WHINNERY, JOHN ROY

born July 26, 1916, Read, Colo., U.S. American electrical engineer known for his work on microwave theory and laser experimentation. After working in research at the General Electric Company (193746) Whinnery earned his Ph.D. (1948) from the University of California at Berkeley and began teaching electrical engineering there, serving as dean of the College of Engineering from 1959 to 1963. From 1963 to 1969 he was a consulting scientist to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). During those years he also did research for Hughes Aircraft Company (195253) and Bell Telephone Laboratories (196364). In 1970 he was named to the standing committee on controlled thermonuclear research of the Atomic Energy Commission. Whinnery worked on microwave circuit theory during World War II, developing techniques for the use of microwave radar. From 1946 to 1952 he performed antenna experiments and contributed to the development of the analogue computer. Whinnery also worked on quantum and optical electronics and on the use of lasers in communications. In 1964 he proposed a lens that used gases for the focussing of light. His publications include Fields and Waves in Modern Radio (with S. Ramo; 1944) and Introduction to Electronic Systems, Circuits, and Devices (with D.O. Pederson and J.J. Studer; 1966).