Wes Tobin

Indiana University East is pleased to welcome Wes Tobin as the newest faculty member to the School of Natural Science and Mathematics.

Ryan “Wes” Tobin is a lecturer in physics. He is currently working on his Doctor of Education in Science from Ball State University. He received his M.S. in Astrophysics from Iowa State University and his Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics from Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind.

Before joining IU East, Tobin was an associate professor and the program chair of Physical Science and Mathematics at Ivy Tech Community College in Richmond. While at Ivy Tech, Tobin served on statewide curriculum committees for physical science and mathematics.

Tobin’s research interests include observational astronomy including the areas of observations and analyses of peculiar velocity structures in galaxy clusters; spectroscopic observations of parent stars of extrasolar planets; and high-precision photometric methods in detecting variability and extrasolar planets. His educational research also includes pedagogical methods including corequisite remediation strategies; improving online education practices through quality matters and interactive/virtual animations; NROC and other repositories of video content and their use in classes; and implementation of open educational resources for use in the online and traditional classrooms.

He has published articles including for European Journal of Physics and Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Tobin has presented at several conferences including most recently for the Meeting of the American Physical Society.