Career Overview: What I Do As a Research Geologist
It’s nice to think that geologists spend most of their time exploring distant landscapes with a stone hammer and a magnifying glass, but they actually spend more time in the lab than on Land Rovers. The exploration geologist’s work is eclectic, analytical and scientific.
To learn a little about this area, we spoke with Circe Verba, Ph.D., a young researcher at the National Energy Technology Laboratory who previously worked with NASA and SETI. Circe is also involved in research and education for high school students, and even designed a LEGO set depicting what it means to be a geologist . Now let’s look through a microscope:
Tell us a little about yourself and your experience.
I am a Research Geologist with the Office of Research and Development (ORD) of the National Energy Technology Laboratory ( NETL ). I specialize in bridging geochemistry and civil engineering – specifically projects that involve carbon sequestration and wellbore integrity (which is relevant to climate change mitigation) and understanding the interactions of oil and gas shale in unconventional systems. I specialize in electron microscopy and image analysis.
What prompted you to choose your career path?
As a child, I had a lot of inspiration; it all started with my earth sciences lesson with the discovery of planets. I had a thirst for knowledge to understand processes on a macroscopic and micro scale. Geology is an interdisciplinary science encompassing several fields such as engineering and research, which has allowed me to pursue several interests.
How did you get a job? What kind of education and experience did you need?
I wanted to pursue a career that would expand my perception of the universe through research. I participated in school science clubs that gave me a scholarship to attend college at the University of Oregon. Research (currently) requires a PhD, which took me nine long years. During my studies, I studied astronomy, oceanography and geology. I have studied microbial wells in freshwater pillow basalt for planetary applications. I then began my master’s program in geology at Northern Arizona University studying Martian aeolian [wind erosion] and volcanic features through the NASA HiRISE Fellowship. Once this program was over, I switched and attended the Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education (ORISE) graduate school in 2009. At NETL, I was inspired to continue my education, leading to my PhD in 2013. , and constant work on the study of engineering systems on Earth.
What are you doing besides what most people see? What do you actually spend most of your time on?
My time depends on what stage the project is in – at the moment I have four projects at different stages. I can spend time in the laboratory doing experiments, analyzing and characterizing samples under an electron or light microscope, or working on a computer, composing manuscripts for publication. I also spend a lot of time interacting with other team members and key partners from the universities. It is also vital for scientists to communicate with each other about their work at scientific conferences.
What misconceptions do people often have about your job?
One misconception is not about my job, but rather the field. It is often joked that geology is rock for athletes, but geology can be quite complex. In addition, as a geologist, you get a variety of random rocks that are brought to you in the hope of special identification, although this is usually a common rock such as agate (quartz-polymorph).
What’s your average uptime?
Normal professional workweek is 40 hours per week. More if there are deadlines or travel.
What personal tips and shortcuts have made your job easier?
Spreadsheets are essential for project management, to keep track of project tasks or budgets, and from a technical point of view to understand chemical analysis and to calculate, graph, and import data.
Another tip is data exchange; Part of being a scientist is not copying work that has been done or is being done. It is then useful to publish the study or put the data in a database for dissemination. We use Energy Data Exchange (EDX) at NETL.
What are you doing differently from your colleagues or colleagues in the same profession? What are they doing instead?
As I said above, I spend more time in the experimental and petrographic laboratory and interpret the results. I spend less time in the field than my peers, for example collecting samples, mapping regions, or working on an oil rig. In addition, some of my colleagues mainly use applied geophysical modeling or geographic information system (GIS) to collect, store, manage and analyze spatial data. In addition, many geologists work in academia, including research and teaching.
What’s the worst part of a job and how do you deal with it?
For me personally, the worst part of the job is the amount of technical writing required. Peer-reviewed technical reports and journal articles are undergoing many changes. I’m a descriptive writer, so I had to learn how to manage this and learn from mistakes.
What is the most enjoyable part of the job?
The most enjoyable part of the job is using the microscopes. You can see details with micrometer precision that cannot be seen with the naked eye. It is an invisible world that I must be a part of. It can also be like a treasure hunt to find changes in mineral phases or microorganisms.
How much money can you expect at your job?
Salaries may vary depending on your educational level and place of work. The bottom 10% receive $ 46,000, while the average salary for geologists across all sectors is $ 84,000.
How are you progressing in your field?
A geologist can advance the career ladder by obtaining additional certifications (such as a registered geologist) or graduating. Specifically, where I work, promotions [will be] within project management, such as technical team coordinator, team leader, or business unit director.
What advice would you give to those who want to become your profession?
The best advice I can give a budding geologist is to never stop learning. Take as many science courses as you can to find out which area you are interested in, such as geology, engineering, physics, or mathematics. In addition, courses in geography, computer science, ecology, GIS, and drawing / art are very helpful. Geology is a vast area with many hot topics to study, including ecology or climate change, energy, geological hazards or mitigation, and mining. Examples of [vacancies] in this field are: Geological Engineer, Geochemist, Geophysicist, Hydrologist, Mud Specialist, Wellsite Geologist, Environmental Consultant, Academic Research Geologist, Oil and Gas Sector, Engineering or Construction Firms, Government, Museums and private persons. industry.
I created the LEGO Research Geology set [because] I am also actively involved in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education by participating in high school career fairs and science events. I believe it’s important to find fun ways to encourage children of both genders to use their critical thinking skills. As an adult, I still play LEGO, the cobblestone of my childhood. So I created a LEGO set called Research Geology that highlights my career as an exploration geologist both in the field and in the laboratory. Although I included both genders in my set, I wanted to emphasize that women can be scientists, too. I strongly believe that we can influence young minds and pave the way for future scientists. We can change the world, every geek at a time.