10
Sep
In Memory: Kazumi Maki
It has been ten years since one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century, Professor Kazumi Maki passed away.
Born in Takamatsu, Japan, on 27th January 1936, Kazumi Maki studied physics at the University of Kyoto, completing his PhD thesis in 1964. Then he spent a year on a postdoctoral position at the University of Chicago. After two years as an assistant professor at UC San Diego, Kazumi became a professor at Tohoku University in 1967 at the young age of 31. In 1974 he accepted a professorship at the University of Southern California, where he remained until his passing.
In 1995 some of the current members of BRAMS Institute had a great honour to meet him in person during his visit to Tbilisi, Georgia. The impression he left with his colourful personality equally matched outstanding professional abilities this world-renowned physicist has demonstrated in the field of superconductivity.
Professor Kazumi Maki was very easy-going, friendly, even bubbly at times, and eager to try anything new, including different dishes from the Georgian cuisine. Always smiling, like a little boy, one of the most prolific solid-state theorists of the last five decades would never show off any of his many talents from science to culinary skills, or singing and violin playing. Luckily, his colleagues would enjoy sharing details about him with us.
Despite a severe disease and the lost battle against cancer, Professor Maki returned to his research in early 2007. He spent his last summer, as usual, enjoying every bit of his busy life – travelling extensively, speaking at conferences in Hungary, Croatia, Poland, Holland, Italy, and Germany. When he collapsed in Dresden he had to return to Los Angeles, where he remained until his death.
On 10th September 2008, this talented brave man had gone but left a warm, bright light as a legacy of a very good person.
