Prof.Dr. Kerim Erim
Kerim Erim was born on January 31, 1894, in Istanbul. He received his primary education in Aleppo, and his secondary education was partly through private tutoring at home and partly through exams at the initial classes of Hendese-i Mülkiye. He graduated from the Higher Technical School in 1914. In 1917, he went to Germany at his own expense to pursue mathematical studies. Initially, he attended mathematics courses at Berlin University. On August 22, 1919, in Erlangen, he completed his doctoral studies under the supervision of Ernst S. Fischer at Friedrich-Alexander University, becoming the first Turkish person to earn a doctorate in mathematics. Kerim Erim’s doctoral thesis was titled “Über die Trägheitsformen eines Modulsystems” (On the Inertia Forms of a Module System). By providing a new proof for the theorems related to the composition of polynomial equations in the theory of invariants by Adolf Hurwitz and Franz Mertens, Kerim Erim introduced the concept of “inertia form” (Trägheitsformen) for the first time.
After returning from Germany following the successful completion of his doctoral oral exam, on November 6, 1919, Kerim Erim was appointed as an instructor for ‘Nazari hesab’ (Theoretical Calculations) and ‘Hendese-i tahliliye’ (Analytic Geometry) at the Mühendis Mekteb-i Âlisi (Higher Technical School). In the same institution, until 1933, he took on various teaching roles, including instruction in ‘Kozmografya’ (Cosmography), ‘Müsellesat’ (Trigonometry), ‘Felsefe-i ilmiye’ (Philosophy of Science), and ‘Mihanik’ (Mechanics). Additionally, he served as an assistant instructor for ‘Tamami ve tefazuli hesap’ (Integral and Differential Calculus) and ‘Mihanik-i riyazi’ (Mathematical Mechanics).
Kerim Erim resigned from the position of Dean of the Faculty of Science, to which he had been appointed on August 1, 1933, and left his position at Istanbul University following the resignation of Reşit Galip from the Ministry of National Education on August 13, 1933. In the Faculty of Science, he continued to teach ‘Tamâmî ve tefâzulî hesâb’ (Integral and Differential Calculus) and ‘Yüksek riyazi tahlil’ (Advanced Mathematical Analysis).
While the increased workload at Istanbul University led Erim to relinquish several courses at the Higher Technical School, he continued to teach ‘Hendese-i tahliliye’ (Analytic Geometry) and ‘Riyaziyyat-ı âliye tatbikatı’ (Advanced Mathematics Practice). In 1939, after Richard von Mises left Istanbul, Erim assumed the directorship of the Mathematics Institute.
From the 1940s onwards, the original research of Turkish mathematicians began to gain recognition at international conferences and in publications. The Istanbul University Faculty of Science Journal was included in the exchange programs of 86 international journals. By 1952, the Mathematics Institute had become one of the significant mathematical centers in the world. Kerim Erim and his contributions played a crucial role in achieving this development.
Kerim Erim maintained continuous communication with mathematicians worldwide. The 1933 Atatürk University Reform in Turkey provided a significant opportunity for him to contribute to the training of mathematicians. For many years, Kerim Erim worked simultaneously at both the Higher Technical School and the Faculty of Science at Istanbul University. However, the 1946 University Law prohibited faculty members from working at two universities simultaneously. As a result, Kerim Erim had to resign from his position at Istanbul Technical University. Elected as the Dean of the Faculty of Science at Istanbul University for the 1948–50 period, Erim continued his work at Istanbul University for 19 years until his passing in 1952.
Kerim Erim attended the International Congresses on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics organized by the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM) in Zurich in 1926, Stockholm in 1930, Cambridge (USA) in 1938, and Paris in 1946. In 1930, he met with Einstein in Berlin. After returning to Turkey, he published an account of this conversation under the title “An Hour with Einstein” in the November 1930 issue (Number 42) of “Mühendis Mektebi Mecmuası.”
Kerim Erim was a founding member of the Turkish Mathematical Society, established in 1948, and the Turkish Physical Society, founded in 1950.
Kerim Erim aimed to create a positive environment for Turkish mathematicians to present their work and to demonstrate that they were conducting research at the same level as the rest of the world. To achieve this, he organized the Eighth International Congress on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics in Istanbul from August 20 to 28, 1952. The decision to host the congress was made during the seventh congress held in London in 1948. The Istanbul congress attracted 616 participants, with the United States having the highest attendance with 141 participants. Turkey, with a total of 105 participants, including 16 presenters, was the second-highest contributor.
This event was considered one of the most important scientific meetings held after the establishment of the Republic, according to Tosun Terzioğlu. Kerim Erim personally managed the preparations for this congress starting from 1948. Despite suffering a heart attack a month before the congress due to the intensity of his work and being a diabetic, he followed the congress as much as his health allowed. The opening speech that he prepared was delivered by Cahit Arf, and he personally gave the closing speech.
Professor Dr. Kerim Erim passed away on December 28, 1952, in Istanbul and was buried in Edirnekapı Şehitliği. Twenty-five years after his death, in 1977, he was honored with the TÜBİTAK Service Award in the field of basic sciences.
*This biography was compiled by our board member Özkan Değer for the booklet “TMD 75 Yılın Ardından,” prepared on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Turkish Mathematical Society.