engineering

John Bandler

John Bandler is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand John Bandler rather than just read about it. In short: John William Bandler (9 November 1941 – 28 September 2023) was a Canadian professor, engineer, entrepreneur, artist, speaker, playwright, and author of fiction and nonfiction. Bandler is known for his invention of space mapping technology and his contributions to device modeling, computer-aided design, microwave engineering, mathematical optimization, and yield-driven design.

Key takeaways

John Bandler belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect John Bandler to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of John Bandler from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

John William Bandler (9 November 1941 – 28 September 2023) was a Canadian professor, engineer, entrepreneur, artist, speaker, playwright, and author of fiction and nonfiction. Bandler is known for his invention of space mapping technology and his contributions to device modeling, computer-aided design, microwave engineering, mathematical optimization, and yield-driven design.

Early life and education The only child of parents who escaped from Nazi-occupied Vienna to Cyprus, from where they were subsequently evacuated along with other Jewish refugees in 1941, Bandler was born in Jerusalem. After the War, his parents returned to Cyprus, where Bandler attended the Junior School in Nicosia, and, for a year, The English School in Nicosia. After a brief stay in Vienna in 1956, he left for England and completed his schooling in London. He entered Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London, in 1960, graduating in 1963 with First Class Honours in Electrical Engineering; and in 1967 with a Ph.D. in Microwaves. In 1976 he received his D.Sc. (Eng.) from the University of London in Microwaves, Computer-aided Design, and Optimization of Circuits and Systems.

Career Bandler worked as an engineer at Mullard Research Laboratories (later called Philips Research Laboratories) in Redhill, Surrey, England, from 1966 to 1967. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow and Sessional Lecturer at the University of Manitoba from 1967 to 1969. Bandler joined McMaster University in 1969 as an assistant professor, becoming associate professor in 1971 and Professor in 1974. He served as chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering from 1978 to 1979 and was Dean of the Faculty of Engineering from 1979 to 1981. During his time at McMaster, Bandler was coordinator of the Group on Simulation, Optimization and Control from 1973 until 1983, when he formed the Simulation Optimization Systems Research Laboratory. Dr. Bandler became a Professor Emeritus of McMaster University in 2000. In 1983 Bandler founded Optimization Systems Associates Inc. (OSA), and the company was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 1997. OSA technology became part of HP EEsof, passing on to Agilent Technologies and then to Keysight Technologies. In 2012, a special session at the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium paid tribute to Bandler on the occasion of his 70th birthday for more than forty-five years of contributions to the field of microwave theory and techniques. Dr. Bandler was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada in 2016 for his contributions and has received several other awards for his work. In 2013, Bandler reviewed the emergence and history of space mapping in IEEE Canadian Review. It spans two decades of development and engineering applications. In 2018, marking a quarter century since his discovery of space mapping this paper was re-set and reprinted in IEEE Microwave Magazine. In 2016, Rayas-Sánchez reviewed the state of the art of aggressive space mapping, a methodology pioneered by Bandler and his team. Bandler joined Rayas-Sánchez and Koziel in a review paper for a 2021 collection of invited papers marking the inaugural issue of the new open access IEEE Journal of Microwaves.

Nontechnical In 2000, Bandler turned his attention to creative writing. This led to literary, theatrical, and presentation skill endeavors, including theatrical productions and initiatives, and workshops on creativity, communication of scientific and academic research, and the Three Minute Thesis competition.

Key honours Fellow of IEE (IET) Fellow of EIC Life Fellow of IEEE Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering

Awards Automatic Radio Frequency Techniques Group (ARFTG) Automated Measurements Career Award (1994) IEEE MTT-S Microwave Application Award (2004) IEEE Canada A.G.L. McNaughton Gold Medal (2012) Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012) IEEE MTT-S Microwave Career Award (2013) McMaster University's Faculty of Engineering Research Achievement Award (2014) Appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2016. McMaster University's 2018 Lifetime Innovator Award (2018) The OPEA Gold Medal from Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) (2018) IEEE Electromagnetics Award (2023)

Lectures "Human aspects of communication and persuasion: first impressions and subtext", rump session of IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symposium (Montréal, QC, June 19, 2012). "From creativity to success via risk and setback: an insider's perspective", public lecture (McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, April 11, 2013). "Explain less, predict more", TEDx McMaster U Conference (McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, February 2, 2014). "Effective presentations", professional session: Preparing and Presenting Papers for MTT-S Journals and Conferences, IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. (San Francisco, CA, May 25, 2016). "You, your slides and your posters: allies or foes?", public lecture (McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, November 4, 2016). John Bandler and Ana Kovacevic, "Clear, brief, engaging: your thesis in three minutes", public workshop (McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, January 24, 2017). J. W. Bandler, E. M. Kiley, and A. Kovacevic, "The art of effectively communicating complex, highly technical work in three minutes", IEEE MTT-S Webinar, March 28, 2017. J. W. Bandler, M. Ogrodnik, and D. Tajik, "Clear, brief, engaging: your thesis in three minutes", public workshop (McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, February 13, 2018). J. W. Bandler, E. M. Kiley, and D. Tajik, "Communicating your highly technical work to non-specialists in three short minutes", IEEE MTT-S Webinar, March 13, 2018.

Plays "Christmas Eve at the Julibee Motel," Stage Play, (Hamilton Fringe Festival, Hamilton, ON, July 2010). "59 Minutes in the Maxwell Suite," Stage Play, (Hamilton Fringe Festival, Hamilton, ON, July 2011). "That The Multitude May Live," Stage Play, (Hamilton Fringe Festival, Hamilton, ON, July 2012). "The Trial of Naomi Verne," Stage Play, (Hamilton Fringe Festival, Hamilton, ON, July 2014). "Christmas Eve at the Julibee Motel," Stage Play, (Hamilton Fringe Festival, Hamilton, ON, July 2016).

References

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John Bandler

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John Bandler claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to John Bandler before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about John Bandler ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of John Bandler

In research: John Bandler appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses John Bandler in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: John Bandler is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1941 births, 2023 deaths, Academic staff of McMaster University, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John Bandler outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study John Bandler in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what John Bandler means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain John Bandler out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is John Bandler in simple terms?

Why does John Bandler matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study John Bandler?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on John Bandler.