– THE RICHARD L. THOMPSON ARCHIVES (RLTA) –

Dr. Richard L. Thompson (1947–2008), also known by his Vaishnava name Sadaputa Dasa, was a mathematician, scientist, philosopher, researcher of ancient cosmology, author, and devoted practitioner of bhakti-yoga. Thompson received his PhD from Cornell University, where he specialized in probability theory and statistical mechanics. During this time he found inspiration in the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita and became a dedicated follower of Gauidaya Vaisnavism, popularly known in the West as the Hare Krishna movement. Thompson subsequently served as a founding charter member of the Bhaktivedanta Institute. Please click here for a full biographical treatment.

Along side his prolific output encompassing his professional work and Bhaktivedanta Institute carear, Thompson kept extensive personal files provided to the Richard L. Thompson Archives by his family. This site includes a broad collection of historical documents key to the founding of the Bhaktivedanta Institute during the 1970s, along with a full set of his popular essays for BTG magazine and links to his published works. Thompson also left a considerable collection of museum and planetarium proposals integral to the development of important ISKCON affiliated projects over the many years. This site is designed to provide ready access for facilitating the legacy of these projects, their ongoing development, and independent study.

RLTA, Inc., the sponsor of this website, would like to wholeheartedly thank Richard Thompson’s family for generously making his personal papers available for continuing scholarship. We would also like to thank the Board of Directors of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust for their timely grant of initial funding that helped estabish this project.

Artwork and other items courtesy of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. www.Krishna.com, used with permission. All materials displayed on this site belong to their respective copyright holders. Their availability is intended for educational purposes and personal research. They are not meant for commercial use or public broadcast. Please contact us with questions or concerns.

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– PERSONNEL –
RLTA, Inc. is a nonprofit organization comprised of volunteer associates
 
  • Bob Cohen (Co-director), M.S. Geology, Rutgers University
  • S. E. Kreitzer  (Co-director, editorial content), Ph.D. History of Science, University of Florida
     
  • Christopher Hayton (Associate), Ph.D. College of Social Work, Florida State University
  • Vasyl Semenov (Associate), Ph.D. Acoustics, Ph.D. Computational Mathematics, National Academy of Sciences​ of Ukraine
     
  • Jack Dodson (Associate), M.S. Mathematical Science, University of Memphis, and M.S. Particle Physics, Temple University
     
  • Prishni Sutton (Archivist, website manager), B.A. Mathematics, University of Illinois
     
  • Julian Marcotte (Web design), B.A. Computer Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal
  • Christopher Beetle (Associate), B.A. Computer Science, Brown University
     
  • Shantanu Verma (Associate), B.S. Information Systems, University of Florida
     
  • Richard J. Cole (Associate), B.A. University of Manchester