Wisdom, waveguide invariant theory, and whales: Recollections of Bill Kuperman as a graduate advisor

I was one of Bill’s first PhD students when he moved to Scripps, and he was instrumental in advancing my career. I see Bill as a blend of the physicist Niels Bohr, catcher Yogi Berra, and Jedi Master Yoda. Like Niels Bohr, he has been a keystone scientist and beloved role model and mentor for generations of students and colleagues. Like his fellow New Yorker Yogi Berra, whom he loved to (mis)quote, he had an uncanny ability to distill complex concepts, physical and political, into Zen-like zingers (“Be the first with the worst”), handy to keep in your pocket. Like Yoda, he had a deep physical insight into the universe (or at least the wet parts that wobble) that bordered on mystical intuition. I was fond of him beyond words, so I never said much, but from him I’ve learned to distrust large numerical computations without insight (“big computer, small mind”), revere the Pekeris waveguide (“it explains nearly everything”), and firmly believe in intellectual generosity and honesty (“it’s best to be honest, because my father told me it gets too hard to keep track of all your lies”). I will also discuss whales (a little) and waveguide invariant theory (a lot).