Curiosity Leads John Gamble to Path of Discovery at Wooster

John Gamble has always been curious about the way things work, so it was no surprise that he chose to major in physics when he enrolled at The College of Wooster. What was surprising, however, was his decision to also major in mathematics.

“I was always pretty strong in the sciences in high school, but I was not that good in math until I took calculus as a senior,” says Gamble, a graduate of Harbor Creek High School. “That course flipped on a switch for me.”

Another switch was flipped during Gamble’s sophomore year at Wooster. After taking basic courses in math and physics in his first year, Gamble took Modern Physics with Professor John Lindner as a sophomore, and that, he admits, was an eye opener. “It was the first class I took that I didn’t already have some idea about what the answers would be,” he says. “The course covered Einstein’s special theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, neither of which are very intuitive. I liked the excitement of pursuing the unknown. That’s what science is all about. It made me feel that I was doing something worthwhile.”

In the years that followed, Gamble continued his quest for answers, both in the classroom and through outside research opportunities. After his first year at Wooster, for example, he participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), a 10-week summer session sponsored by the National Science Foundation in which selected students work with faculty on research projects in such areas as astrophysics, condensed matter, and nonlinear dynamics. After his sophomore year, he traveled to the West Coast for an REU at the University of California, San Diego. This past summer, he conducted research at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

Gamble’s passion for learning has brought him a variety of honors, including induction into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and largest academic honor society, following his junior year. What made the selection even more meaningful was that his grandmother, a former Phi Beta Kappa student in economics at Allegheny College, was able to attend the ceremony.

After graduation, Gamble plans to pursue a Ph.D. in physics, but before that, he is looking forward to undertaking his Senior Independent Study (I.S.) project, Wooster’s nationally renowned program in which students select a topic of their choice and conduct research with one-on-one guidance from a faculty member that results in a thesis-like paper.

“I’ve already picked my topic for I.S.,” says Gamble, whose father, John, is a 1967 Wooster graduate and a professor of political science at Penn State Behrend. “I will be studying theoretical implications of a recent experiment in photosynthesis. I know it sounds like a biology project, but it was discovered that chlorophyll undergoing photosynthesis stays in quantum superposition much longer than previously expected, and I am interested in studying the fundamental quantum mechanics involved.”

Gamble also plans to continue his association with “The Gallows,” a sketch comedy and substance awareness group, which gives him a creative outlet. “I started out going to the (Gallows) shows as a first-year student, and I thought they were hilarious, so I applied to become one of the writers,” he says. “Now I write and perform skits every other week. Not only do we try to entertain, but we also attempt to promote substance-free awareness.”

Gallows performances draw anywhere from 50-100 students and continue to grow in popularity. “It has been a big part of my Wooster experience,” says Gamble.

Overall, Gamble’s time at Wooster has been “better than he expected,” he said. “The physics department is a tight-knit community. It is a great environment because it helps you to develop your own ideas.”