doi:10.7916/d8-aygq-8z66Oral history interview with Thomas D. Aitken 1997Aitken, Thomas Doral historiessound recordingssound recording - nonmusicalSeismology--ResearchAitken, Thomas DColumbia UniversityLamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryChildhood: born Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, son of civil engineer, schoolteacher; Dartmouth University: undergraduate work in chemistry, 1952-1955; United States Army: Signal Corps, 1955-1957; Columbia University: School of General Studies, B.S., geology, 1959-1961; association with Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory [LDEO], 1961-1994: multiple voyages at sea aboard Vema, Robert D. Conrad, research with Argentine geologists, promotion to chief scientist aboard sea cruises, development of seismological instrumentation, computers, supervision of data reduction and interpretation; reminiscences of colleagues.