What's Their Secret

By Chris Chan     10/5/11 7:00pm

He is a large and imposing fellow. Few of his students ever forget his domineering voice. Professor Mason Tomson is a distinguished professor, and well-known among students in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department.

His quirky idiosyncrasies are fondly remembered by former students such as Rice alumnus Sarah Mason who claims that Environmental Chemistry wouldn't be Environmental Chemistry without Mason Tomson.

Teaching in the Rice Civil Engineering Department for almost 40 years, Tomson has become known his research on fate and transport of chemicals and mineral scale formations recognized around the world. What is, perhaps, lesser known about Tomson are his humble beginnings and inspirational path to success and acclaim. Born and raised on on a destitute farm in west Kansas, Tomson's childhood was the quintessential American rags to riches story.

---

---

"Daily life revolved around the Methodist church, 4-H, and everything related to chores on the farm," reminisced Tomson, "And of course, hunting."

Largely self-reliant, Tomson took care of his mother, who dealt with polio, and helped with the farm, milking the cow and pumping water by hand when there was no wind for the windmills.

"We did not have running water or electricity until the ninth grade," he explained, "Only years later did I realize just how poor my family was."

Young Tomson's life-changing event occurred in fourth grade, when the local Rotary Club provided him with glasses, enabling Tomson's report cards to skyrocket from F's to straight A's.

"My fourth grade teacher, Mr. Derbyshire, inspired my interest in science," says Tomson, "I was the only one in class to figure out how to get the egg back out of the milk bottle."

Tomson continued his education, walking two miles to attend high school and working at the local drugstore seven days a week. He applied to college at the end of his junior year and was accepted.

"My parents later convinced me to stay home and enjoy my senior year. I did, but probably should have gone on to college," Tomson said. "The next year the school board changed the rules and required four years in residence."

Tomson later studied chemistry during his undergraduate years in the '60s in the midst of the Communist threat and the worldwide nuclear radiation scare. He became fascinated with aquatic chemistry and joined a physical chemist, Professor Nancollas at State University of New York at Buffalo.

"As a Post Doc I lost myself in the thrill of research; four years passed in a blink, I woke up and, with Professor Nancollas' help, located an opening at Rice in Environmental Science and Engineering," Tomson said. "I was impressed by the department, headed by Professor C. H. Ward, all focused on aquatic processes."

When asked about his free-time activities,

 he responded comically, "What free time?"

In the increasingly rare moments of leisure that he has, Tomson said that he enjoys woodcarving.

"I find woodworking to be very therapeutic; I especially like to carve wooden figures, bowls, reliefs, action scenes," he said. He continued, lamenting, "There's too little time to use those fancy German carving knives my family got me a few years ago and that block of mahogany wood last year for Christmas."

Tomson's challenging coursework and capricious persona are known to all, but his high expectations are met equally with his regard for his students.

"I always think of my students as wearing a formal suit and tie with elegant shoes; in fact that is what they will be soon," he stated. "Rice students are amazingly talented — there is rarely a ‘bottom' to any class I teach."

In fact, one of the biggest challenges for Tomson is to challenge all his students and help them achieve in ways they never thought they could.

"Occasionally I think a few students actually understand everything presented," said Tomson. "This distresses me."

According to Tomson, "One of my greatest challenges is to help them stretch beyond [what] they thought possible and at the same time be respectful of the fact that some students are likely taking more than just my class."

"Look out over the horizon and go after it with gusto," Tomson said, in regards to advice for his graduating students.

As a final message, Tomson gives all students some personal advice:

"This is a rare and special time in life; inhale every day as if it were the last on earth. Learn, be involved, excel, play, but mostly care- it matters."

 "What's Their Secret?" is a weekly feature that highlights a faculty member who has had a significant impact on Rice students.

---