astronomy

Richard A. Murphy

Richard A. Murphy is a astronomy 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 Richard A. Murphy rather than just read about it. In short: Richard A. Murphy (May 20, 1944 – March 24, 2022) was an American neuroscientist.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Richard A. Murphy (May 20, 1944 – March 24, 2022) was an American neuroscientist. He was the director of the Montreal Neurological Institute (1992–2000), president and CEO of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (2000–2007), and president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (2007–2008).

Early life and education Murphy was born on May 20, 1944, in Revere, Massachusetts. He was educated at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1966, then attended Northeastern University, where he received his Master of Science (M.S.) in 1970. In 1974, Murphy earned his Ph.D. from Rutgers University.

Career Murphy began his career as a neuroscientist and professor at Harvard Medical School, where he taught from 1974 to 1986. He immigrated with his family in 1986 to Edmonton, Alberta, and became the chair of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Alberta. In 1992, Murphy was named Director of the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University, where he expanded the faculty by 20 members and led an effort to establish the Brain Tumour Research Centre. The centre was eventually established in 1999, being the first Canadian centre devoted to researching the cause of brain tumors. In 2000, Murphy became the president and CEO of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, where he remained until 2007. He raised $160 million in funding for the organization and founded research in multiple fields there. Murphy was also the president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine from 2007–2008. His primary research was in neurotrophins, a protein produced by brain cells and the peripheral nervous system.

Personal life and death Murphy was known colloquially as "Rich". He was married to Elaine (née Finnegan) Murphy, with whom he had three children: Jane, Mark, and Alison. He died on March 24, 2022, at age 77.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Richard A. Murphy

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Richard A. Murphy claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, 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 Richard A. Murphy 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 Richard A. Murphy 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 Richard A. Murphy

In research: Richard A. Murphy appears in astronomy 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 Richard A. Murphy 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: Richard A. Murphy is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1944 births, 2022 deaths, Academic staff of McGill University, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Richard A. Murphy 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 Richard A. Murphy in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Richard A. Murphy 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 Richard A. Murphy out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Richard A. Murphy in simple terms?

Richard A. Murphy (May 20, 1944 – March 24, 2022) was an American neuroscientist.

Why does Richard A. Murphy matter?

Because it connects several astronomy 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 Richard A. Murphy?

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 Richard A. Murphy.