Tom Wong, PhD, blends Jesuit values and quantum computing in his teaching
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Joining the faculty at Creighton was, in many respects, the continuation of his Tom Wong’s, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Physics, academic journey. Specifically, his own Jesuit education.
And as such, it was a lighting of a fire (thank you, Plutarch) that led him from the undergraduate halls of Santa Clara University and the graduate school labs of University of California San Diego as a student, urban high school and University of San Diego classrooms as a teacher, the offices and laboratories of the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Security Agency (NSA) and the White House eventually to the Department of Physics at Creighton.
The long and winding road to Creighton
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Wong says his experiences at Santa Clara, a fellow Jesuit school, reinforced his desire to teach at Creighton: “I had a great experience there (Santa Clara) and really appreciated the close relationships I built with professors. While looking for faculty positions, I reflected on my experiences and decided I wanted to be at a similar institution and give students the kind of experience I had.”
He saw the posting at Creighton, applied, interviewed, visited campus and then did what any good Jesuit-educated person would do—he took time for contemplation. “I discerned that it was just the right kind of university I was looking for,” he says.
Wong’s specialty is quantum computing. He was a triple major in physics, computer science and math and a minor in urban education. So, quantum computing’s link between physics and computer sciences interested him. But it wasn’t until, as a graduate student, he connected with a professor who taught the subject at UC San Diego that his future career path was launched.
But Wong’s career trajectory was far from linear; there were many detours along the way. However, he believes that each stop and start have contributed to his effectiveness as a college professor. His first job out of college was as a high school math teacher at a high school that sought to bring its student population, which was performing severely behind grade level, on target not only for graduation but for college admittance. The students faced profound personal challenges as well. Recognizing that a long-term career in this environment was not sustainable, Wong entered graduate school but was grateful to have cut his teaching teeth in a demanding setting.
The professors from whom Wong learned have also shaped his teaching approach, particularly his PhD advisor. In a doctoral atmosphere, work can be hyper focused. Any activities away from research can be seen as distractions. Not for Wong’s advisor. He encouraged Wong to go on short mission trips, engage in service and teach as a part-time adjunct at the University of San Diego, recognizing that a well-rounded, curious mind ultimately benefits research.
The support Wong received from his mentor colored how he would one day interact with his own students. “His example has helped me put the interests of my students first,” he says.
If his time in the research lab taught him the importance of laser-like focus, then Wong’s stint with the government educated him on the necessity of seeing the bigger picture. His academic pursuit involved what he describes as a “niche type of quantum computing algorithms for a particular kind of problem.” His government experiences, which include serving as program manager in the DOE, working at the Laboratory of Physical Sciences at the University of Maryland as part of the NSA and in the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, helped him see how his specific research contributes to the “larger field” of quantum information science and its role in information capture, processing and sharing.
Research begets research. Answering a question opens up more questions.
— Tom Wong, PhD
Rising to the challenges
“In a growing and rapidly evolving field, it’s easy to see all the headlines and wonder if your own work is as exciting or important or impactful, or to feel inadequate because you can’t do the same kind of research with undergraduates that you can with an army of graduate students and postdocs, like at MIT,” Wong owns.
But, he continues, there is an “ecosystem around quantum computing and technologies, and there’s different roles to be played at institutions like Creighton.” He recalls the 1 Corinthians 12:20 verse about the importance of all the different parts of the body: “there are many parts, yet one body.”
“Yes, other parts of the quantum ‘body’ may be more exciting or flashy,” he says, “but the parts driving basic research have their own special honor as well.”
And what is his contribution to the “quantum body of knowledge?” Just the introduction of teaching quantum computing at the undergraduate level and resulting ground-breaking college textbook. Once exclusively taught at the graduate level, Wong developed a curriculum that was tailor made for undergraduates because it did not carry prerequisites—students simply needed a pre-calculus background.
Eventually and after a few semesters of refinement, he converted his lecture notes into a textbook and released it as a free eTextbook in pdf format on his website. The response was so big that he created a print version that he sells on Amazon for only $15, a huge bargain considering the prices of most science textbooks.
Mother Necessity came to visit again. When Wong wanted a hands-on tool for his course, he created a board game, Qubit Touchdown, to teach students the concept of one quantum bit (or qubit).
Modeling lifelong learning
Despite all that he has experienced and accomplished, Wong feels like there is still much to learn. He likes it that way. He has developed a new course for fall 2025 that will be a conceptual introduction to quantum science and technology and acknowledging that “there will be a ton of learning for it.”
Many of his students will be taking the course as a Magis Core requirement. Thus, he says, “I’ll need to find ways to communicate the concepts without using the precise language of mathematics and come up with hands-on activities to make the course engaging.”
Wong also enjoys exchanges with his students. Discussions with his undergrad research students often lead him to another path of discovery: “Research begets research. Answering a question opens up more questions.”
He is proud of the fact that his students are solving problems even he doesn’t know, and he describes his mentorship role with these students as managerial in nature. But he also recognizes that his diverse career history has equipped him to counsel students on the many paths they can take with a science degree.
His advice: “STEM roles exist in virtually every industry, not just tech companies. Broaden your horizons of where a STEM person can apply their skills.”
The fire of knowledge is well and truly lit.
STEM roles exist in virtually every industry, not just tech companies. Broaden your horizons of where a STEM person can apply their skills.
— Tom Wong, PhD
