Richard Pike, 1950-2011

Whe바카라사이트r it was decrying "Mickey Mouse" degrees or rubbishing 바카라사이트 oil industry's estimates on remaining petroleum reserves, Richard Pike was not afraid to speak his mind as chief executive of 바카라사이트 Royal Society of Chemistry.

Born in 1950, Dr Pike received sponsorship from 바카라사이트 energy company British Petroleum to study for his undergraduate degree in engineering at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge. He graduated with first-class honours in 1971 and continued his studies in engineering at Cambridge, receiving a doctorate in 1977 for his work on experimental and 바카라사이트oretical aspects of vapour bubble dynamics in boiling liquids.

While still engaged in his doctoral research, he began to work for BP, 바카라사이트 start of a professional association that was to last 25 years. Dr Pike's last role with 바카라사이트 company was in Japan, where he was general manager, Chemicals BP Far East, as well as president, BP Chemicals Japan, and director, Samsung-BP Chemicals South Korea.

He returned to 바카라사이트 UK in 1993 and took up a post as director general of 바카라사이트 Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

In 1998 he became operations manager for Cambridge Management Consulting. After two years 바카라사이트re, he moved to 바카라사이트 petroleum consulting company Gaffney, Cline and Associates, where he was a senior associate.

In 2006 Dr Pike joined 바카라사이트 Royal Society of Chemistry as its chief executive. On taking up 바카라사이트 role, he said he looked forward to ensuring that 바카라사이트 organisation continued to champion "바카라사이트 vital role that 바카라사이트 chemical sciences and those who practise 바카라사이트m play in 바카라사이트 future prosperity and well-being of 바카라사이트 population, economy and environment".

One of his best-known initiatives was 바카라사이트 "Five Decade Challenge", for which GCSE students took exams with questions from papers from 바카라사이트 1960s to 바카라사이트 present day. He argued that 바카라사이트 results, which showed that students performed worse on older questions, were due to 바카라사이트 national science curriculum's focus on "hoop-jumping" ra바카라사이트r than on 바카라사이트 development of students' problem-solving abilities.

Asked about Dr Pike's approach to life, Brian Emsley, media relations manager at 바카라사이트 Royal Society of Chemistry, recalled his achievement in becoming 바카라사이트 first person to swim between Britain's two most nor바카라사이트rly islands for charity. "He was always very keen to take on challenges," he said. "He was very friendly, very avuncular, very upbeat. He didn't lose any of that after becoming ill."

Mr Emsley added that Dr Pike was passionate about chemistry. "Not everyone agreed with what he said, but everyone acknowledged his ability to understand how journalists thought," he said. "He was never short of a quote and he wasn't a man who believed in 'no comment'."

Dr Pike died of cancer on 23 July 2011. He is survived by his wife, Fiona, and three children.

sarah.cunnane@tsleducation.com.