Thomas B. A. Senior named fellow of International Union of Radio Science

Professor Emeritus Thomas B. A. Senior, known internationally for his work in scattering and electromagnetics, has been named a fellow of the International Union of Radio Science. The URSI coordinates international exchange and study of all aspects of electromagnetic fields and waves, and fellowship is by invitation only.

This appointment comes after Prof. Senior’s 50 years of activity in URSI. He was an Associate Editor and later Editor of Radio Science (then an URSI journal) from 1970 to 1979, and Secretary then Chair of USNC/URSI from 1979 through 1984. He was Vice Chair then Chair of URSI Commission B, 1987-1992, and Vice President then President of URSI itself from 1993-1999. He has also served on numerous URSI Committees, and wrote a history of the early years of URSI.

Prof. Senior has made fundamental contributions to the knowledge of electromagnetic and acoustic scattering and to the development of analytic and numerical techniques applicable at low, resonant and high frequencies. For most of his time with EECS, Prof. Seniors was associate director (1962-74) and director (1974-87) of the RADLAB, where he carried out his research. He has authored or co-authored 3 books and over 200 publications; some of his articles are now classics in the field.

During his career, Prof. Senior held a variety of leadership positions in the department, including Acting Chair of the EECS Department, Associate Chair of the Electrical Science and Engineering Division, and Associate Chair for Academic Affairs. Prof. Senior was appointed Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in 1991, and received the CoE Teaching Excellence Award, the University of Michigan Teaching Excellence Award, the CoE Research Excellence Award, the CoE Stephen S. Atwood Award, the IEEE Millennium Medal, the IEEE AP-S Distinguished Achievement Award, the URSI van der Pol Gold Medal, and the IEEE Electromagnetics Award.

Senior retired as Emeritus Professor in 1998. He continued research in the RADLAB for a number of years, and wrote a history of the RADLAB and a history of the EECS Department since 1970.