5 Questions with Robert Magnusson
The Texas Instruments Distinguished University Chair in Nanoelectronics talks bucket lists, Maxwell's equations, and fishing in Iceland.
What is the best—or the worst—piece of advice you've ever received?
My grandfather said, “Always have a good job and take care of yourself. It is not certain that anyone else will.”
What excites you about the future?
My students. So many of them are bright and innovative, as I see all the time in my junior design class. Moreover, my graduated Ph.D. students are charting creative, impactful paths in industry and academia.
What, in your view, is the most important invention ever?
Maxwell's equations. Based on a sequence of ingenious experiments and partial mathematical descriptions by other scientists, Scottish physicist and mathematician James Clerk Maxwell completed the picture by symmetry arguments. Then we had the wave equation. Everything else followed: telecommunications, radio, TV, the internet, cellphones … and the world as we know it today!
You own a fishing boat in your native Iceland and return each year to work on it. What life lessons have you learned from this pursuit?
Mankind came all this way as hunter-gatherers. Fishing recalls this experience. That's how Icelanders survived through the centuries. It's hard physical work in pristine surroundings—and a whole lot of fun! The life lesson: Take good care of nature and wildlife; your life depends on it.
What is your No. 1 bucket list item?
My bucket list is continuous and variable. In my research, I focus on new ideas that are highly conceptual. I don't like incremental development; I try to formulate and actualize these ideas in experiments ASAP every time. This is how the bucket list gets updated. Maybe the No. 1 item should be to write a proper bucket list!