Ole J. Kleppa

Ole Jakob Kleppa (February 4, 1920 – May 27, 2007) was a Norwegian–American physical chemist and a pioneer and leading authority in the study of metals, molten salts, ceramics and minerals at high temperatures. Kleppa was a professor at the University of Chicago, where he held appointments in the department of chemistry, the department of geophysical sciences, the James Franck Institute, and the college. He was the director of the James Franck Institute and the materials research laboratory.

Biography

Kleppa was born in Kristiania, Norway to Per and Karen Kleppa. After completing secondary school, Kleppa received his Master of Science degree in chemical engineering in 1946 and his Ph.D. in 1956 from the Norwegian Institute of Technology.

Kleppa served as an officer in a Norwegian military unit while in Britain. In 1943, he was sent to Iceland for eight months to teach U.S. soldiers to work in cold weather environments and to train them in winter warfare tactics. In Iceland Kleppa also befriended Kristjan Eldjarn, who later became Iceland's third president.

Kleppa served as the associate director of the James Franck Institute from 1968 to 1971 and then its director from 1971 to 1977. He also served as director of the materials research lab at the University of Chicago from 1984 to 1987. During his career, he held positions on the board of editors of the Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics, Journal of Physical Chemistry, and Journal of Phase Equilibria. Kleppa was a member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters, of the Norwegian Institute of Technology, and a Fellow of ASM International and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Following his death, Norwegian scientist Stein Julsrud said "It is truly one of the most important contributors to physical chemistry in the post-war era that has now passed away".