Zachary S. Hall (MS 96’) recently spent an afternoon with Geology undergraduates to talk about geosciences at Duke Energy. Zach is now Director of Duke Energy’s Environmental Science Division and oversees over 100 employees maintaining initiatives for clean air and water quality, coal combustion safety, compliance, habitat protection, and sustainable energy. Student’s asked about employment and internship opportunities and discovered the importance of their geoscicence education and training while at UGA. Zach completed his MS Thesis “The geology of the Barnett Shoals Quadrangle, Inner Piedmont, Georgia” with Professor Jim Whitney. When the UGA Geology department started in the 1960’s it was common for students to map USGS quadrangles for their MS Thesis. Zach Hall is the last MS student to map a quad. Today, the USGS now has the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program http://cgmp.usgs.gov, with the EDMap program for universities to train the future generation of geologic mappers. Efforts are underway amongst UGA faculty to submit grant proposals to revive this useful and longstanding tradition.
