With their degrees in hand, our alumni have launched exciting careers around the globe! What are they up to now?
“My time at SUNY Potsdam, specifically in the geology program, was without a doubt the foundation and building block of everything I have done in my career, and I would not be where I am today without it."
Geosteering and Remote Operations Lead for Halliburton Sperry Drilling
Alana Basso
Class of 2019
Northeast Zone Geologist for the USDA Forest Service, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
Career Path:
“As the Northeast Zone Geologist for the Forest Service, I contribute to the management of mineral resources in the largest National Forest in the lower 48 states. The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest spans 6.3 million acres in sections scattered across most of the state of Nevada and a portion of eastern California. My role involves the processing and administering of new and existing minerals projects and providing expertise to the Minerals and Geology program focusing primarily on locatable minerals projects, including small-scale exploration and mining operations. This includes reviewing exploration, mining, and reclamation plans, processing Plans of Operations, and calculating reclamation performance bonds. In the field, I conduct onsite inspections to evaluate and document reclamation progress on mineral exploration projects and provide oversight during operations in the field to ensure compliance with laws and regulations.
In addition to my responsibilities to the Minerals and Geology Program, I also take on supplemental roles. For the last three years, I have participated as a presenter at the Lovelock Cave Days outreach event for over 300 local area fourth graders where they are taken on a tour of the Lovelock Cave and the Marzen House Museum. This past year I presented at the fifth Grade Environmental Education Days Field trip to Lamoille Canyon where we taught students how to make observations in nature and write nature journals. I am currently training for the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team for the 2025/2026 Fire Season which addresses post-fire emergency stabilization and other post-wildfire problems in order to protect public safety and prevent further degradation of the landscape.”
Time at SUNY Potsdam:
“The Geology program at SUNY Potsdam prepared me for a career in federal service by providing rigorous and detail-oriented coursework. Courses such as Climate Change, Structural Geology, and Field Camp challenged me to think in new ways to describe what I could see in the world around me. I have applied what I learned at SUNY Potsdam every day in my role on the Forest.”
Anah Bogdan
Class of 2024
Ph.D. Student in Geology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Career Path:
“Currently, I am researching the solidification of the Lunar Magma Ocean through modeling and experimental techniques. I am also a teaching assistant for Introductory Geology labs.”
Time at SUNY Potsdam:
“Attending SUNY Potsdam expanded my knowledge of research and the importance of building strong relationships. The variety of courses, small class sizes, supportive professors, research opportunities, and the friendly community at SUNY Potsdam taught me how to prosper in graduate school.”
Dan Dunham
Class of 2013
Environmental Compliance Manager for Ag Processing Inc
Career Path:
“I am responsible for ensuring compliance with various environmental regulations associated with our soybean oil extraction, refining, and biodiesel production facilities. This generally includes permitting, reporting, and serving as the subject matter expert for air, wastewater, stormwater, hazardous waste, and radioactive materials regulations.”
Time at SUNY Potsdam:
“The well-rounded selection of courses available at SUNY Potsdam has helped prepare me in every step of my career so far. I completed an internship in the mining industry as a student, went on to do a master’s degree focused on petroleum resources, and ultimately settled on a career in the environmental sector. The basics of almost any scientific-related career include technical writing, problem-solving, and critical thinking. These are skills that I use daily that the geology department emphasized and ensured we were equipped with upon graduating.
The classes, professors, and resources available at SUNY Potsdam helped me to explore each of the various opportunities in my career so far and I have always felt as, or more prepared than my peers in every situation. Being exposed to the wide variety of geology and environmental courses at SUNY Potsdam has helped me become a better scientist. I continue to use the skills obtained at SUNY Potsdam to grow and move my career forward every day.”
Douglas Eck
Class of 2008
Mineral Resource Manager at the Phoenix Mine located near Battle Mountain, Nevada
Career Path:
“I am the geology manager at the Phoenix Mine leading a team of geoscientists. My primary function is to maximize ore body knowledge and safe extraction of resources through every phase of the mining cycle from discovery to final poured Au ounce / Cu pound (Target generation, Exploration growth and development, reserve–resource replacement, District scale geologic and resource modeling, Ore control production geology, End of Month production and model reconciliation, National Instrument 43-101 disclosure reporting).”
