Rogers, William Barton, 1804–82, American geologist and educator, b. Philadelphia, grad. William and Mary, 1822. He was professor of geology at William and Mary (1828–35) and at the Univ. of Virginia (1835–53) and headed the Virginia geological survey. Rogers was the founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he served as first president and as professor of physics and geology, laying the foundation of the institute's distinguished service to scientific education. In addition to his report on the Virginia survey, he wrote Strength of Materials (1838) and Elements of Mechanical Philosophy (1852).
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