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Beth McLarty Halfkenny

Technician, Curator and Outreach Coordinator, Earth Sciences

What is your current job title, and what do you do? Where do you spend most of your workday?

Technician, Curator and Outreach Coordinator for the Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. I am also a member of the Canadian Geoscience Education Network (CGEN), the Ottawa Gatineau Geoheritage Project, and the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences.

I manage collections used by professors and instructors to teach geological concepts in our undergraduate and graduate student programs. Collections include rocks, fossils, minerals, thin sections, maps, microscopes, field equipment, images and more. I create displays for the department and for public events. I also visit elementary and secondary school classrooms, support their teachers with resources and professional development workshops, and create public events like Geoheritage Day, where we host geosites around our city, speaking to visitors about the visible geology.

I work at a university. Mostly I work in an office and various spaces on campus, but sometimes I have opportunities to travel with students, or work with groups across Canada for teacher education programs, informal education workshops, and geological meetings.

What education, training and past work experience do you have?

I have an Honour’s degree in Geology from the University of Western Ontario. I spent two summers mapping geology in northern Ontario for the Ontario Geological Survey, worked as a geochemical laboratory research assistant at Western, a geological technician at Acadian University, a teaching assistant in the Sooke School Board in BC, and currently work as Technician, Curator and Outreach Coordinator at Carleton’s Earth Sciences Department. All of these jobs together allowed me to see the field of geology from many different perspectives, and provided the experience and training required to work as an informal educator serving youth, teachers and the public.

What’s great about being an Earth Scientist?

I enjoy spending time surrounded by nature, learning about the Earth and how it works, puzzling out how the landscapes we see might have been formed, and sharing this knowledge with other people. Being an informal geoscience educator allows me to help people connect more deeply with our planet, to train people who will help communities make decisions like how to manage and maintain clean drinking water, or how to manage risks from natural hazards or decide how to responsibly extract the materials they need without damaging the environment and ecosystems. I find it incredibly rewarding to help folks understand big, interconnected Earth systems. This knowledge can help us to live more softly on the Earth and ensure everyone has access to the resources they need. Opportunities to travel, to see so many different landscapes are big bonuses for me. Connecting, sharing, and collaborating with other geoscientists allows me to continue learning and building my skills and knowledge!

What is your most memorable moment/event/place/person related to your experience as an Earth Scientist?

I had a chance to visit Iceland, to see the only place on Earth where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (where two tectonic plates are moving apart) comes to the surface so we can see it and touch it. I was awed by the landscape and can’t wait to go back. I also had the opportunity to visit an active volcano in New Zealand, the day after it had erupted ash onto the surface. Seeing for myself the processes and geological features we teach about in class is so inspiring. Being able to go, see, touch, and experience the Earth is a wonderful perk of my job.

What advice would you give someone who is interested in an Earth Science career?

The great thing about studying the Earth is that the knowledge and investigative skills you develop can be used in so many different ways and within many different jobs. Understanding the Earth and how it works is valuable insight for any career choice, for participating in society. I encourage you to do some research and find a place or program where people are working on something that sparks your interest, keep your eyes open for opportunities to learn new things, and find people who are willing to mentor you. Build on your own interests and abilities, whether you love to tinker with machinery, play with numbers or computer programs, work outdoors, or love to travel – studying the Earth can take you literally anywhere.

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