PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND PRACTICES - COLUMN 177
camp group. His literature search was hampered by the closure of libraries and relied on alternative web-based resourc- es. Access to laboratory facilities was also restricted. Obtaining the permits to conduct field work from government landowners that were restricting the number and types of research permits being issued provided other challenges. Reporting the results of Pope’s research was another challenge given the can- celation of the professional meetings at which such results are normally pre- sented. Program abstracts provide only a partial solution.
Some of the problems addressed in these two articles are specifically related to the Pandemic: mask-wearing, social distancing, access to facilities and librar- ies, and restrictions on permit issuance. Hopefully by the summer of 2021, these problems will have been considerably relaxed and will not re-occur for another century or so. However, the hybrid field camp concept provided by Rotzien, et al. may become an increasingly com- mon means of reducing the costs and time away from home required by the traditional field camp model. Still, see- ing rocks in lots of field locations is an important part of a geoscientist’s educa- tion and career-long development. The weathering characteristics of granitic batholiths in temperate climates that include frequent freeze-thaw cycles con- trast dramatically with the chemical weathering of granites in the tropics and the creation of the spectacular inselbergs like Rio de Janeiro’s Sugarloaf Mountain and other soaring monoliths (morros) like those in Abuja, Nigeria.
Geoscience is the epitome of STEM
Hailey Pantaleo’s, SA-9978, arti- cle, “Emphasizing geoscience as the epitome of STEM,” in the Jan/Feb/Mar TPG highlights something we as geoscientists know but most of the rest of public, including those engaged in other STEM subjects don’t know. Indeed, John Sloan Dickey, the President of Dartmouth College during David’s freshman and sophomore years and a lawyer and diplomat by profession, opined that “Geology is the ultimate liberal arts study” because for him the liberal arts included the sciences along with the humanities and social sci- ences. Geoscience includes not only the STEM fields but also history (including the humanoid bit), languages (both in terms of so many technical terms and the languages needed to work around the world), Latin and Greek (“petrol-
38 TPG •
Apr.May.Jun 2021
ogy” as a classic mishmash), intelligible composition (grammar and precision in writing), etc. The mythical story of Jason and the Argonauts relates the voyage of Jason and his fellow Greek raiders to Colchis (between the Caucasus on the north, Armenia on the south, and the Black Sea on the west) to steal the golden fleece used to trap the gold contained in placer deposits run through hollowed-log sluices (Agricola, De Re Metallica, 1556 (1950 Dover), p. 330). One of the more amazing pieces of technology I’ve seen in my mining career has been the tunnel boring machine; look it up on Wikipedia.
Pantaleo’s personal story of discovery of the breath of geoscience is revealing. She now recognizes that geoscience is the most interdisciplinary of the STEM fields, a generally unrecognized fact. As she states, “Unfortunately, however, there remains a lack of emphasis on this pathway in K-12 education, thus not all students, or even adults know how valuable geoscience is in STEM. I attended an unusually large high school with roughly 6,500 students. This meant we also had a huge variety of classes we could take, and yet, the only Earth science course I took in high school was AP Environmental Science. There is a fundamental lack of geoscience courses and diploma requirements in public high schools today, which may contribute to this belief that geoscience is not a legiti- mate STEM category. Students may be led to believe that since this kind of sci- ence is not a requirement.”
We all need to work towards correct- ing this misconception about geoscience. We can give more talks about geoscience to the general public. Talk to your alumni club—I gave one on industrial minerals around us on January 28th—the Rotary Club, whatever. Organize field trips in your area. Matt Rhoades’, CPG- 7837, article, “The Pressing Need for Advanced Placement Geology Courses in High School Classrooms,” and Mark Schaaf’s, CPG-10723, article, “Thinking about geology,” in this issue provide other suggestions on this important topic.
Getting your name and face in print
Taylor Murray’s, ECP-407, article
TPG, “2021 sur- vival guide: how to get what you need and stay connected,” contains a number of excellent suggestions for students and early career professionals. While I endorse all of Taylor’s suggestions, I’d
like to address her last point: Write an article for TPG.
During my early years in the profes- sion, a fellow named Ta Li was a col- umnist for Mining Engineering. SME members saw his picture in each issue for a few years. The SME membership soon came to recognize his name and picture (very important for the many of us who remember faces far better than names). Ta went on to a very successful career in the mining industry. It seemed like everyone knew Ta and Ta knew every- one. And he became SME President, among other things. Ta and I eventually became colleagues for couple of years in the late 1990s. Don’t discount the value of getting your opinions, reflections, and picture in the TPG on a regular basis.
TPG, page 16, contains the acceptances for receiv- ing the initial John Stewart Memorial Awards by Brandy (Barnes) Myer, Mem-3175, and Stephanie Jarvis, SA-1495. Read them. Both Brandy and Stephanie became active in AIPG as students, although by different routes. They attended annual meetings and became known as a result. Stephanie was the “Student’s Voice” and later as the “Young Professional’s View” TPG columnist for several years. When she was looking for her first job in Denver, her eventual employer read a number of her columns to review her writing abil- ity. The point being that Brandy’s and Stephanie’s names and pictures became known within AIPG and that has been an important part of their careers to date. Want a job? Become known in the profession, which is what got folks into the “old boys club” that is now the “old boys and girls club.” Your name comes up and gets commented on in ways none of us know. It makes a difference.
Adam Heft’s, CPG-10265, article, “Student involvement in AIPG—is it TPG should be must reading for Student and ECP members. It makes many of the same points discussed in this topic and provides additional examples of ways to make yourself known and get a job, now and in the future.
Ethics training
George Fitzgerald’s, CPG-6582, article, “Ethics training,” in the Jan/ TPG is a reprint from the September 2010 TPG. As Editor Heft noted, the article has been reprinted as the content remains relevant today.
www.aipg.org
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