It has been a very tragic past few weeks for the high-energy physics community. First we lost Michael Schmidt and now we lost six members of our community to the tragic plane crash in Turkey.
It is with deep sorrow that I have to inform you of the tragic death of some of our Turkish colleagues in the recent plane crash in Turkey. Professor Engin Arik, Engin Abat and Berkol Dogan from Bogazici University Istanbul perished in the accident, as well as three CAST colleagues from Dogus University travelling with them. They were on their way to a workshop for the design and planning of a Turkish accelerator complex.
Engin Arik pioneered the Turkish involvement in ATLAS, and she has motivated generations of young people to work with us in ATLAS, the TRT and DAQ. Engin Abat was with us this summer as a young MSc student. Engin Arik had worked at CERN since a long time in various experiments, having been a strong supporter of Turkish HEP at CERN and ATLAS.
In this dark moment our thoughts are with the families, colleagues and friends of the victims. In the name of the Collaboration I would like to express to our Turkish friends our sincere sympathy and condolences.
Peter Jenni
On behalf of the ATLAS Collaboration
I knew Engin Arik by her good reputation only. She was an active member of the ATLAS women’s group. Within that group she was known for being an endless source of inspiration, a great leader and a pioneer for promoting women in science as well as forwarding science in Turkey.
A fellow member of the women’s group, Christine Kourkoumelis, best eulogizes Engin’s impact on this field and the people in it.
Engin was a very dear friend of mine (actually I was the one who introduced her to the women’s group of ATLAS and she was eager to participate from the very beginning).
Me being Greek and Engin being Turkish was a good example how friendship can dissolve all nationalist prejudices. Together with Engin we participated in the first IUPAP Women in Physics Conference in Paris 2002 and tried to push the recognition of women scientists in the Balkan scene, as well. Engin inspired the research ideals in a large number of young girls and unfortunately, as you know, one of them died with her. She was also an ideal example of the “twin carrier “, being married to a physicist and pushing her career together with him in parallel routes. She also had two beautiful children and two grandchildren.
