Materials are arranged in the order created during the interview process with the first file containing earlier dated items used to prepare for the interview.
Accession No. PA.2000.0022: George Cvijanovich, 2000 May
[identification of item], George Cvijanovich Oral History, SPEC.PA.56.0032, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program, Ohio State University
Contains audiocassettes.
Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the University Archives reading room only. Audio recordings contained in this collection are available online. Audiocassette recordings are available for use but a use copy will need to be produced before access is allowed. Contact the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program at polararchives@osu.edu for more information.
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Processed by: Devon Boerman, 2018 August; Finding aid written by: Devon Boerman, 2018 August
Dr. George Cvijanovich (1921-2002) was a geophysicist who worked in Arctic regions. From 1953-1959, Cvijanovich was a research fellow and former graduate assistant at Columbia University where he developed a nuclear magnetic resonance detector for measuring the magnetic field of the earth, which he would use in his future research. In 1958, Cvijanovich became the lead scientist at the United States of America North Pole Expedition Project “Ice Skate” on Ice Station Alpha in the Arctic Ocean during its second year of operation he used during Project "Ice Skate". "Ice Skate" was the name given to a large sheet of floating ice in the Arctic, which was also known as a ice floe. He was evacuated with the rest of the staff when the ice floe that housed Ice Station Alpha broke up on November 5, 1958. Cvijanovich became the Chief Scientist of Ice Station Charlie afterward until October 1959. After leaving Ice Station Charlie, Cvijanovich went to Switzerland where he had the first experiment run on the high energy accelerator at Geneva.
The George Cvijanovich Oral History, dated 1958 and 1983-2002, contains recordings, administrative information and a transcript of the interview between Cvijanovich and Ohio State University Polar Archivist Laura Kissel that took place on May 8, 2000, regarding his experiences in the Arctic and as a geophysicist. This interview was a part of a series of Polar Oral histories sponsored by American Polar Society and Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Major topics found in the collection include Cvijanovich’s work at the Sorbonne and Columbia University, his experiences on Ice Station Alpha on the ice floe “Ice Skate,” his observations regarding interaction between military personnel and scientists, the development of a nuclear magnetic resonance instrument and his experience of having the first experiment on the high energy accelerator at Geneva.