Professor Tom Wilson

Current position
Professor Geophysics, Department of Geology and Geography

Skills learned as a WVU Physics student that are most useful in your career?
A strong background in physics: physics provides a solid foundation from which to gain fundamental insights into the variety of geological processes

Reason for coming to WVU to study Physics?
Primarily due to financial and family considerations.

Most rewarding Physics course(s) taken?
It is difficult to say. I enjoyed Fred Goldberg’s EM class. He taught using Feynman’s lectures

Favorite Physics professor(s)?
This is another difficult one. My three favorites would be Richard Treat, Fred Goldberg and Carl Rotter. It’s difficult to rank them. They all had different styles. Each made the coursework interesting in their own way. I think what they shared in their approach was their thoroughness. They valued student understanding and didn’t just move through the chapters.

Involvement in graduate research projects?
I had a strong interest in geology even as an undergraduate and did a senior thesis in geology.