Newswise — Looking for a career with expanding job prospects? The growing global demand for energy and the companion concern over the ecological damage caused by industrial activities makes a career in the geosciences a good investment, said Dr. Jeffery Gaffney, atmospheric chemist at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR).
In a recent article in Nature, Gaffney, chair of UALR’s Department of Chemistry, recommended students acquire a well-rounded academic background in earth science subjects beyond their own major. Bureau of Labor Statistics project a 23 percent growth in jobs for geoscientists in the coming few years over 2008 levels, and Gaffney said scientists who can “speak the language” of other disciplines will be in high demand.
The term geoscientists includes a number of scientific disciplines – geologists and geophysicists who study the composition, structure and other physical aspects of Earth, and its geological past and present and who search for and extract natural resources; environmental scientists who help to preserve and clean up the environment; atmospheric chemists like Gaffney; oceanographers, and deep-Earth mineralogists.
Students can make themselves more marketable if they can expand their knowledge of other disciplines to better communicate with future team members.
“Devising solutions to many of today's most pressing problems will require knowledge spanning several fields,” he said.
At UALR, students are encouraged to broaden their knowledge beyond disciplines of their major, with internship opportunities and research mentors outside their department.
Recent UALR graduate Brenda Gannon, a native of St. Peters, Mo., who came to UALR on a swimming scholarship, majored in mathematics, chemistry and Spanish. She worked as an intern at the Central Arkansas Water Authority and worked with Dr. Forrest Payne in UALR’s Department of Biology on some of his research projects.
“The interdisciplinary training served her well. She was accepted into the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Environmental Toxicology Ph.D. program,” Gaffney said.
Another example is Nick Rosenau, who graduated in 2008 with a double major degree in geology and chemistry. He worked with Gaffney’s research group on atmospheric chemistry and also did work with professors in the Department of Earth Science, whose programs encompass geology, paleontology, oceanography, geospatial imaging, and more.
“He learned a lot about the use of stable isotopes and their applications,” Gaffney said. “He is now pursuing graduate studies at Southern Methodist University in paleoclimates.
The Nature article said geoscience is becoming more technical, especially in certain subdisciplines such as atmospheric chemistry and climate change, where computer modeling has become a mainstay. A strong background in mathematics, particularly in statistics and in computer simulation techniques, is needed to help researchers understand everything from ocean currents to minerals deep in the Earth’s mantle.
“Many earth-science systems are very complicated,” Gaffney said in the article. “Researchers need to understand not only the mathematics of the models they're using but the basic fundamentals of the physical and chemical processes that they're trying to simulate.”
In UALR’s Department of Earth Sciences, Dr. Margaret “Beth” McMillan, associate professor of geology, works to ensure her students receive not only the necessary lessons in earth science, but learn how to apply them to everyday life. This approach ensures that McMillan’s students bring marketable skills to job interviews – no matter if their career paths include geology or not.
One focus area for her classes includes using geographic information systems (GIS) to conduct research, and she worked to institute a GIS certificate program for students and central Arkansas professionals, teaching the technology that ties information to location.
“I’ve became interested in the technology as an undergraduate and have been teaching it as long as I’ve been at UALR. We can use GIS to figure out mapping potential for flooding and landslides, tracking water and groundwater pollution, and prospecting for natural resources,” said McMillan.
Five years ago in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, she responded to a call from federal emergency officials and volunteer her GIS skills to create maps used by federal and Mississippi State Emergency Management Agencies, the National Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, and others who needed accurate information quickly.GIS technology skills tying information to location can to create models to analyze any kind of public policy issue, such as climate change or the potential costs and benefits of alternative fuels.
“It’s truly a marketable skill that gets our students jobs,” she said.
The Nature article said that despite the recent economic downturn, job prospects for geoscientists are excellent and are set to get even better, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics that suggest that in 2018 there will be some 323,000 positions for geoscientists in the U.S. – about 23 percent more than in 2008 – as Baby Boomer scientists retire, the world expands its search for natural resources, and seeks to restore and repair damage to land, air, and water.
“If you have a degree, you'd have to be dead or dead lazy to not get a job (in the field),” the article quotes Christopher Keane, director of technology and communications for the American Geological Institute.
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