Geoscience: A varied and interesting profession

The Northwest Territories and the Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (NAPEG) is a proud supporter of the Mining Your Business electronic newsletter and the North of 60 Mining & Exploration Review.

NAPEG is the regulator of professional engineers and geoscientists in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Most people have an idea of what an engineer does and an understanding that there are distinct types of engineers; although many laypeople are only familiar with the specializations of civil, mechanical, chemical, and electrical engineering.

In this article we will focus on the profession of geoscience and the three main distinct post-secondary education streams of geoscience: Geology, Environmental Geoscience, and Geophysics. The geosciences are also known as the earth science.

The educational requirements of geoscience are typically attained by the completion of a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree or equivalent at a recognized Canadian university. Many professional geoscientists practicing in Canada were educated at foreign universities offering equivalent programs to Canadian universities. Like engineers, NAPEG requires four years of professional experience, the ability to demonstrate proficiency in professional competencies, and successfully passing the National Professional Practice Examination prior to licensure as a professional geoscientist (P.Geo.).

There are many different practice areas of geoscience. The Geoscientists Canada website has the following to say:

“Our Earth has been around for more than four billion years so there’s a lot of information to work with. Some geoscientists work in a traditional broad area of Earth science like geology, geophysics, geochemistry, and environmental geoscience. Others practice geoscience in one of many specialized areas, such as volcanology (volcanoes), paleontology (fossils) or geochronology (age-dating rocks); or they work in a new emerging discipline such as medical or forensic geology. What’s important to remember is that there are many distinct types of geoscientists and different forms of geoscience practice.”

– http://geoscientistscanada.ca/profession.php

Professional geoscientists work in many fields such as the resource extraction industry in mineral exploration and mining, oil and gas, utilities, as scientists, advisors, analysts for governments and consulting firms. They may also provide these services for banks and investment firms.

Because of the importance of this work to the economy and our environment, a P.Geo. adheres to rigorous ethical standards and always exercises a duty of care in their professional practice. Ongoing professional development is mandatory to maintain their NAPEG registration.

What else is NAPEG involved in?

In addition to our regulatory role, NAPEG supports the NAPEG Education Foundation, which is a registered charity that carries on outreach and educational activities and offers scholarships and awards to qualified northern students pursuing post-secondary studies in engineering and geoscience. Information on how to donate to the foundation, as well as scholarship opportunities can be found on our website at www.napeg.nt.ca/about-us/education-foundation.

Questions? Visit our website at www.napeg.nt.ca, or contact us at napeg@napeg.nt.ca.

NAPEG’S miSSioN & viSioN

In the public interest, NAPEG regulates and supports the professional practice of engineering and geoscience in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Our vision is to be a trusted authority contributing to a better future for our north. 7