Minimal Power Electronics at Sea
“Geoff was always low power.” This simple sentence could have been uttered by a colleague at WHOI, or a cycling friend who knew that Geoff preferred human pedal power to a 200 horse power car.
It so happened that it was one of Geoff’s ham radio friends who said this at his Quaker memorial service.
I heard so much in those few words and I think of them in relation to Geoff’s work, his radio hobby, his preferred mode of transportation and even his character.
At WHOI, Geoff enjoyed the challenge of designing electronics for instruments that would be at sea on a bouy for a year at a time running on batteries. If the battery ran out of juice, you couldn’t just call the ocean equivalent of AAA for a jump start. So, as an electronics engineer, as in many areas of his life, Geoff focused on how to do a more with less.
“He was a skilled electronic engineer specializing in very low power and microprocessor-based sensor, instrument, and data logger electronics.” (from the WHOI obit)
From the Obituary published on the WHOI website:
“His work as a technician led to a career as a largely self-taught engineer beginning at Neil Brown Instrument Systems. Geoff began his career at WHOI in 1986 as a research assistant in the Physical Oceanography Department with Ken Prada. He was promoted several times throughout his career, eventually retiring as a senior engineer. In 2018, he became an oceanographer emeritus and in 2019, an emeritus research scholar. He worked for Bob Weller, Amy Bower, and Al Plueddemann during his illustrious career. Geoff worked with the Upper Ocean Processes Group (UOP) for many years. He was a skilled electronic engineer specializing in very low power and microprocessor-based sensor, instrument, and data logger electronics. He was central to the sustained success of the ASIMET system and also updated the VMCM electronics that have been so successfully campaigned by UOP. Throughout his time at WHOI, he appreciated the institution’s collaborative ethic and especially enjoyed helping people solve problems. His skills, talent, and gentle manner were greatly appreciated, and his expertise will be greatly missed.”
**The full WHOI obit is here: https://www.whoi.edu/who-we-are/about-us/people/obituary/geoffrey-allsup/
** documentation page https://uop.whoi.edu/UOPinstruments/frodo/
** You’ll find a link to the page on ResearchGate that lists published research that he was involved in. https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Geoffrey-P-Allsup-8008583
** Geoff’s CV at the WHOI website https://uop.whoi.edu/staff/AllsupGeoffrey.pdf