264:. He then joined MIT and was appointed Director of the Materials Science Center. He was provided with 14 000m of space for research and teaching, and, by 1967 was in charge of 55 professors, 19 other academic staff and 179 graduate students. "R A 's main contribution was to bring groups of people together and create suitable conditions for collaborative research to flourish".
271:. Before he retired from this post in 1974 he oversaw major expansions in building programmes, the quality and quantity of students and staff, degrees awarded, papers published, new research grants and 12 new Chairs. In recognition of his many achievements Smith was awarded an Honorary DSc in July 1975.
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on 14 May 1909, the elder of two sons of George J T Smith, a tailor, and his wife, Elisabeth (née Allan), a ladies' dressmaker. His education was initially at local village schools, followed by Kelso High School. In 1926 he entered the
194:, led to his first paper, with Massey, in 1933. They then turned their attention to negative ions, and further papers resulted. Smith was awarded his PhD in 1935. After brief spells at the
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SMITH, Prof. Robert Allan’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of
Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2012 ; online edn, Nov 2012
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to study mathematics and natural philosophy, and gained his MA with first-class honours in 1930. He was also awarded a scholarship that took him to
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In 1973 Smith was appointed to the
Council of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and in October 1976 was elected its
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245:, later becoming the Royal Radar Establishment. Smith's work in the war years was recognised by the award of a
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S.D. Smith, Robert Allan Smith, Biographical
Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, vol.28, 479-504, 1982.
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410:"Robert Allan Smith, Esq., Chief Scientific Officer, Royal Radar Establishment, Ministry of Aviation".
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Smith (known to his friends as Robin, and more widely as "RA") was born in
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162:(14 May 1909 – 16 May 1980) was a British mathematician and physicist.
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where he read for the Maths Tripos Part II, obtaining his MA in 1932.
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Smith met his future wife, Doris
Marguerite Louise Ward, through the
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In 1961 Smith was invited to become
Professor of Physics at the
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327:(with F E Jones and RP Chasmar), Oxford University Press, 1957
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In 1968 Smith was appointed
Principal and Vice-Chancellor of
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325:Detection and measurement of infra-red radiation
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214:{CH} network of early warning radar stations.
515:People associated with Heriot-Watt University
505:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
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535:Presidents of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
313:Aerials for metre and decimetre wave-lengths
426:"Heriot-Watt University Honorary Graduates"
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319:The physical principles of thermodynamics
231:Telecommunications Research Establishment
540:Academics of the University of Sheffield
297:Robert Allan Smith died on 16 May 1980.
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530:Academics of the University of Reading
369:"NAHSTE: Papers of Robert Allan Smith"
525:Alumni of the University of Cambridge
520:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
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337:Wave mechanics of crystalline solids
260:. The following year he was elected
221:at the outbreak of war, and then to
16:British mathematician and physicist
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309:, Cambridge University Press, 1947
186:Smith's first research was at the
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412:Supplement to the London Gazette
454:"Former RSE Fellows 1783-2002"
204:Bawdsey Research Station (BRS)
123:Bawdsey Research Station (BRS)
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510:Fellows of the Royal Society
87:Doris Marguerite Louise Ward
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461:Royal Society of Edinburgh
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321:, Chapman & Hall, 1952
95:Joy, Margaret and Alistair
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127:Royal Radar Establishment
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307:Radio aids to navigation
196:University of St Andrews
115:University of St Andrews
254:University of Sheffield
177:University of Edinburgh
131:University of Sheffield
74:University of Edinburgh
433:Heriot-Watt University
269:Heriot-Watt University
210:coast, working on the
139:Heriot-Watt University
414:: 3983. 11 June 1960.
200:University of Reading
119:University of Reading
470:on 18 September 2020
357:accessed 15 May 2013
188:Cavendish Laboratory
111:Cavendish Laboratory
151:Robert Allan Smith
25:Robert Allan Smith
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101:Scientific career
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107:Institutions
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63:(1980-05-16)
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500:1980 deaths
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474:17 December
438:17 December
61:16 May 1980
53:16 May 1909
489:Categories
344:References
212:Chain Home
49:1909-05-16
282:in 1969.
249:in 1960.
166:Biography
243:HMS Duke
198:and the
92:Children
227:Swanage
225:, near
208:Suffolk
206:on the
379:15 May
286:Family
219:Dundee
84:Spouse
468:(PDF)
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301:Books
292:CICCU
172:Kelso
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476:2020
440:2020
381:2013
280:FRSE
160:PRSE
58:Died
43:Born
262:FRS
258:MIT
247:CBE
235:Gee
157:FRS
154:CBE
135:MIT
34:FRS
30:CBE
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