AEG’s prominence is growing as the field of engineering and environmental geology gains greater recognition. In an exclusive interview, Ken Fergason highlights the importance of the field for

public safety and the betterment of society, and shares the exciting opportunities and personal interactions he has been afforded through his longstanding involvement with the Association

K e n F e r g a s o n P r e s i d e n t , A s s o c i a t i o n o f E n v i r o n m e n t a l & E n g i n e e r i n g G e o l o g i s t s

Geological stewardship

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What inspired your interest in environmental and engineering geology?

I grew up exploring the canyons, caves and other geologic features behind my house in Austin, Texas (long before I recognised them as geologic features). I always had rock and fossil collections and developed a deep love of the outdoors from an early age. As a student, I excelled in mathematics and science and was always told I should be an engineer.

One day, my father was on a plane sitting next to a geologist, who was a professor at Texas A&M University (where I would be attending college the next year) and an active member of the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists (AEG). He explained the subject of engineering geology to someone with little understanding of geology and my father later related this conversation back to me. This piqued my interest in the topic, inspiring me to learn more about engineering geology. What I discovered was that not only did this profession appeal to me, but it had great potential as a fulfilling career. The decision to pursue a career in this area thus became an obvious choice and I haven’t looked back since.

As an engineering geologist, what do you consider the most exciting aspects of the field?

I love that engineering geology provides a way for me to have a successful career where I get to balance using cutting-edge technology with getting my boots dirty in the field – all while performing a service with a meaningful benefit to society. It is immensely satisfying to see completed projects where I helped characterise and influence the design of the foundations; for example, the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge spanning the border between Arizona and Utah over a canyon more than 800 feet deep. It’s also rewarding to know that proper characterisation and design of such structures, as well as the remediation of geologic hazards (such as a landslide), has a direct impact on public safety.

Additionally, the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects around the world is truly exciting. Although the focus of my work is throughout the Western US, I have been afforded the opportunity to work on projects in British Columbia, the Sierra Madre of northwestern Mexico, and in places as far afield as Soviet-era military bases in Romania.

I love that I have moments, often when I’m standing on some remote mountainside, when I think to myself ‘I can’t believe someone is paying me to do this!’.

Could you describe what attracted you to AEG?

While I was in school, Texas A&M had an active student chapter of AEG, though my involvement was limited. I was not an active member until several years later, when a mentor at work suggested that my career would benefit greatly if I joined and was active in a professional society. I selected AEG simply because of my past affiliation with the Association. I’ve always had a volunteering spirit, so it wasn’t hard for me to get involved as more than just a card-carrying member. I quickly became engaged in local AEG activities and was eventually exposed to the larger aspects at the national level, all of which I found to be very interesting.

While I found interest in the Association’s activities, it was really the camaraderie of professionals with similar interests who I could learn

from that kept me coming back year after year. Through the field trips, technical meetings and social opportunities AEG’s meetings provide, peers quickly became friends. This, in combination with the professional development I was acquiring through leadership roles in AEG has made it an immensely rewarding experience for me.

What are your personal highlights of your time at AEG to date?

In September 2014, the sum total of all my experiences through AEG was capped by my becoming President and standing up at our Annual Banquet in front of 120 people to accept my new role with this outstanding Association. The same stage that throughout the night had seen awards and honours bestowed upon some of the greatest professionals in applied geology. It was extremely humbling for me and the greatest professional honour I’ve ever received.

Otherwise, the highlights really come down to my personal interactions with friends and colleagues from around the world. From representing AEG at an international conference in Italy, to enjoying beverages with friends after a long day of meetings, to seeing the geology of the country and world through field trips offered through AEG – it’s generally the personal connections that stick with me even more than the technical knowledge gained. The relationships I have made through AEG have made me a better professional, stronger leader and better person.

Can you give a brief insight into the work AEG is currently engaged in?

AEG has a tremendous breadth of involvement and ambition for a relatively small professional society with modest resources. At local events, the Association provides opportunities for professionals to meet and network while enjoying a technical presentation, field trip, short course and many other continuing education opportunities. At a larger scale, AEG hosts an Annual Meeting with excellent technical content, professional development opportunities and field trips, in addition to regional, technical-focused meetings. We publish online and print newsletters and a highly-regarded technical journal.

AEG also actively engages in advocating for the profession, particularly through support of state licensure of geologists. Working with related societies, we participate in public and political conversations with congressional visit days, the congressional hazards caucuses and meetings with leaders of other geo organisations.

Additionally, AEG works to strengthen the future of our profession by supporting students and faculty in the geosciences, as well as general STEM education efforts at all levels.

A crowning achievement may be the tremendous support that its members provide to the AEG Foundation, which offers scholarships, research grants and other charitable support to the applied geology profession and its future.

The fields of engineering and environmental geology are gaining greater recognition, but do you think there is enough research conducted in these domains?

No! I can’t emphasise this enough. Many of the current trends in higher education in the US endanger the future of applied

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geology. Funding for colleges and universities continues to decline, which leads many to rely more and more on large-scale research funding. Relatively little of this funding is devoted to applied geology, public safety and the betterment of society through its environmental and infrastructure needs.

