Antonino Lo Surdo ( 4 February 1880 in Syracuse – 7 June 1949 in Rome ) was an Italian physicist . He was appointed as professor of physics at the Istituto di Fisica in Rome in 1919 ; upon the death of Orso Mario Corbino in 1937 , he became the director . Lo Surdo studied terrestrial physics , including seismology and geophysics ; the 1908 Messina earthquake caused the death of his parents and other close relatives , except his brother . He contributed to the foundation of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica under the auspices of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , when its president was Guglielmo Marconi
1908 Messina earthquake
1908 Messina earthquake
Antonino Lo Surdo