Biography
Dr. B. John Plant was born in Smith Falls, Ontario, Canada, in 1933. He attended the Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario, and the Royal Naval Engineering College, Plymouth, England, where he studied mechanical and marine engineering. He also studied Naval Architecture and Electrical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A., where he received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (Automatic Decision Making and Control) in 1975.
Dr. Plant served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1953 to 1970 retiring as a Commander (E). His sea experience includes an appointment with the first submarine squadron Royal Navy and the Canadian ships HMCS St. LAURENT, CHAUDIERE, and OUTREMONT. In 1975 Dr. Plant became active in the naval reserve as Commanding Officer, HMCS CATARAQUI, a command which he held until September, 1984. He was promoted Captain(N) (R) in January 1980 and is Past President of the Maritime Defence Association of Canada. Captain (N) Plant was appointed an Officer of the Order of Military Merit in 1984.
Dr. Plant has held academic appointments at RMC since 1965: Lecturer 65/66, Assistant Professor 66/67, Professor and Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering 67/72, and Dean of Graduate Studies and Research 1972/84. Dr. Plant was appointed Dean of the Canadian Forces Military College and Chairman of the Extension Division 73/74 and Principal on 1 March 1984.
Dr. Plant attended the National Defence College Course in 1970. The year 78/79 was spent on sabbatical leave in Paris, France, where he gained industrial experience in the employ of Thomson CSF. During the Fall Semester of 1982, Dr. Plant visited the Virginia Military Institute as the recipient of the Wachmeister Visiting Eminent Scholar Chair. Dr. Plant fills a bilingual position at the Royal Military College.
Dr. Plant is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the Engineering Institute of Canada. He is a recipient of the Canadian Forces Order of Military Merit, the Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Medal, the APEO Citizenship Award, the IEEE Centennial Medal and the Canada 125 Medal. He is also a member of the Tau Beta Pi, the Society of the Sigma Xi, the American Society for the advancement of Science, the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario and the Iron Ring Society. He is a recipient of the General AGL McNaughton Award (IEEE Canada) 1996.
Dr. Plant has served the engineering profession as Chair of the Central Canada Council of the IEEE, as President of the Canadian Society of Electrical and Computer Engineering and he is the current President (1994-96) of the Engineering Institute of Canada.
Dr. Plant is married to the former Kay Lawrie of Victoria, British Columbia. They have four children.