Robert H. Rines
Encyclopedia
Robert H. Rines was an American
lawyer, inventor, researcher, and composer. He was also well known for his efforts to find the legendary "Loch Ness Monster
."
, Massachusetts
. He held a Bachelor in Sciences from M.I.T.
, received a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University
in 1946 and did his Ph.D. thesis at National Chiao Tung University
in 1972. During World War II, Rines served as a U.S. Army Signal Corps officer and helped develop the Microwave Early Warning System. He held more than 80 patents, and his inventions underlie high-resolution image-scanning radar that was used in the Gulf War, and ultrasound scanning used in the search for the wrecks of the Titanic and the Bismarck. The technology has also been used for ultrasound imaging in the body, and in a 1972 expedition to locate the Loch Ness Monster
, which produced the famous flipper photographs which later were proven to have been retouchedLoch Ness Information Website.
In March 2004, Rines received the Boston Patent Law Association "Lifetime Achievement Award" for his contributions to the field of Intellectual Property. Rines also was inducted as member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame
in 1994 and the U.S. Army Signal Corps Wall of Fame. He was also the founder of the Academy of Applied Science, a Massachusetts and New Hampshire based organization dedicated to the promotion of science, technology and inventions, particularly among high school students.
Rines founded the Franklin Pierce Law Center
, a private law school located in Concord, New Hampshire
. Robert Rines was a lecturer
at Harvard University
and M.I.T. and served on Technical Advisory Board of the U.S. Department of Commerce
.
Rines was also an accomplished musician and composer. His musical career started early. His musical ability was demonstrated when, at age eleven, he played a violin duet with Albert Einstein
at summer camp in Maine. As a composer he wrote music for both Broadway
and off-Broadway
shows. Rines composed music for Blast and Bravos, a play on the life of H. L. Mencken
. Also composed scores for O'Casey's Drums Under the Windows, O'Neill's Long Voyage Home, Strindberg's Creditors and shared an Emmy Award
with playwright Paul Shyre
in 1987 for the television and later Broadway play Hizzoner the Mayor.
His philanthropic activities included establishing the GREAT Fund, providing educational grants for a large extended family in perpetuity.
In May 2008, after 45 years of teaching and inspiring students about intellectual property and technology innovation, Rines retired from lecturing at MIT. He died on November 1, 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer, inventor, researcher, and composer. He was also well known for his efforts to find the legendary "Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
."
Biography
Robert Harvey Rines was born in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He held a Bachelor in Sciences from M.I.T.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, received a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in 1946 and did his Ph.D. thesis at National Chiao Tung University
National Chiao Tung University
National Chiao Tung University is a public university located in Hsinchu, Taiwan. It is recognized as one of the most prestigious and selective universities in Taiwan and is renowned for its research and teaching excellence in electrical engineering, computer science, engineering, management, and...
in 1972. During World War II, Rines served as a U.S. Army Signal Corps officer and helped develop the Microwave Early Warning System. He held more than 80 patents, and his inventions underlie high-resolution image-scanning radar that was used in the Gulf War, and ultrasound scanning used in the search for the wrecks of the Titanic and the Bismarck. The technology has also been used for ultrasound imaging in the body, and in a 1972 expedition to locate the Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
, which produced the famous flipper photographs which later were proven to have been retouchedLoch Ness Information Website.
In March 2004, Rines received the Boston Patent Law Association "Lifetime Achievement Award" for his contributions to the field of Intellectual Property. Rines also was inducted as member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging invention and creativity through the administration of its programs. The Hall of Fame honors the men and women responsible for the great technological advances that make human,...
in 1994 and the U.S. Army Signal Corps Wall of Fame. He was also the founder of the Academy of Applied Science, a Massachusetts and New Hampshire based organization dedicated to the promotion of science, technology and inventions, particularly among high school students.
Rines founded the Franklin Pierce Law Center
Franklin Pierce Law Center
The University of New Hampshire School of Law, formerly the Franklin Pierce Law Center, is an American Bar Association-accredited law school located in Concord, New Hampshire. It is the only law school in the state. It was founded in 1973 by Robert H...
, a private law school located in Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
. Robert Rines was a lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and M.I.T. and served on Technical Advisory Board of the U.S. Department of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
.
Rines was also an accomplished musician and composer. His musical career started early. His musical ability was demonstrated when, at age eleven, he played a violin duet with Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
at summer camp in Maine. As a composer he wrote music for both Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
shows. Rines composed music for Blast and Bravos, a play on the life of H. L. Mencken
H. L. Mencken
Henry Louis "H. L." Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, acerbic critic of American life and culture, and a scholar of American English. Known as the "Sage of Baltimore", he is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the...
. Also composed scores for O'Casey's Drums Under the Windows, O'Neill's Long Voyage Home, Strindberg's Creditors and shared an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
with playwright Paul Shyre
Paul Shyre
Paul Shyre was an American director and playwright who won a Tony and an Emmy. He is noted for the plays Hizzoner, Will Rogers' USA and The President Is Dead....
in 1987 for the television and later Broadway play Hizzoner the Mayor.
His philanthropic activities included establishing the GREAT Fund, providing educational grants for a large extended family in perpetuity.
In May 2008, after 45 years of teaching and inspiring students about intellectual property and technology innovation, Rines retired from lecturing at MIT. He died on November 1, 2009.
External links
- Robert Rines - Daily Telegraph obituary
- Archival Recordings of Bob Rines Teaching at MIT, 1974 - Contributed by Christopher E. Strangio