I started out at university in a degree in environmental science, majoring in environmental chemistry. Throughout most of my undergrad I thought I would head into a career in agriculture, but my path changed in my fourth year. I took a job in the soils lab and at that time my professor was working on the Sudbury Area Risk Assessment (SARA) soils study. That sparked my interest and curiosity in looking at mining related impacts on soils. I moved back to Sudbury to complete my Master’s at Laurentian University (M.Sc.), and applied my knowledge in a consulting role after I graduated. The more I worked on projects related to the mining industry, the more I could see the potential to apply what I had studied to improving environmental management at mine sites, thus reducing the environment footprint. After 4 years of professional work experience and meeting the criteria, I successfully became a registered Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.).
The environmental aspects of mining is still a relatively “young” field of study, and as an industry we are still learning and exploring ways to improve how we do things. I like being able to see the impact my job has on the remediation of existing mines and working to improve the environmental impact of new mines. Every day is different and being able to work on different types of project with experts in the industry, in different parts of the world keeps me engaged and constantly learning. As the mining industry evolves and advances, I have had the opportunity to work with universities on applied research related to the environmental impact of mines. I love that my role has been able to evolve and adapt along with this dynamic and innovative industry.
There is a great balance in the mining industry of the new and the familiar. You are able to learn skills that apply fairly consistently to a wide range of mining projects, but the industry also gives you a chance to tackle different challenges because in the end, no two projects are alike! It takes many disciplines coming together as a team to work in mining, and you learn more about your own discipline by working with others on how everything fits together.