Professional Geologist

I trained as a geologist from 1969-1975, and then worked as a full-time geologist for the United States Geological Survey until 1979.  This real-life work experience grounded my subsequent academic teaching career, and provides a real-life model for students seeking non-academic jobs.  I continue to work as a professional geologist when consulting.

POSITIONS HELD

Field Assistant (GS 5)  1975  Summer – ALASKA –   USGS entry-level “grunt” or  “go-fer” as a summer field assistant working  for multiple Alaska Branch investigators, based from the  research vessel Donald J. Miller, anchored in Lituya Bay.  Midway through the summer I began to work for the Quaternary geologist Thomas D. Hamilton on two separate tasks: a reconnaissance of the geological hazards associated with the new Haul Road for the yet-to-be-built Alaska Pipeline; and a helicopter-based glacial mapping project of the Itkillik and Sagavinirktok Quadrangles, each the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.

Geological Assistant (GS 5) 1975-1976 – MENLO PARK, CA –   USGS full-time geological assistant: field logistics, data analysis, aerial photo interpretation, geologic mapping, field data collection, and manuscript review.

Geologist (GS 9-13) 1976-1979 – SEATTLE, WA –  Full-time USGS geologist assigned to my own project involving isostatically uplifted glacial deltas.  During the summer of 1978 I was loaned from the USGS to the U.S. National Park Service to do Quaternary mapping in Denali National Park.

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Photo:  Archaeological investigation at Swan Point, Alaska.