Welcome to my website! My name is John, I am a Professional Geologist licensed through the National Association of State Boards of Geology. I recently graduated from the University of Maryland with an M.S. in Geology. I was advised by Dr. Karen Prestegaard and my research was funded by the National Science Foundation Urban Critical Zone Network. I studied the geomorphologic and land-use characteristics of urban watersheds, and how those attributes influence their hydrologic response.

I am currently a student hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, based out of the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Regional Water Science Center. I have been primarily working on PFAS studies for the Department of Defense, but will be branching out into a greater variety of hydrologic studies in the near future. Long term, I would like to continue my career in roles where I get to interpret and communicate science. I am fascinated by the world around us and how humans interact with and affect that natural world. My interests tend toward surficial processes, geomorphology, hydrology, mapping, things I can see and reach out and touch. Making a positive difference in the world is a strong motivation for me and my career choice.

I worked in the environmental consulting field before graduate school, starting in 2016 as a staff geologist with APTIM in Central Florida. I continued working with them until I moved to Maryland for graduate school in August 2022. My primary focus was on environmental site assessments (Phase Is & IIs), monitoring, and underground storage tank removals, but I branched out into many different areas as well to satisfy client needs. Examples of some of the work I’ve done are under the “Work Projects” tab. While I enjoyed my time in that role, I realized I’d like to further my education and become involved in more interpretive and research-focused projects. I’d like to be a part of researching and finding solutions for the big picture issues, addressing the causes of problems, not just treating the symptoms.

I graduated in 2016 with a B.S. in Geology from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. I learned so much from the excellent program there, surrounded by incredible geological phenomena with the Rocky Mountains and foothills right in our backyard. I attended field camp in Northern New Mexico and Silverton, Colorado, and seized on every opportunity for research and field experience while I was in school. On the research front, I worked the closest with Dr. Nick Sutfin, who is currently a researcher with the USGS in Tacoma, Washington. I was also given the opportunity to be a lab instructor/teaching assistant for Introductory Geology labs and lectures. I had a great time teaching and helping students.

I was on an Army ROTC scholarship while I was at CSU, and I commissioned as an officer in the Army Reserve upon graduating. While in the Army ROTC program I gained leadership skills through rigorous experience and learned how to perform and lead in stressful situations. I also got to go to the African island nation of Cape Verde as part of a State Department program, where I taught English to their soldiers and strengthened our relationship with their military.

I served as an Environmental Science Officer in the Army Reserve from 2017-2025. In that role I managed a preventive medicine section, conducting water quality, insect, rodent, hygiene, disease, and industrial hygiene surveys for units and facilities.

I love to learn about and explore the local geology and add to my rock collection wherever I travel in the state and on vacations. While I miss Florida’s unique karst landscapes and coastlines, I am very glad to be here in Maryland along the Fall Zone, right on the edge of the Piedmont and close to the Appalachians.