Walter Thomas

I was born and raised on the shores of beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee in central NH. I spent four years at Phillips Exeter Academy for high school, then attended Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. I graduated with a bachelor of science degree and a commission as a second lieutentant in the US Air Force. After getting married, I began a 20 year military career, where I served as a pilot, planning, and operations officer. I retired in 2008 as a lieutenant colonel to go back to school to study energy engineering. We moved back to NH (still married with two grown sons) because UMASS Lowell, just across the stateline, offered a program specializing in solar energy. And frankly, we think NH is an awesome place to live!

I have now finished my doctorate, with a thesis on net-zero energy homes built in New England. Happily, I am putting my new degree to work as a lecturer at UMASS Lowell in the Mech. Engineering Department, where I am developing a new course in PV system design.