Jerry outgrew U of T

While reading on GlobeInvestor yesterday, I found a link to an article about Jerry Mitrovica. I first met Jerry when he was a PhD student (in geophysics) teaching a 3rd year solid and fluid mechanics course in the geology department. It was one of the last times that classes were being taught in the old Mining Building at U of T. He became a great mentor to me as an undergrad (Geology and Physics) and when I was having a bad time in graduate school at U of S. It was in that class that he emphasised a rather simple, but powerful idea - dimensional analysis. Rather than memorising equations, you look at the units of the physical quantities to get more insight into the problem. So in the classic slope problems in grade 10 and grade 12 physics, if the Y-axis is measured in metres and the X-axis is measured in seconds, the slope = rise/run has units of metres/second which is a speed (or velocity). I remember one conversation we had where he told me his professional soccer career had to end because the league (CPSL?) folded and that he went into Engineering Science on a dare from his brother David who didn't think he could cut that tough program. I remember how with great enthusiasm, he asked me "Leslie, did you take Asymptotic Methods?" and I was thinking "Jerry, I barely passed APM346 PDE, how would you ever think I would take Asymptotic Methods?" It was telling that he also said to me "I'm under no illusions that anyone on Yonge St would really care what I'm doing. Nobody owes me anything". There are some other gems of wisdom he related to me, but I will always be grateful that such a brilliant mind had time for someone who was so obviously of lesser ability. After clicking on the links at the Globe article, I found out that Jerry has since gone to Harvard. His U of T page is still there. I noticed he's a status-only professor at U of T (whatever that means).

So, of all the famous geophysicists I encountered at U of T: J Tuzo Wilson, G F West, C H Chapman - it was the young grad student that had the most impact on my life. Thanks Jerry and belated congratulations.