Augustine Lodise (he/they) is an early-career geologist with a Bachelor’s degree in Geology from Pitzer College. His undergraduate research investigated the paleoecology of a fossil site in Nevada using sed/strat, zircon geochronology, vertebrate paleontology, soil science, and the statistical analysis of multivariate geochemical datasets. After graduating, they worked abroad in Central Asia, first conducting paleoecological field research in Kyrgyzstan and then working at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan on a copper ore geochemistry project. Augustine currently works as a Geosciences Specialist for the Michigan Geological Survey to map the state’s aggregate resources for further protection and management.