Former Graduate Students
Kent C. Condie, Professor of Geochemistry

Graduate students that worked with me on their graduate research are now employed in a wide variety of jobs across the United States.

Dennis Lee (denny652001@yahoo.com), who graduated in 2003 with an MS geology, writes the following:
"I operate a computerized logging unit in an offshore environment for Halliburton Sperry-Sun Drilling Services in Lafayette, Louisiana, with a surprising emphasis on being a competent network administrator for Windows NT, as well as operating with the company's in-house software. I also provide clients with accurate and timely data products and daily written reports. Data include lithology, gamma and resistivity, gas composition C1 through C5, H2S, interpreted formation pore pressures, observed drilling parameters, etc. I evaluate all formations penetrated and immediately describe and report any hydrocarbon shows and monitor all aspects of rig operations and downhole conditions. I am also responsible for reporting any suspected unsafe conditions and keeping rig personnel apprised of such conditions."

Patrick Mattie (pdmatti@sandia.gov), who did his thesis with me on lower crustal xenoliths in the Navajo Volcanic field (MS, 1996), is currently a Scientist at Sandia National Laboratories, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sandia National Laboratories is a United States Department of Energy National Laboratory providing science-based technologies that support national security. Patrick works in the Nuclear Risk & Technologies Division as a scientist specializing in the assessment of geologic disposal of high-level and low-level nuclear waste. He is a key member of a group evaluating the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada and is providing technical guidance to proposed geologic disposal projects in Taiwan and Egypt.

Stephanie Bell (stephbell22@yahoo.com), who studied a Precambrian arc system in western Brazil as her Masters' research (MS, 2000), is currently working for Westinghouse TRU Solutions supporting the National TRU Waste Program in Albuquerque, NM. She provides technical support for the permitting and regulations related to the transportation of transuranic waste from U.S. DOE waste generator/storage sites to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, NM.

Bonnie Frey (bonfrey@yahoo.com), who finished her MS thesis on a possible accreted oceanic plateau in the Proterozoic of Arizona (MS, 2002), is currently working at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources on a phytoremediation project intended to clean up waste from depleted uranium testing. The project involves growing, collecting, and chemically analyzing plants from a contaminated site located on M Mountain near Socorro, NM.

Natalie Latysh (nlatysh@usgs.gov), who studied upper crustal xenoliths (Natalie's standing next to one at left) from the Four Corners volcanic field as her MS thesis (MS,1997), now works as a hydrologist for the USGS in Denver. She helps administer quality assurance projects for the National Trends Network within the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP/NTN). Her responsibilities include: writing and editing quality assurance reports for the USGS in evaluating national trends in precipitation chemistry;  formulating synthetic precipitation samples to assess laboratory and site operator performance; and evaluating variability of precipitation chemistry due to sample collection procedures.

Mark Boryta (mboryta@mtsac.edu), who completed a PhD thesis on the geochemistry of high grade Archean rocks in northern China (PhD, 1997), is now a community college instructor at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA. Mt SAC is the third largest campus of public higher education in California - larger than most UC and CSU campuses. It serves about 40,000 students each year. Mark teaches oceanography, Earth science, and environmental geology in addition to more traditional geology courses. Most of his students are taking courses for transfer credit - only a few are (or will be) geology majors. Mark says,  "this leads to one of the important things that I like about my job: introducing my students to new ways of thinking about the world around them."  For more information, check www.mtsac.edu/~mboryta.