Science Café

Soils in the Southwest

A Neglected Resource 

Location: 519 West Melody Lane

Date: Sunday, January 29th

Time:  3:00-5:00 pm 

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Featured Speaker: Tom Wilson

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Tom Wilson was raised in Tucson, Arizona, and was previously a faculty member of the University of Arizona for 19 years, focusing on conservation biology and environmental science. After getting an undergraduate degree in Biology from Reed College he worked at various jobs including Biosphere 2 and as a horticulturist at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, where he worked for nine years. He received his Ph.D. in Soil and Water Science from The University of Arizona and shortly afterwards accepted a faculty position in the Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science. During his career at the University he taught many classes including introductory soil science for 16 years, conservation biology in Namibia for 10 years, and environmental conservation in Australia for five years. He was also the faculty advisor for the university cycling team, the university community garden, and most recently the universities’ Students For Sustainability organization, which leads the universities’ water harvesting and composting efforts. He currently is the STEM Ecosystem Hub Coordinator in Pima County for SciTech Institute, where he promotes STEM networks across southern Arizona. 

He has a deep love for the environment, natural history, growing succulent plants from around the world, camping and hiking in remote areas, and bicycling.