2017 HONORS AND AWARDS
detours. Fundamentally, I just wanted to know how rocks form – it wasn’t com- plicated for me when it came time for college – I was going to be a geologist. Academically, the late Peter Weigand when at California State University at Northridge, California, offered me an opportunity to focus on igneous petrol- ogy and geochemistry where I worked on tholeiitic basalts from Spitsbergen and Liberia, West Africa – fulfilling my initial goal of fundamentally under- standing how rocks are formed. The late Peter Misch while at the University of Washington was the first to acknowl- edge and support my independent work on metavolcanics throughout the North Cascades, and became a close friend and mentor.
Other mentors included Jim Slosson, Bill Fisher, Charlie Mankin, Bob Jordan, Lee Allison, Jon Price, Bob Fakundiny and John Parrish. This is an interesting group of accomplished individuals all of them state geologists at one time or another. Being a geological consultant, I had no public service experience before those years, but their expressed profes- sionalism in their positions sparked my interest in public service and caused me to view the profession of geology in a different light. My professional growth was not limited to my interactions with state geologists though. There were con- sultants too, including Allen Hatheway, Richard Proctor, David Rogers, Roy Shlemon and Russ Slayback, just to name a few that consistently performed
When one dedicates themselves to a professional career, it becomes a lifestyle, and I have never considered what I do as work. In an age of branding, I consider myself an environmental geologist, which I believe is reflective of the simple fact that all of human endeavours have some environmental impact, and it is important for the geological community to reach out to the public and explain the significant role geology plays in the quality of life we have as a society and its sustainability. - Stephen Testa
My success, however one perceives success, is reflective of the many individ- uals I have had the pleasure of knowing over the years, those whom I admired and could learn from. What I observed with those people I admired was that they were all well respected by their peers, albeit not always agreed with, technically competent in their specialty, but knew a lot about a lot of other geology related things. They taught, they consulted, they were entrepreneurs, independent think- ers and they were leaders – most of all they were involved and engaged in their profession and science. I made a list of traits that I felt made them successful and simply worked toward developing these traits in myself. I was going to need to be patient, persistent and resilient. But it was a lifestyle they exemplified and I wanted to be part of it.
Mentoring takes many forms and for me and it was mainly through AIPG that I benefited most. Without question I cannot look any further than Larry Woodfork. My early participation in AIPG as the California Section President coincided with Larry’s tenure as AIPG President – he took me under his wing and was a strong supporter of many of my future professional endeavours.
www.aipg.org at a very high level.
From 1976 to 2005, I was a geological consultant, instructor, and entrepre- neur. I pursued my career not worrying about my title or the amount of finan- cial compensation, but rather focused on acquiring experience, and attaching myself to interesting and complex proj- ects and individuals that knew stuff, knowing I would have opportunities to develop. After a successful business and consulting career, I wanted to move into public service. Not an easy transition when prior experience demonstrated absolutely no government experience. I was fortunate to have the encourage- ment of John Parrish, then the Executive Officer of the California State Mining and Geology Board, to serve as a con- sultant and mine inspector on behalf of the SMGB. When John moved on to the position of State Geologist, he further encouraged me to apply for his former position as Executive Officer – a position I served in for over 11 years.
In closing, I could not have accom- plished what I have without the support of my wife Lydia and family. Lydia has been my chief financial officer, editor and who I go to when in need of some common sense. She has provided a warm home
to live in and a wonderful environment in which I could fulfill my potential and goals.
I truly enjoyed my consulting years, and loved my years in public service. I am pleased to be a consultant again, pro- viding assistance and solving problems, and figure I will be working until I am no longer moving. In the meantime, my advice to young professionals is to recog- nize that geology is a business – regard- less of whether it is from an academic, government, industrial or private sector perspective. Organizations like AIPG are important because its members under- stand this basic fact. Lastly, learning never stops: develop short and long term professional growth plans, stay engaged and involved with professional groups like AIPG, and reach out to those who have been around for a while for advice and guidance – they are all here for you as they were for me.
Martin Van Couvering Memorial Award
Michael D. Lawless, CPG-9224
Mike’s appreciation of the outdoors, geology and the ocean began along the coast of Maine during his summers while growing up. When considering attending college to study oceanography, his father quickly redirected him to geology where he would have a better hope of a paying career.
He received BS in Geology from Bates College and a MS in Geology from Old Dominion University where he again tinkered with oceanography. He met his wife, Monika, at ODU and the two moved to South Carolina where she completed her Master’s degree. In South Carolina, Mike’s professional career began, work-
Jul.Aug.Sep 2017 TPG 17
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56