SEG Student Chapter Earth Day Symposium

Symposium Moderators

Valeria S. Nogales

Cornell University

Valeria is a geological engineer pursuing a Master of Science in Geological Sciences at Cornell University, with previous degrees in Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services Policies, and Geological Engineering. She has worked as a Geoscientist and Technical Professional at Halliburton. Currently, she is working on the "CUBO" project, which involves exploring deep geothermal energy resources in New York State and its possible relationship with mineral deposits. She is also an active member of professional associations such as the Society of Economic Geologists and American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

Shouchun Yu

Cornell University

Shouchun is a geologist who completed his undergraduate studies at Colorado School of Mines, where he earned a major in geological engineering and a minor in Mining Engineering. He then pursued an M.Sc. degree at Cornell University, where he is currently working on the exploration of graphite deposits in the Adirondacks lowlands. Shouchun is an active member of SEG.

Keynote Speaker

Stuart Simmons

University of Utah

Stuart is SEG President for 2023. He is a consulting geologist and a research professor at the University of Utah, and he is primarily known for his work on epithermal Au-Ag mineral deposits and geothermal resources. His work is directed at understanding the geological, hydrological, and geochemical controls on hydrothermal fluid flow, precious metal mineralization and heat transfer. Stuart has an M.Sc. and Ph.D in Economic Geology (University of Minnesota), and he spent much of his professional career in New Zealand, at the Geothermal Institute, University of Auckland (1987-2008). From 2011 to 2013, he was a Research Professor at Colorado School of Mines, and prior to that he worked as a consultant to the minerals and geothermal industries. He has worked around the Pacific rim, with recent experience in New Zealand, Chile, and the western United States.

Panel Moderator

Karin E. Olson Hoal

Cornell University

Karin is the Wold Family Professor in Environmental Balance for Human Sustainability at Cornell University. She has degrees from St Lawrence University, McGill University, and the University of Massachusetts and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Cape Town. Her early research in diamonds, anorthosites and metasomatism of the Proterozoic mantle led to work in the minerals industry and subsequent roles developing the fields of quantitative mineralogy and geomet – understanding the nature of geologic and mineral variability for more effective mineral operations. Before coming to Cornell, Karin was Director of the Advanced Mineralogy Research Center at Colorado School of Mines, developing new applications in quantitative mineralogy for minerals, energy, environmental and planetary science. She is a consultant in geomet and has worked and lectured in Southern Africa, Australia and the Americas. Karin is a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists.

Panelists

Alan Butcher

Geological Survey of Finland

Alan is both a generalist and a specialist geologist, with a keen interest in rocks of commercial importance. He is currently leading research at the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) into the geology, geometallurgy and new uses of minerals for the modern world, using a novel multi-scale, multi-modal, multi-dimensional, and multi-skilled approach. Alan has been making maps of rocks, minerals, and ores at various scales for more than 40 years, but he is now experimenting with the 3D printing of rocks, using a new mineral-based geomaterials approach for an improved Circular Economy of Raw Materials. He is also involved in the characterization and efficient processing of newly discovered battery mineral deposits in Finland, as part of the Nation's drive to attain carbon neutrality by 2035.

Irene del Real Contreras

Universidad Austral de Chile

Irene is a geologist, researcher, and educator with a focus on understanding the formation of mineral deposits. She holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University and is an assistant professor at the Universidad Austral de Chile's Institute of Earth Sciences and Evolution. Her work methodology is multi-disciplinary and includes geological mapping, structural studies, geochemistry, and paragenetical characterization of mineral deposits. Irene has extensive global fieldwork experience in isolated areas and mine camps, where she has honed her skills in field geology, structural geology, and isotope geochemistry.

Gema R. Olivo

Queen's University

Gema has been working since 1999 at Queen's University, after completion of her post-doctoral research at McGill University, Canada, and working as exploration geologists for major and junior companies. She received her B.Sc. in Geology and M.Sc. in Mineral Exploration from Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, and Ph.D. from Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada. She has more than 30 years of experience working in academic research on mineral deposits and on mineral exploration projects in Brazil, Chile, Peru, Mexico, USA and Canada among others. Her research goals are mainly to understand the mechanisms by which metals are stored, have migrated and have been concentrated in anomalous amounts in the upper crust to form mineral deposits. These objectives are achieved by applying a multidisciplinary approach, and the applications of the knowledge generated by this research program are aimed at helping to improve exploration strategies and minimize the costs of mineral exploration.

Nicholas Mitchell

Regeneration Enterprises

Nicholas is a Program Manager and Policy Analyst for Regeneration Enterprises. He started his work as a Research and Policy Fellow working with the Sustainable Resources team. He forwarded the implementation of the Climate Smart Mine Emissions Widget and conducted policy research on energy transition minerals, re-mining, and environmental restoration. Prior to working with RESOLVE, Nicholas developed expertise in renewable energy project planning, strategic market analysis, global climate change policy, deep sea mining, and geochemistry through his education and previous work. He recently completed a Master's of Science degree in Geological Sciences at Cornell University.