Family, Adventure, and Measurement: Memories of Bertrand D. Tanner.

Although Bertrand D. Tanner was curious about many physical processes that govern system dynamics, his career explored measurement solutions to difficult questions in environmental meteorology.  His intensity and passion helped forge strong relationships among colleagues in academe and industry throughout his 30 year tenure with Campbell Scientific, Inc.  I will recount my version of Father’s contributions instrumentation in the field, addressing his eminent capacity for combining family, adventure, and measurement.  Throughout his career Father shaped a broader family than most people experience, through shared adventures in the office, laboratory, and field.  During the developmental stages of the trace gas analyzer, I accompanied Father on field trips across North America.  More recently, Campbell Scientific became increasingly involved with open- and closed-path CO2 flux measurements across the globe, which led to continued family adventures in Europe and Asia.  Although many scientific and technical contributions arose from these relationships, Father’s fascination with measuring the natural world and instrument development provided many adventures.  Certainly, these memories of adventure and measurement have impacted my scientific career path. I will close with a short discussion about my research investigating the molecular basis of muscle contraction through integrated computational modeling and experimental measurements of muscle tissue.