Bill O'Brien
Associate Professor of Physics

"The palate of subjects in physics is enormous, ranging from the structure and behavior of the entire universe to that of molecules, atoms and subatomic domains," explains Bill O'Brien. He teaches electronics, electromagnetic theory and quantum mechanics, as well as the second semester of introductory physics.

Currently, he's researching "the geophysical study-using the techniques of contemporary marine seismology-of the structure of the crust of the earth where many dynamic processes take place, such as plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes and the recently discovered hydro-thermal vent systems.

"In particular, one study concerns the structure of the earth beneath the Atlantic Ocean near Cote d'Ivoire and how this crust was deformed when this part of Africa separated from what is now Brazil. Along with a student of mine, I have begun designing a mathematical model for the crust, based on seismic data from the Kerguelin Plateau region of the Indian Ocean."

Over the years, O'Brien's research also has focused on radio astronomy, solid-state physics and biophysics.

"What I hope to achieve with all students is that they learn to see the principles operating behind the surface of things, whether these things pertain to the stars or the tides or nuclear waste or their cars or neurotransmitters," O'Brien says. "I want students to understand and know how to apply to their lives the techniques of scientific inquiry."

O'Brien holds a B.S. from the Univ. of North Texas and a Ph.D. from the Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He enjoys camping, rock climbing, wind surfing, and foreign and domestic travel with his family. He says, "Music has always been important to me." Currently, he plays flute and piano in an SU faculty and staff band, the Post-Hole Diggers, or PhDs.

-Carrie Johnson '93

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