John Mathews
Professor, Penn State University
John Mathews is a professor of Electrical Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University (USA). He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics at Case Western Reserve University in 1972. He has studied ionospheric phenomena and the radio science aspects of radar probing of plasmas at Arecibo Observatory and other radar facilities since 1969. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and of the Royal Astronomical Society (London).
Abstract: The Role of the Arecibo Observatory in 21st Century Education
Arecibo Observatory has always presented a remarkable mix of education and research without placing artificial boundaries between the various disciplines represented in its day-to-day functioning. The fruits of this multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary environment are found in the generations of AO тАЬgraduatesтАЭ and in the hundreds of important scientific and engineering advances developed here. As university education must evolve beyond its centuries-old models and embrace the realities and opportunities of the 21st century, AO is presented with an opportunity to be a leader of this revolution. An outline of some possible paradigms is presented.