EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
“I’m glad they don’t make them like they used to.”
Aaron W. Johnson, MEM-2783
awj@aipg.org
Spring is approaching and with it, car show season will begin. Hopefully, this car show season will mark a return to a more normal time, as Colorado and the Nation distribute COVID vaccines to our respective populations. Invariably when I take Betty (my 1963 Falcon convertible) to a car show, someone comments, “Boy, they sure don’t make them like they used to.” Most often this comment is made with a rueful smile, a slight
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to manage ore production and reserves, or contaminants, or to mitigate the risk of slope failure. Applying new technologies resulted in the shale energy boom that provided a massive expansion of natural gas markets and, paradoxically, resulted
in reduced United States CO2 emissions as more natural gas was utilized. Our ability to construct accurate models of geo- logical projects and problems allows us to be better prepared
Over the last 75 years, innovation and application of new technologies in the geosci- ences have resulted in a revolution in the way we find resources, model and predict hazards, and clean up the messes we make.
shake of the head, the unspoken implication that today’s cars just aren’t as good as my nearly 60-year-old ragtop. For the longest time, my response was just a smile. No longer. Now, when I hear that phrase, my response is, “no they don’t, and I’m glad.” When Betty was new, 100,000 miles was the benchmark for automotive longevity. Betty came from the factory with no seat belts in the rear seats. She has no crumple zones, or air bags, or backup lights. She has a 2.8 liter engine, but gener- ally gets around 21 miles per gallon, about what our F-150 4X4 gets on the highway! On cold mornings, there is barely enough heat to keep your toes warm, no air conditioning for the hottest days, and no power steering. She has four-wheel drum brakes (watch out for those mud puddles) with no ABS and no power brake booster. No, they certainly don’t make them like they used to.
Technology and innovation have transformed the automo- bile, making cars today safer, more reliable, and more efficient than ever before. My Ford pickup just rolled past 140,000 miles and seems only now to be getting broken in. Are there trade- offs? Sure. Betty is almost a rolling sculpture. Today’s cars owe their design more to aerodynamics than artistry. Computers play a larger and larger role in automobiles, managing engine functions, controlling transmission shifts, sensing fuel quality, and wheel skids, and managing the entire vehicle when you tow a camper or pull a stock trailer. In sum, modern automobiles are as different from my 1963 Falcon as lightning is different from a lightning bug and I AM glad.
The practice of geology has undergone a similar transforma- tion. Over the last 75 years, innovation and application of new technologies in the geosciences have resulted in a revolution in the way we find resources, model and predict hazards, and clean up the messes we make. Computer Aided Design allows us to “see a mine” before a single shaft is emplaced. Computer modeling programs integrate drill-hole and sample data into a 3D model of an ore body, or contaminant plume, or an over- steepened slope, allowing geologists to better understand how
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before the first action is taken. The result: projects that are completed in less time, with a higher rate of success, and very often at a lower cost.
Again, progress is not without its trade-offs. Fewer and fewer geologists complete field camp. Many in our profession worry that young geologists won’t be as well prepared because they learned to use an iPad and cell phone rather than a mapboard and Brunton. Many in the car hobby felt the same about computerized engine management and anti-lock brak- ing systems. Yet, there is a robust automotive hobbyist scene revolving around newer cars. I see young people at every car show, many with customized late model cars, incorporating the newest technology into the car culture, while still being gear-heads at heart.
I believe it will be the same with geology. As technology matures and new ways of applying technologies to geology emerge, our field WILL change. Yet, at its core geology will be the same. Geologists will still think in terms of deep time. We will still think in four dimensions, and combine our 4D thinking with modern technologies to create solutions and find the resources that our society requires. We will integrate cutting-edge technologies (such as the EU Robominers project) to expand our geologic horizons while reducing our impact on Earth and our neighbors. There certainly will be bumps along the way. We all remember (mostly with disdain) the automatic seatbelts of the 1980’s and 1990’s. The aftermarket onboard record players of the 1950’s had no real staying power. Still, those failed projects were replaced ultimately by airbags and today’s connected vehicles that allow you to stream from your cell phone via your car’s radio. Similar innovations will come in our field, albeit at times as a result of other failed technologies and innovations. The future for our field is bright. I am excited to see what new ideas and approaches the next generation of geologists brings to our profession.
I wish each of you the very best this spring! Aaron
www.aipg.org
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