Daryl E. Hooper
Encyclopedia
Daryl Egbert Hooper was an electronic engineer notable for pioneering engineering at La Trobe University
and heading up the GEC Research Hirst Centre
in the 1980s. He is also notable for his textbook on amplifier design.
in December 1949. He received the Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering
(B. Eng.) from the University of Melbourne
in 1953. He completed his master of engineering (M. Eng.) at the University of Melbourne
, with a 1962 thesis entitled: The Characterization of Transistors.
, there in 1956 he secured a patent for an improved transistor oscillator design. Hooper then returned to the University of Melbourne
where he spent 10 years in the Electrical Engineering Department, first as a Lecturer and later as a Senior Lecturer. In 1967, he joined Plessey Pacific
and subsequently was promoted to Chief Engineer of the Plessey Company
in the UK, in charge of research and development.
Hooper's research and teaching experience was mainly in the area of transistor theory and characterization, pulse-forming circuits, wide band amplifiers, active filters and integrated circuit design. In 1968, Edward Moore Cherry and Daryl Hooper published their book on circuit design entitled Amplifying Devices and Low-Pass Amplifier Design. The book ran to 1036 pages and was regarded as the premier book on the design of transistor amplifiers.
In 1975, Hooper was appointed to the Tad Szental Chair in Communication Engineering at La Trobe University
with the charge to establish the first engineering department at La Trobe. His Department of Communication Engineering took in its first students in 1976. Hooper left La Trobe in 1980 to take up the position of Head of the GEC Research Hirst Centre
in Wembley
, UK.
, UK. He was survived by his wife Jenny and two sons.
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...
and heading up the GEC Research Hirst Centre
Hirst Research Centre
GEC Hirst Research Centre was one of the first specialised industrial research laboratories to be built in Britain, and was part of the General Electric Company plc empire...
in the 1980s. He is also notable for his textbook on amplifier design.
Education
Hooper graduated from Melbourne High SchoolMelbourne High School
Melbourne High School is a selective entry state school for boys in years 9 to 12 located in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra. Being a selective school, it is known mainly for its strong academic reputation...
in December 1949. He received the Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
(B. Eng.) from the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
in 1953. He completed his master of engineering (M. Eng.) at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, with a 1962 thesis entitled: The Characterization of Transistors.
Career
His first appointment was as a Research Engineer with GEC in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, there in 1956 he secured a patent for an improved transistor oscillator design. Hooper then returned to the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
where he spent 10 years in the Electrical Engineering Department, first as a Lecturer and later as a Senior Lecturer. In 1967, he joined Plessey Pacific
Plessey
The Plessey Company plc was a British-based international electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after the second world war by acquisition of companies and formed overseas companies...
and subsequently was promoted to Chief Engineer of the Plessey Company
Plessey
The Plessey Company plc was a British-based international electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after the second world war by acquisition of companies and formed overseas companies...
in the UK, in charge of research and development.
Hooper's research and teaching experience was mainly in the area of transistor theory and characterization, pulse-forming circuits, wide band amplifiers, active filters and integrated circuit design. In 1968, Edward Moore Cherry and Daryl Hooper published their book on circuit design entitled Amplifying Devices and Low-Pass Amplifier Design. The book ran to 1036 pages and was regarded as the premier book on the design of transistor amplifiers.
In 1975, Hooper was appointed to the Tad Szental Chair in Communication Engineering at La Trobe University
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...
with the charge to establish the first engineering department at La Trobe. His Department of Communication Engineering took in its first students in 1976. Hooper left La Trobe in 1980 to take up the position of Head of the GEC Research Hirst Centre
Hirst Research Centre
GEC Hirst Research Centre was one of the first specialised industrial research laboratories to be built in Britain, and was part of the General Electric Company plc empire...
in Wembley
Wembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
, UK.
Death
In 1985, Hooper died suddenly at home in TringTring
Tring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a...
, UK. He was survived by his wife Jenny and two sons.
Legacy
A lecturer theatre, at La Trobe University, is named after him. A series of seminars given by graduating final year students is named in his honour. The Hooper Memorial Prize named after him.Selected references
- D. E. Hooper and D. V. McCaughan, "A comparison of technologies [semiconductor ICs]," GEC Journal of Science & Technology, Vol. 48(2), pp. 76–82, 1982.
- D. E. Hooper and D. H. Roberts, "Silicon systems," GEC Journal of Science & Technology, Vol. 48(2), pp. 52–55, 1982.
- D. E. Hooper, D. H. Roberts, B. D. Prazic, J. S. Whitelegge, K. L. Jones, and H. E. Oldham, "Microelectronics in GEC," GEC Journal of Science & Technology, Vol. 48(2), 1982.
- D. E. Hooper, "The advanced bipolar i.c. process," New Electronics, Vol. 7(8), p. 28-35, 1974.
- J. M. Deacon, J. Heighway, D. E. Hooper, and D. W. Tarrant, "Electronically variable analogue delay," Electronics Letters, pp. 229–230, 1973.
- D. E. Hooper, "An introduction to analogue techniques in M.O.S.T. integrated circuits," Proc. IREEE, Australia, pp. 151–163, 1968.
- E. M. Cherry and D. E. Hooper, "The design of wide-band transistor feedback amplifiers," Proc. IEE, Vol. 110(2), pp. 375–389, 1963.
- D. E. Hooper and A. R. T. Turnbull, "Applications of the charge-control concept to transistor characterization," Proc. IREE, Australia, Vol. 23(3), pp. 132–147, 1962.
- D. E. Hooper and A. E. Jackets, "Current derived resistance-capacitance oscillators using junction transistors," Electronic Engineering, Vol. 28, pp. 333–337, 1956.
Books by Hooper
- D. E. Hooper, Communications in the Seventies: The Achievement and the Prospect, La Trobe University, Bundoora, 1976, ISBN 0858161001.
- E. M. Cherry and D. E. Hooper, Amplifying Devices and Low-Pass Amplifier Design, Wiley, New York, 1968, ISBN 0471153451.