Where are they now?

Graduates of the geology program at Lakehead University have gone on to a wide range of careers in the geological sciences. This page provides a list of some of those success stories. If you are a graduate from the Geology program and would like to have your name included here please contact Dr Pete Hollings.

Featured alumni

Allan Schappert (inset shows Allan on top of a mountain in Irain Jaya near the Grasberg Mine)

Allan graduated from Lakehead University with a BSc. Geology in May 1979. After a couple of years of geophysical exploration across northern Canada, he signed on as a section geologist at Denison Mines in Elliot Lake, Ontario. After 8 years there it was time to move on and he and his wife chose to be adventurous and he accepted a position as Project Geologist at PT. Freeport at their Ertzberg complex in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. He was there through the discovery and early development of the now well known Grasberg Mine. He left Freeport after 8 years of which the last few were as Chief Geologist Underground Mines.

In 1996 he moved with his family to the United States, where he has worked for a number of operating mines and international consulting firms. He is presently employed as a Project Specialist at Stantec Consulting in their mining group.

Graduates of the Geology program

John Biczok	John graduated from the program in 1976. He has worked extensively in the mining and exploration industry, including running an exploration program in India. He is currently a Senior Geologist at the Musselwhite mine in Northern Ontario
Andre Dunford	Andre graduated in 2003 and since then has worked as the Crew Geologist for the Mars Society's Desert Research Station in 2005-2006. In 2006 Andre released a dcumentary entitled CREW 44 which told the story of eight young scientists and engineers training and conducting scientific research at the Mars Desert Research Station during the winter of 2006
Dan Ferraro	Dan graduated from the undergraduate program in 2008 and is currently working as a Project Geologist for Pacific Northwest Capital Corp. Dan studied the structure and metamorphism of Kooyak Island, Nunavut, for his Honours thesis
Geoff Heggie	Geoff graduated from the MSc program in 2005 having studied the PGE mineralisation in the Seagull intrusion. Geoff is currently working on his PhD at the University of Western Australia.
Justin Johnson	Justin graduated from the undergraduate program in 2001 and then went on to do an MSc on the mineralisation of the Norton Lake region, which he completed in 2005. Justin is currently working as a project geologist for Magma Metals in Thunder Bay.
Ben Kowalczyk	Ben graduated from the undergraduate program in 2007 having completed an Honours thesis on the Moose Lake porphyry at the Hemlo mine. Ben went on to work at Hemlo as a mine geologist and has just returned to Lakehead to start his MSc.
Chris Lane	Chris did his Honours thesis on the Rabbit Island breccia. He graduated from the undergraduate program in 2005 and after a stint working as a Junior Mine Geologist at North American Palladium's Lac des Illes mine move out west to work at a coal mine
Al MacTavish	Al completed his MSc on the PGE mineralisation of the Quetico intrusions in 1992. Since then Al has worked extensively in the exploration industry and is currently Chief Geologist for Magma Metals in Thunder Bay.
Cam McCuaig	Cam graduated from the undergraduate program in 1988 having completed an Honours thesis on the Deadhorse Creek diatreme. He completed a PhD at the University of Saskatchewan and then joined SRK Consulting in 1996. In 9 years with SRK Cam served as a Principle Consultant, Chairman of the Principal’s Group (strategy group for SRK Australasia), and as a Director of the company. Cam is currently the Director of the Centre for Exploration Targeting at the University of Western Australia.
Jack Parker	Jack graduated from the undergraduate program in 1980. Jack is currently a Senior Manager with the Precambrian Geoscience section of the Ontario Geological Survey, part of the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines.
Pier Pufahl	Pier completed his undergraduate degree at Lakehead in 1992 and then an MSc on the iron formations of the Gunflint Formation in 1996. He went on to do a PhD at Queen's University and is currently an Assistant Professor at Acadia University.
Mark Smyk	Mark Smyk graduated from the geology program at Lakehead in 1984 having completed an Honours thesis entitled "A comparative study of silver occurrences, Island Belt Silver region, Thunder Bay District, Ontario". Mark went on to complete an MSc at Carleton University before joining the Resident Geologist Program with the Ontario Geological Survey in 1987. Mark is currently based in Thunder Bay where he is the Regional Resident Geologist for the Thunder Bay North District.