2017 HONORS AND AWARDS
ing with an environmental engineering company. The first site he worked on was a dry cleaner site in Orangeburg in August. Wearing a Tyvek suit and res- pirator, drilling through asphalt, while it was 105o, Mike wondered if he had chosen his career wisely. One of the more interesting and challenging projects he worked on while in SC involved defin- ing the stratigraphy and hydrogeology underlying the hazardous waste landfill in Pinewood. Here, he was part of a team of geologists evaluating the tight clays which were cut by more permeable tidal channel sands. One of these channels crossed the oldest landfill cell where pre- regulatory liquid waste was buried. The opportunity to apply geologic principles to addressing societal concerns was to become a focus of his career.
Eventually, Mike made his way to Blacksburg and the hard rock geology of the Appalachian Mountains. It was here that Mike joined AIPG in 1994. On a field trip to a central Virginia kyanite mine, he was introduced to the Virginia Section and he has not looked back since.
Soon after that field trip, he was elect- ed to the Section Executive Committee serving in all offices including President. During this time as a Section leader, Mike became active at the National level initially by attending legislative “fly-ins” in Washington, DC. In 2000, he was elected National Secretary and his involvement with the National Executive Committee culminated in his serving as National President in 2010. To this day, that year as President has been one of the most rewarding years of his career.
For the past 21 years, Mike has worked at Draper Aden Associates, a civil and environmental engineering firm based in Blacksburg. He moved up through the company from a field geolo- gist to Environmental Division Manager, Principal, and Executive Vice President. The company is currently in a period of aggressive growth, and although he is doing less and less geology every year, the challenges and opportunities that come with growing a company have offset that loss. AIPG has continually repre- sented an opportunity to network with geologists practicing in all areas of the geosciences, attend field trips, and feel like a geologist when the day job no lon- ger offers that opportunity. Throughout his career he has been fortunate to work with many talented geologists and the environmental consulting field has offered a challenging mix of geology, business, and camaraderie.
18 TPG •
Oct.Nov.Dec 2017 Response
I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this award. Thank you to the Honors and Awards Committee and the Executive Committee. AIPG has been the professional organization that has been the most important to me through- out my career.
When I joined AIPG, I was working for a very small environmental consult- ing company; there were three of us. I looked to AIPG for a chance to network with other geologists as well as the pos- sibility of becoming a CPG. I was aware of the need for a current CPG to sponsor me and at that point I did not know any CPGs. I contacted the then-President of the Virginia Section, Tony Scales. Tony agreed to meet with me and act as my sponsor for the CPG application process. He invited me to a field trip at the Willis Mountain Kyanite Mine where I met many other AIPG members.
What struck me most about Tony and the other AIPG members I met both that day and over the years is the will- ingness to help young profes- sionals (and even their older colleagues) develop a career, build a network and mentor them in many ways.
The relationships begun that day have developed into life- long friendships. After becom- ing involved in the Section leadership, I began to become involved at the National level. There, I found the same colle- gial, friendly reception. - Mike Lawless
When I talk with students or young professionals about AIPG and what we have to offer, I talk mostly about the peo- ple; the network you will build; the col- leagues, clients, and business partners you will create; and the friends you will make. I belong to several professional organizations and I can honestly say AIPG is the best group of professionals of any of them. Why is that? I think there are a couple of reasons. One is that we represent the entire profession of geol- ogy. This, to me, is very important. My
career has been in the environmental field, a field where you can sometimes feel as if you are not practicing geology. My interaction with AIPG members has afforded me the opportunity to network with geologists in the other disciplines within the geosciences.
The second, is the focus on profes- sional ethics. Formal ethics training was absent from my schooling and much of my on the job training. Geology, regard- less of the discipline, is a career where decisions have ethical consequences on a very frequent basis. Actively participat- ing in an organization that focuses on professional ethics has certainly helped advance my career and assisted with several difficult decisions during that career.
Thank you to all my AIPG colleagues; there are too many to name individually..
John T. Galey, Sr. Memorial Public Service Award
Jonathan D. Arthur, MEM-932
If we start from the beginning with Dr. Jonathan D. Arthur, it does not start with his college degrees. Jon collected rocks as far back as he can remember and in 4th grade he wrote an essay titled “I want to be a Geologist”, which ended with the phrase: “I’ll never change my mind...”Fast forward to Jon’s graduat- ing with Honors in Geology from Florida State University, and obtaining his Ph.D. from FSU in 1994. He began as a part-time student working at the Florida Geological Survey in Tallahassee in 1982, and became full time in 1987. With dedication to education/outreach, and applied geology, Jon rose through the FGS ranks. Supported by FGS and the
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