Arturo Alcaraz
Encyclopedia
Arturo Alcaraz is a Filipino volcanologist
and a Thomasian 'Awardee' for government service.
(1937).
division of the Bureau of Mines. He then applied for a government scholarship which eventually qualified him to study in the United States when the Philippines was still a commonwealth under U.S. sovereignty. He entered the University of Wisconsin and graduated with a Master of Science degree in Geology. When he returned to the Philippines, he rejoined the bureau and was hired as assistant geologist to Busuanga Island
, the northernmost islet off Palawan
. In May 1942, he became Chief Geophysicist of the Philippine Weather Bureau.
When Alcaraz temporarily left his government job during the liberation of Manila in 1945, he volunteered for a few months as a civilian engineer for the United States Army. After that, he returned to the Weather Bureau and remained as chief of the Geophysical Division. In 1947, he had his first close-range experience of volcanic eruption when Mayon Volcano
in the Bicol region of southern Luzon erupted. In 1948, he received a grant from the United States Government to study microseismology at Opalocka Naval Air Station in Florida.
In 1951, the Commission on Volcanology (ComVol) was officially created under the National Research Council and appointed Alcaraz as Chief Volcanologist which he held until 1974.
In 1955, Alcaraz received a Guggenheim Fellowship
award and took two semesters of study at the University of California at Berkeley from which he received a Certificate in Volcanology.
Volcanologist
A volcanologist is a person who studies the formation of volcanoes, and their current and historic eruptions. Volcanologists frequently visit volcanoes, especially active ones, to observe volcanic eruptions, collect eruptive products including tephra , rock and lava samples...
and a Thomasian 'Awardee' for government service.
Early life
www.unknown.com was born Arturo Pineda Alcaraz to Conrado Alcaraz and Paz Pineda in Manila, Philippines. He was a college graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering from the Mapua Institute of TechnologyMapúa Institute of Technology
Mapúa Institute of Technology is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila and in Makati....
(1937).
Professional life
Arturo Alcaraz started his professional career as an aide in the geologyGeology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
division of the Bureau of Mines. He then applied for a government scholarship which eventually qualified him to study in the United States when the Philippines was still a commonwealth under U.S. sovereignty. He entered the University of Wisconsin and graduated with a Master of Science degree in Geology. When he returned to the Philippines, he rejoined the bureau and was hired as assistant geologist to Busuanga Island
Busuanga Island
Busuanga Island is the largest island in the Calamian Group in the province of Palawan in the Philippines. Busuanga Island is, in fact, the second largest island in the province after Palawan island itself. The island is located halfway between the islands of Mindoro and Palawan with the South...
, the northernmost islet off Palawan
Palawan
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
. In May 1942, he became Chief Geophysicist of the Philippine Weather Bureau.
When Alcaraz temporarily left his government job during the liberation of Manila in 1945, he volunteered for a few months as a civilian engineer for the United States Army. After that, he returned to the Weather Bureau and remained as chief of the Geophysical Division. In 1947, he had his first close-range experience of volcanic eruption when Mayon Volcano
Mayon Volcano
Mayon Volcano, also known as Mount Mayon, is an active volcano in the province of Albay, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Renowned as the "perfect cone" because of its almost symmetric conical shape, Mayon forms the northern boundary of Legazpi City, the largest city in terms of...
in the Bicol region of southern Luzon erupted. In 1948, he received a grant from the United States Government to study microseismology at Opalocka Naval Air Station in Florida.
In 1951, the Commission on Volcanology (ComVol) was officially created under the National Research Council and appointed Alcaraz as Chief Volcanologist which he held until 1974.
In 1955, Alcaraz received a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
award and took two semesters of study at the University of California at Berkeley from which he received a Certificate in Volcanology.