environmental consulting: a candid testimony of mistakes...
TRANSCRIPT
Environmental Consulting: a candid
testimony of mistakes, successes,
and lessons learned
Charles ParadisStudent Alumni Career Forum
Earth and Planetary Science
UC Berkeley
January 25, 2011
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Introduction
Charlie Paradis
• 2007 BA Geology, UCB
• 2007-Current Associate Geologist, Boston,
Walnut CreekWalnut Creek
• 2010-Current MS Candidate, Hydrology UCD
• Audience?
2
Preview
• Where are they now?
• What is environmental consulting?
• What is field work like?
• What is office work like?• What is office work like?
• How does professional development work?
• What classes are most applicable?
• 10 tips
3
Approach
• Personal testimony
• Candid
• Lessons learned
• Serve as a resource• Serve as a resource
4
Where are they now?
• 5 Environmental Consulting– 3 geologists, 1 geophysicist, 1 atmospheric
• 3 Graduate School– 2 geologists PhD
– 1 geologist MS– 1 geologist MS
• 1 Research– geologist
• 1 Education– geologist
• Boston, DC, Texas, SD, LA, Oakland, Walnut Creek
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What is environmental consulting?
General Case
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What is environmental consulting?
Two Case Studies
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• Former
Refinery
• HexChrom
• Arsenic
• NAPL
• Premium
Retail
Location
• Investigate
and
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and
Remediate
• Delineate
• Excavate
• Pump &
Treat
• Barrier Wall
• 90% Field
work
• 10 month
stint
• Success:
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• Success:
Bonus
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• Rewarding
• Cleaned Up
• Create Jobs
• Former MGP
• Coal Tar?
• Sulfur?
• Ammonia?
• Site Characterization
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• 2 months
• Night work
• China Town
• No traffic
• Light pole
incident and
good notes
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What is field work like?
• Safety First
• Communication: sub-contractors, site reps, peers, 3rd
parties
• Sampling: soil, water, air, soil gas, surface water, sediments
• Equipment (Mechanical & Technical): hand augers, • Equipment (Mechanical & Technical): hand augers, pumps, compressors, bailers, jars, bottles, air monitoring, x-ray defractor, GPS, borehole camera
• Environment: cold, hot, rain, snow, wind, noisy, stinky, dirty, physical
• Quick and Accurate Decisions: pop quiz from hell story
• Field Notes: legible, defensible, accurate, quick
• Slide Show: Bayonne19
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What is office work like?
• Communication: emails, boss, drafters, admin, technical, IT
• Writing: work plans, field summary, health and safety regional and local geology
• Technical: master excel, graphs, charts, boring logs, tables, calculations, budgets
• Management: sub-contractors, field techs, budgets, • Management: sub-contractors, field techs, budgets, deadlines
• Cube life: miserable
• Dress: slacks and button down shirt, need a tie at some offices
• Conduct: very professional, clients may be around
• Slide show: Office Space
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How does professional development
work?
• Experience
• Tracks: Managerial vs. Technical
• PG, PHG, PEG, PE, LSP etc
• Short Courses• Short Courses
• Graduate School
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Graduate School
• Not necessary for managerial track
• Necessary for technical track
– Masters preferred: practical
– PhD okay: theoretical
• Funding• Funding
– Most PhD programs in science are funded
– Less funding for MS
• Prepare now
– Calc III
– Diff Eq.
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What classes are most applicable?
• EPS 101 Field Geology and Digital Mapping
• EPS 118 Advanced Field Course
• Technical Writing
• CEE 173 Groundwater and Seepage• CEE 173 Groundwater and Seepage
• CEE 116 Environmental Aqueous Geochemistry
• Surface/Soil Stratigraphy
• Soil Mechanics
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10 Tips
1. Safety first
2. Work under a licensed PG/PEG/PHG
3. Keep proper field notes
4. Buy a good pair of field boots
5. Take Calc III and Diff Eq. during undergrad5. Take Calc III and Diff Eq. during undergrad
6. Understand overtime policy
7. Understand field work to office work ratio
8. Improve your public speaking
9. Improve your writing skills
10. Bulk up on cube flare
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