My first encounter with RHTB was early in my 2nd pro year when I discovered the lecturer assigned to me as undergraduate advisor, and also who was to be teaching the course on engineering maths. My first vivid memory of Richard was the day he stormed in to the classroom proclaiming his 40th birthday and that we “had better watch out” as he was in “no mood for tom-foolery”.
I may be mistaken but I believe that it was on that very day that he demonstrated for the first time his incredible prowess with chalk. Not so much on the blackboard (though he did also possess a certain skill in this direction also), but as a missile aimed between the eyes and at jolting the odd nodding student back to reality.
These classes were also memorable for the graphic demonstrations to the “great unwashed” of the nature of electromagnetism. As he gingerly walked along the top of the demonstrators table up front, arms representing electric and magnetic vectors would flail around wildly.
The following year I was fortunate enough to have drawn Richard as a supervisor for my 3rd-pro project. The idea was to build a “bird-flight monitor” and my task was to design the antennas to transmit and receive the microwave energy that was to detect, using doppler, the velocity of the bird as it flew down a tunnel. I’m not sure how well the objective was achieved, but we certainly began to develop a taste for research. Better yet, we were considered part of a team and were invited to the many parties, car-rallies and tramps that he and Phil organised at regular intervals.
I remember well the day John Hunter was see stalking the corridors with a couple of bent brass welding rods in his hand. Imagine the scorn with which he was received when he announced that he was “dowsing” for water. Even most of “the boys” were sceptical about John’s claims. Somehow, however, John managed to convince RHTB to try them, and much to his surprise, he discovered some sort of deterministic response as he paraded along the EE passageways the rods delicately balanced in each hand.
These same rods were to become necessary paraphernalia to accompany him on tramping and fishing trips for the next couple of years. At every opportunity anyone within shouting distance would be exhorted to march up and down along a course marked out on the ground while the response of the dowsing rods was duly tabulated.
Who can forget the weekly blackboard sessions he held with his students. For those new to the game, these occasions were truly trials by fine, with more than one noviciate being burned in the process. These occasions were designed to teach us to think on our feet under pressure (and a certain amount of abuse!), and achieved their aim rather effectively. One of Richard’s other missions was to ensure that his students were eventually able to express themselves intelligibly in writing. No mean task, given some of the material he had to deal with (KEE-RIIST, when are you buggers going to learn to write ENGLISH?)!
Richard, you have had a profound effect on my academic life, and I salute the dynasty of RHTBOBS (and OGS) that you have created. It has been an honour and a privilege to have been associated with you.
Dr Terry Peters
PhD 1974
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Editor’s Note:
Dr Terry Peters is a world leading scientist in medical imaging. His current appointment is:
Professor, Medical Imaging, Medical Biophysics, Biomedical Engineering
Robarts Research Institute,
Western University,
1151 Richmond Street North, London, Ontario
http://www.robarts.ca/terry-peters
Quoting an extract from Professor Peters’ profile, he describes his present research work as:
Professor Peters’ laboratory for Virtual Augmentation and Simulation for Surgery and Therapy (VASST Lab) is concerned with the development and validation of tools that allow surgeons to make efficient use of images, produced by sophisticated 3-D imaging systems, during surgical procedures…….h
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