Time at SUNY Potsdam:
“Potsdam helped me be prepared for my career in mining through the cross-disciplined foundational core classes, engaging instructors, and field-based classes (Geo Physics, Labs, Field Geology). The hands-on field components gave me a better opportunity to succeed and prepared me well for my career. I had the opportunity to participate in a mine geology summer internship with my current employer (Barrick Gold) following my Spring 2008 semester and this gave me my first real-world glimpse of what type of career a geology degree could get me. During this internship I applied my field-based skills which gave me a competitive advantage, ultimately securing my offer for a full-time position at multiple mine sites within the organization. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of taking advantage of internships prior to completing a degree. I am forever grateful for my education and the opportunities that my start at SUNY Potsdam has provided my family and me over the years.”
Lauren Eggleston
Class of 2012
Regional Education Coordinator for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation
Career Path:
“I am an environmental educator, and trainer, and also act as the education liaison between the Thousand Islands Region and Parks Headquarters in Albany.”
Time at SUNY Potsdam:
“My professors at SUNY Potsdam encouraged me to ask questions of the world around me; how things worked, why they work the way they do. In an environmental education career, I'm still asking those questions. It's a joy to share these public spaces with others, and encourage them to ask their own questions of the world.”
Brandon Keough
Class of 2018
Ph.D. Student at Purdue University
Career Path:
“Since graduating from SUNY Potsdam, I’ve focused largely on research and teaching in the fields of sedimentary geology and tectonics. I started this path with an M.S. at Purdue University that included geologic mapping in collaboration with the USGS and the NPS in Denali National Park. Following my M.S. I spent around three years in Houston working as a production and exploration geoscientist for ExxonMobil focused on resources offshore of West Africa. In 2023 I returned to Purdue to pursue my PhD. Ongoing projects include a field study investigating the enigmatic process of subduction initiation and a project in Death Valley testing a new paleo-precipitation proxy through paleoclimate records in the Pleistocene. I continue to do exciting fieldwork during the summers, now including boat-based work along remote coastlines of the Kodiak Archipelago and the Alaska Peninsula. I also continue to focus on education including teaching the undergraduate Sedimentary Geology course at Purdue. “
Time at SUNY Potsdam:
“I remain grateful that SUNY Potsdam offered multiple programs that I was able to integrate as a student. A unique combination of skillsets from the Geology and Wilderness Education programs continues to shape my career. In the Geology department, I benefited tremendously from small class sizes and undergraduate research that included extensive mentoring from Dr. Mike Rygel and Dr. Page Quinton. The Wilderness Education program led by Adam Wheeler shaped me into a versatile leader, taught me how to approach a wide range of challenges, and equipped me with technical skills that have allowed me to push myself as a field geologist into truly exceptional territory. The education that I received at SUNY Potsdam has led me to have experiences that I could have only dreamed of as I entered college.”
Evan Smith
Class of 2012
Geosteering and Remote Operations Lead for Halliburton Sperry Drilling (in the Caribbean)
Career Path:
“The main part of my current role revolves around geosteering, or well placement, supporting ExxonMobil’s deepwater oil/gas development project in Guyana. They currently have 6 deepwater drill ships drilling various development and exploration/appraisal wells in Guyana. We support the development operation by providing ultra-deep reading electromagnetic tools to measure the conductivity/resistivity in 3D of the formations surrounding the well as it's being drilled. From these downhole measurements, we use inversion algorithms to reassemble the EM field into a model of the geology. This model, in combination with many other near wellbore formation evaluation tools such as gamma ray, resistivity, bulk density, neutron porosity, and others, helps us map where the best hydrocarbon bearing sands are, to place the well in the correct location and maximize oil/gas production. The secondary part of my job role, remote operations, revolves around being able to support this deepwater operation from anywhere in the world. I currently have a team of 5 including myself spread globally (TX, LA & OH in the United States; Brazil; & Spain) executing this and other operational support in near real-time.”
Time at SUNY Potsdam:
“My time at SUNY Potsdam, specifically in the geology program, was without a doubt the foundation and building block of everything I have done in my career, and I would not be where I am today without it. The first five years spent at Halliburton were in Mudlogging, where we were specifically tasked with identifying and describing the geological cuttings coming up from a well. Having a good core understanding from various classes and professors in the program to build from, set me up for success in this role. Moving into geosteering, where a much higher-level geological interpretation is needed, those fundamentals continue to be relevant.”