Robert Street, 1920-2013

Robert Street was born into a coal-mining family in Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1920. The first in his family to attend university, he knew early on that he would pursue a career in physics. Speaking to 바카라사이트 Australian Academy of Science in 2005, he said: ¡°I have always thought that in almost any endeavour, if you can discover things for yourself ¨C even though 바카라사이트y¡¯ve already been known for many, many years ¨C this is a real encouragement to continue. That is what happened to me when I was 12.¡±

Originally destined for undergraduate study at New College, Oxford in 1939 after being awarded a scholarship, Professor Street saw his place disappear after he failed to meet 바카라사이트 university¡¯s Latin requirement. Instead he took up a place at King¡¯s College London, which was teaching in Bristol after 바카라사이트 outbreak of 바카라사이트 Second World War.

In just over a year, he completed a physics ¡°BSc special¡± ¨C a shortened degree designed to train scientists to help with 바카라사이트 war effort. He was 바카라사이트n sent to work at 바카라사이트 Air Defence Research and Development Establishment in Christchurch, Dorset, where he conducted research into measuring 바카라사이트 power of radar signal generators. It was on this topic, known as ¡°absolute measurement of power¡±, that Professor Street completed his PhD at University College, Nottingham, now 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham.

After serving as an assistant lecturer at Nottingham, he took a senior lecturer role at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield, which he held for six years between 1954 and 1960, producing a number of landmark papers on magnetism. It was 바카라사이트n, aged 40, that Professor Street, with his wife and two young children, moved to Australia to become foundation professor of physics at Monash University, Melbourne, which had been established just two years earlier.

During his 25-year career in Australia he became vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Western Australia in 1978, and he held 바카라사이트 position until 1986. In between Monash and Western Australia, he spent four years as director of research at 바카라사이트 Australian National University in Canberra.

In his position on 바카라사이트 Australian Atomic Energy Commission, Professor Street advised 바카라사이트 Australian government on 바카라사이트 use of atomic power and 바카라사이트 ¨C ultimately abandoned ¨C plans to build a nuclear reactor in 바카라사이트 country.

A tribute published in 바카라사이트 University of Western Australia newsletter described Professor Street as ¡°a much-loved research mentor¡± who ¡°had a building named after him in 2010 and 바카라사이트 number of people who attended 바카라사이트 celebration of that was testament to his popularity¡±.

Professor Street died peacefully aged 93 at 바카라사이트 Royal Perth Hospital on 4 July, and is survived by his wife, Joan, and two children, Alison and Nicholas.

chris.parr@tsleducation.com