Contact
AEG SacramentoSacramento Association of Engineering and Environmental Geologists
916-464-4636
aegsacto@gmail.com
AEG October 2021 Meeting (In Person!)
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AEG Update from the Executive Council; efforts to advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and a bit about an NOA & metals study
Sarah Kalika, PG, CAC, CDPH Lead I/A/S
National AEG Associatno Treasurer & DiabloGeo Environmental Consulting
sarah@georx.net
Abstract
As a member of AEG, Ms. Kalika has chaired several operational committees, the Annual Meeting in San Francisco, and the NOA Technical Working Group. She currently is on the Executive Council as Association Treasurer. She will give an overview of the Association-level committees, where we are with AEG’s finances post-COVID, and where you can contribute in the volunteer effort.
AEG’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) was formed in 2020 in response to an effort within AEG’s leadership and interests that surfaced following Deb Green’s Jahns Lectureship tour- where her most popular talk was title “You Don’t Look like a Geologist.” Women, people of color, LGBTQ and others often experience an alternate workplace or life experience that messes with our psyches. Many of us have experienced the feeling that despite your education and knowledge- you don’t belong or you’re playing a part that isn’t actually deserved. Workplace micro-aggressions and inappropriate behavior continue to exist and often there is not a clear path established by a company or university to lodge a complaint and prevent this behavior from happening in the future. This presentation will summarize a few real-life stories from professional workplaces in an effort to share knowledge of things that still happen that weigh all of us down. We’ll also talk a bit about unconscious bias – we all have it, but must learn to recognize when we’re making choices based on bias using our “fast brain” or when we should take a few minutes to analyze using our “slow brain.” When we listen to learn, we gather information that helps us feel empathy and make conscious choices. Understanding that not everyone comes from the same backgrounds and being willing to learn, include, and support - not marginalize, dismiss, and cancel - can create change that benefits all of us.
So this presentation includes some technical elements, Ms. Kalika will briefly discuss an NOA and metals data research project that she is currently preparing to publish. This paper identifies elevated concentrations of chromium and nickel and their links to chrysotile asbestos concentrations, particularly within serpentinite outcrops.
Speaker Bio
Sarah Kalika has approximately 20 years of experience as a geologist in the environmental consulting industry and a Bachelor of Science in Geological Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has performed primarily environmental geoscience investigations during her career including Phase I & II property transactions, asbestos and lead surveys for renovations and demolitions, abatement oversight, geologic mapping and sampling for the presence of naturally occurring asbestos, asbestos dust mitigation plan preparation, area air monitoring for asbestos, construction storm water pollution prevention plan preparations and inspections, and health and safety plan preparation. She has successfully managed the investigation, regulatory agency interaction, documentation, and cleanup of many complex, high profile, and confidential development projects, including schools, agricultural redevelopment, commercial and residential properties, highways, and rail corridors.
As a California Certified Asbestos Consultant and Professional Geologist, Ms. Kalika has a unique combination of expertise with applying regulations originally written for asbestos in building materials to construction projects that impact asbestos occurring naturally within rock and soil. Ms. Kalika is skilled in navigating the often-complicated assortment of regulations that apply to asbestos and asbestiform minerals and provides awareness training sessions for workers who will interact with asbestos-containing soil or rock on jobsites.
As a member of the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists, she has served as chair of several operational committees as well as the Naturally Occurring Asbestos Technical Working Group, and co-chaired the Annual Meeting in San Francisco. She is currently on the Executive Council as Association Treasurer.
Ms. Kalika is a frequent public speaker and gives presentations for consulting companies, school districts, commercial property managers, and members of the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists.
