CPP Alumnus Appointed State Geologist
Alumnus Jeremy Lancaster (’00, geological sciences) was appointed to the top post of State Geologist for the California Geological Survey (CGS) with the Department of Conservation.
The CGS is focused on providing scientific products and services relative to the state's geology, seismology, and minerals that affect the health, safety, and business interests of the people of California. It also partners with local government and stakeholders, as well as the California Office of Emergency Services, to advance planning and preparedness for natural and human-caused hazards. – from the Department of Conservation press release
Geological Sciences Department Chair Jonathan Nourse said, “Jeremy was well liked by fellow students and professors. He shined as a student by stepping up to help out in the field as well as the classroom. He aimed to do well, and we’re very proud he reached that goal.”
Q & A WITH STATE GEOLOGIST JEREMY LANCASTER
1. Tell me about your time here at CPP. What was it like?
My time at Cal Poly Pomona was very enjoyable. I started as an environmental engineering major, potentially doing geology as a minor. When I started doing geology, I just loved it. It resonated. Part of it was the accessibility of instructors, before and after class, being able to have discussions about engineering geology.
Dr. Larry Herbert, who is recently deceased, was a hard charger. He pushed people. I appreciate that there were high expectations. The learn-by-doing resonated with me. We spent time in the field looking at rocks, looking at faults, looking at landslides. Every 2-3 weeks I was out in the field.
I did a senior field study through South Dakota School of Mines and the University of East Illinois. Most students in that field camp were from the Midwest and we had a massive leg up in terms of field identification. We ran circles around their top students because we had been in the field so many times looking at minerals, rocks and the geologic framework of the earth.
2. How did you become interested in geology?
For part of my childhood I lived by Joshua Tree and spent a lot of time entering mines doing archeological investigations and looking for minerals like gold, copper, and pyrite with an adventurous dad. It’s probably why geology resonated with me. It felt like home.
3. How did your education at CPP prepare you for work?
There were three or four courses and the professors who taught them that were foundational to me.
Jon Nourse taught geotectonics from the macro scale of earth’s plates/structure, crustal plates and how they interact with the mantle and move, down to the micro scale at fault level, with earthquakes. It was the teaching in that course that translated into a strong interest in geohazards.
I took geomorphology with Larry Herbert. It had a lot to do with landslides. I did a Senior thesis on landslides in Chino Hills and mapped 60 square miles of landslides. That thesis was a springboard for my career. I’ve worked 24 years in my career and 80% was in landslides.
Also with Jon Nourse, I took geotechnology which is also hazard focused and it exposed me to things like when building a dam, how to look for landslides and faults that might impact a dam, and how water destabilizes hillslopes and retaining walls.
4. Did you have mentors at CPP?
Both Jon Nourse and Larry Herbert were mentors to me. Larry was a great mentor. He put a lot in front of me. He was always encouraging me to learn. He led me to discover how much I could learn on my own. He’d say, “I need you to do these things, but there are these other things, why don’t you think about them too.” He was a very positive gentleman.
Jon Nourse is someone who really enjoys the geosciences and was always willing to explain something or talk about geology. The thing I really appreciate about him is he can take a very complex subject and break it down into very basic understandable language. Over the years I’ve had to learn to communicate to non-scientists and Jon was a great model in this respect.
5. Are there any trends in geology that current students should focus on?
There are a lot of trends toward more computational analysis in the geosciences. Those are important but field truthing the work is just as important. Don’t lose sight of it. You might have the greatest model on earth but if you don’t know how to collect the basic data that goes into the model, and the errors associated with the data, or how to test the model with field truthing, you’re really missing an important factor that will add to the accuracy and credibility of your work. Advanced tools are amazing but you still need to get out and look at the ground, look at the rocks, see if your model makes sense.
6. What advice would you give college students in terms of preparing for their career?
Stay curious and keep learning. Keep your head down and work hard. Don’t worry about making mistakes – learn from them. Always look at a situation, no matter how painful, that you’re going to learn from it and it will make you better. At the end of our careers, we’re an expression of everything we’ve experienced. The more challenges you’ve had, the stronger it makes you. Hardship and mistakes make you sharper. Don’t be daunted, always move forward.