PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF GEOLOGISTS FOR CAREERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING

Changing trends in market economics and regulation are primary drivers for clients seeking out environmental consulting firms. Not surprisingly, consulting firms are constantly evaluating their staff levels and staff abilities to meet the demands of these changing trends. One resource that consultants use to meet these demands, particularly in the area of environmental consulting, are new graduates from geoscience programs.

For the last two decades, many consulting firms have shifted away from hiring bachelor-degreed geologists in search of the more quantitative background of geological engineers or graduate-degreed geologists. As a result, some departments may be tempted to de-emphasize the importance of traditional field-oriented aspects of geologic training and place greater emphasis on quantitative analysis and modeling in their geologic offerings.

We argue that the advent of big data, immense computing power, and sophisticated software has brought forward a resurgence in the need for “conceptual modelers” and field camp-trained geologists. This is because an environmental dataset can be unwieldy without a conceptual framework to organize, process, and communicate it. Geologists that are trained to collect environmental data using classic field methods (e.g., field observation, systematic soil/rock description, etc.), that can efficiently synthesize the resulting data into a cohesive framework using core geologic principals (e.g., depositional models, stratigraphy, hydrogeology, etc.), and understand the inherent uncertainties of subsurface investigations prove valuable in solving complex problems. We provide an overview of core competencies and supporting skill sets that Barr values in new geologist hires, some of which may fit within an undergraduate program or an applied elective class focused on environmental consulting.

It’s a challenge to marry the core geologic curriculum with the current needs of industry due to changing trends and economic variability. This talk is meant to model and encourage routine communication between the consulting industry and faculty regarding the roles and technical needs for newly-minted geologists to start successful careers.