Dr. William “Bill” Underwood is the Chesapeake Energy Chair of Geosciences. After earning a BA in Geology at Hamilton College and an MA in Geology from SUNY Buffalo, Dr. Underwood worked for 2 major oil companies. Taking the opportunity of a lay-off, he earned his Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Tulsa. After working for several organizations he finally found his dream job, teaching at OSSM. Here he teaches two geoscience courses and fills out his teaching load with physics and engineering. He is the mentor/coach of FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics Team #8825, CADfish.
Dr. Underwood is passionate about Boy Scouts and has served as a leader for over 40 years. He is a member of the committee that rewrote the requirements and pamphlet for the Geology merit badge, and attends the National Jamboree regularly to teach Geology. It is not unusual to see him stop suddenly and examine a rock, either on the ground, on a facade, or inside a building.
He is very involved in amateur radio, volunteering for the Annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. An avid photographer, particularly of birds, he wishes that they would cooperate by posing for him! He says that, with a camera, he can shoot birds at any time, in any place, regardless of season or bag limits.