This leads to a situation where long-term professors in applied geology are not replaced when they retire, often resulting in entire research programmes being shuttered. This, in turn, leads to a shortage of applied geology professors to teach future generations. In the short-term, it means there are not enough qualifi ed students graduating through applied geology programmes to meet the current and future demands of the profession. In the long-term, it paints a bleak picture for the future of our nation’s infrastructure and environment.

Unfortunately most university programmes can’t or won’t do anything to address these issues, generally because they are increasingly reliant on big-money research grants, of which very few are related to such ‘mundane’ topics as applied geology. As this trend continues to shift toward research and away from basic instruction, I am concerned that it is negatively impacting the preparedness of our collegiate graduates who are interested in pursuing careers outside of academia.

Further to this, do you think there is enough awareness of the importance of the disciplines in terms of their relevance to public safety?

Again, sadly, I must answer no. Generally speaking it takes a tragic event to bring about awareness of the importance of applied geology to public safety. Whether that event is the Oso landslide in Washington State, a major earthquake in China, fl ooding in Colorado, or other disasters, it almost always takes the loss of life to generate this awareness. People take for granted that the

P e o p l e t a k e f o r g r a n t e d t h a t t h e i n f r a s t r u c t u r e a r o u n d t h e m

i s s a f e , t h a t t h e g r o u n d w a t e r b e n e a t h t h e i r h o m e s i s c l e a n ,

t h a t t h e s c h o o l t h e i r c h i l d r e n a t t e n d w a s p r o p e r l y c o n s t r u c t e d ,

t h a t t h e d a m s u p p l y i n g w a t e r a n d r e c r e a t i o n i s n o t i n d a n g e r o f f a i l u r e , a n d t h a t t h e g r o u n d

b e n e a t h t h e i r f e e t i s s t a b l e

AEG will be hosting a Technical Conference on 26-28 February 2015 entitled ‘Time to Face the Landslide Hazard Dilemma: Bridging Science, Policy, Public Safety, and Potential Loss’ in Seattle, Washington.

This AEG Specialty Conference will bring together technical experts in landslide hazards, state geologists, public officials and regulators, insurance and realty representatives, media and researchers to discuss the next steps in communicating landslide hazards to the public. The main objective is to develop strategies for bridging the gap between science, land use and public interests so that the potential for future tragedies can be avoided or mitigated.

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infrastructure around them is safe, that the groundwater beneath their homes is clean, that the school their children attend was properly constructed, that the dam supplying water and recreation is not in danger of failure, and that the ground beneath their feet is stable.

It’s only when failure occurs that awareness is raised. And then it’s too often forgotten. Decision makers quickly move on after immediate damage control and rarely make any lasting changes to positively impact the future.

In part, this is where associations like AEG try to make a difference by going beyond just educating the public, also ensuring their collective voice is heard by the media and decision makers.

With membership located in 15 countries, to what extent is a collaborative approach pivotal to AEG’s work?

Due to AEG’s relatively small size, collaboration with others is often necessary to accomplish our goals. Also, applied geology does not recognise borders, and the rest of the world faces many of the same challenges we do. In the US, housing the large majority of our membership and activity, there is often a tendency to focus on local issues, isolating ourselves from the international community. As I’ve recently been reminded after attending the 2014 International Association of Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG) Congress in Italy, the rest of the world is making exciting progress in applied geology and there are lessons to be learned on all sides. Additionally, our journal routinely publishes research papers from around the world.

AEG regularly works with organisations like the Canadian Geotechnical Society and IAEG, and we have an active South African Section. Additionally, IAEG has just selected AEG Past President, Scott Burns, to be its fi rst President from the US. AEG will be hosting the next IAEG Congress in 2018 in San Francisco, so I fully expect our international collaboration to grow with time.

How does the Association seek to develop professional responsibility and what is the importance of this?

AEG strongly advocates for public licensure of geologists, similar to the registration for engineers. We feel this is the best way to achieve high ethical standards for the profession and protect the public and society. Currently, about 31 states offer some level of professional registration and licensure for geologists, so there is clearly work to do in the remaining 19. Unfortunately, there are persistent threats to professional licensure for geologists from various groups, requiring constant vigilance to protect the public through a strong applied geology profession that is directly accountable to the public.

Additionally, ethics, or ‘geoethics’ is a topic that is rapidly gaining awareness. AEG has long advocated for strong ethical standards in applied geology and is actively engaged in the conversations about geoethics and efforts of related societies to develop statements on ethics.

T o l e a r n m o r e a b o u t A E G , v i s i t h t t p : / / w w w . a e g w e b . o r g / . J o i n l o c a l / r e g i o n a l

m e e t i n g s a n d n a t i o n a l c o n f e r e n c e s a n d t a k e f u l l a d v a n t a g e o f a l l A E G o f f e r s b y

b e c o m i n g a m e m b e r .

In late 2015, AEG will be hosting its Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 19-26 September: ‘Conference at the Confluence’.

This will feature outstanding field trips, symposia, technical sessions and short courses, showcasing the latest advances in applied geology. “AEG’s Annual Meetings are great experiences for professionals and students at all levels,” enthuses Fergason.

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