Yervant Terzian

Yervant Terzian was born on February 9, 1939, in Alexandria, Egypt to a Greek mother, Maria (née Kyriakaki), daughter of a fisherman, and an Armenian father, Bedros Terzian, a merchant who survived the Armenian genocide. He studied at the Kalousdian Armenian School in Cairo and received his B.Sc. in physics and mathematics from the American University in Cairo in 1960. He then emigrated to the United States and enrolled at Indiana University Bloomington. He received his master's degree in 1963 and completed his Ph.D. in astrophysics in 1965. English was the fifth language Terzian learned. ==Career==

Between 1965 and 1967 Terzian worked as a research associate at the newly built Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, managed by Cornell University. In 2002 he was elected chairman of the US SKA Consortium. ==Research==

Terzian's research focused on the physics of the interstellar medium, galaxies, and radio astronomy. He studied the physics of the stellar evolution, planetary nebulae, hydrogen gas between galaxies and the presence of unseen matter in intergalactic space. ==Personal life==

Terzian's first wife, Araxy (née Hovsepian, 1940–2017), was also an Egypt-born Armenian. They had a daughter, Tamar, and a son, Sevan. His second wife was Patricia E. Fernandez de Castro Martinez, and president of the Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County. Terzian died at his home in Ithaca, New York, on November 25, 2019, after a long illness. He was buried at Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Ithaca. ==Publications==

Terzian authored and co-authored over 235 publications. He was the editor of seven books, most prominently Carl Sagan’s Universe (Cambridge University Press, 1997). Between 1989 and 1999 he served as associate editor and scientific editor of The Astrophysical Journal. ==Membership==

Terzian was a member of a number of organizations, including the International Astronomical Union (1967), ==Philanthropy==

Terzian was also a philanthropist. He founded Armenian National Science and Education Fund (ANSEF ), a project that is part of the Fund for Armenian Relief. He was its chairman since 2001. ==Recognition==

In 2009 a documentary was made by Friends of Astronomy at Cornell on Terzian's 70th anniversary. In September 2017 a conference room was named after Terzian in Cornell's Spaces Sciences Building "in recognition of his many years of leadership, scholarship and citizenship to Cornell." Awards • Gold Medal of the Ministry of Science and Education of Armenia (2008) • NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal (2018), NASA's highest civilian award, "For sustained and exceptional public service by integrating research and education in space science over several decades." Honorary degrees Terzian received honorary doctorates from a number of universities: Indiana University (1989), Yerevan State University (1994), University of Thessaloniki (1997), Union College (1999). In 2004, his alma mater, the American University in Cairo, awarded him the Distinguished Alumni Award. ==References==