected as the chairman of the IV. Congress of Balkan Mathematicians organized in Istanbul on August 29, 1972. Among his other international activities, the role he played in providing Turkey with the membership of the International Mathematical Union is an unforgettable service.

In 1965–1967, Terzioglu, in addition to his responsibilities in Istanbul University, worked first by proxy then acting as the principal founder-rector of Karadeniz (Black Sea) Technical University (KTU). It is his honour to establish the first Faculty of Fundamental Sciences of Turkey in KTU. In 1967, Terzioglu returned to his mission in the Faculty of Science of Istanbul University. In 1969 and 1971, he was elected as the rector of Istanbul University. He had maintained this position for two periods (28 October 1969 – 28 October 1971 and 28 October 1971 – 31 May 1974). In his first years as a rector, he restored the building of a historical soup kitchen which was assigned by Wakfs to the university as a part of the Sehzade Mosque. On 6 August 1971, by setting up a new printing system in it, he put the same building into service with the name of Research Institute for Mathematics of Faculty of Science. Terzioglu also established a mathematics library within this institute with a capacity of 2000 books which he provided through donations and purchase from foreign countries. After his death, the institute was named on the proposal of the Faculty of Science as Nazim Terzioglu Mathematics Research Institute.

At Istanbul University, he worked as the Dean of the Faculty of Science in 1950–1952. During the same period, Terzioglu established some of the scientific institutions for which Turkey had felt the major need until those years. These are the Institute for Geophysics of Istanbul University, the Institute for Hydrobiology in Istanbul Baltalimani and the Cosmic Ray Institute which Terzioglu founded at Uludag, Bursa in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Adnan Sokullu and Prof. Dr. Sait Akpinar. After his deanship in the Faculty of Science, he became the Chairman of the Analysis Division of the Institute of Mathematics in the same faculty (1953).

His son, Tosun Terzioglu (born 1942) is a Turkish mathematician and academic administrator.

Upon completion of his education in Germany, Terzioglu began to work as an assistant of Mathematical Mechanics and Advanced Geometry in the Institute of Mathematics of the Faculty of Science of Istanbul University in 1937. He became associate professor in 1942 and the following year, he was appointed to professorship in the newly established Institute of Mathematics of the Faculty of Science of Ankara University (1943). After spending two years in this faculty, he returned to Istanbul University as a professor (1944).

Nazım Terzioğlu completed his primary education in his place of birth, Kayseri. He started his secondary education in Istanbul and then continued in Izmir until his graduation from Izmir High School in 1930. At that time, some of Turkey's most qualified mathematics teachers worked at Izmir High School. Alumni of that school included mathematicians such as Cahit Arf (1910–1997) and Tevfik Oktay Kabakcıoğlu (1910–1971).

He completed his Ph.D. under the supervision of the famous mathematician of that period, Prof. Dr. Constantin Carathéodory (1873–1950), who was a member of a Greek family in Fener, Istanbul.

In ancient mathematics, the interest for conics starts with Menaechmus (BC IV. Century) and reaches the summit with Apollonius of Perga. Apollonius wrote his famous work Conica by processing previous information and adding up his own inventions. The first 7 volumes of this work consisting of 8 volumes in total are known whereas the 8th volume is missing. The Islamic and Western mathematicians working in this field took place in the reconstruction of the 8th volume. The most successful one of these works is that of Edmund Halley's (1656–1742) Apollonii Per-gaei conicorum (Oxoniae, 1710). The 8th book of Conica reconstructed by Ibn el-Heysem is the 4th manuscript with the name Makalatu'l-Hasan b.el-Hasan b.el Heysem fi el-kitabu'l-mahrutat in the Mecmu'atu'r-risail, which is recorded under no. 1796 in Manisa Library. The fact that Ibn el-Heysem completed this work nearly 700 years before Halley is interesting.