Ted Uecker (MS Geology, 2017)

Since graduating in 2017, I have been working at the Washington State Department of Ecology's Eastern Regional Office in Spokane, WA. I am a hydrogeologist in the Toxics Cleanup Program, where I provide technical assistance and regulatory oversight to independent cleanup projects ranging from petroleum and solvent spills from underground storage tanks to historic lead-arsenic pesticide contamination on former orchard lands. I really enjoy public service, it is very rewarding to help people navigate the cleanup process and put contaminated sites back into beneficial use.

I have also served as an adjunct professor in the Geology Department at Eastern Washington University, where I have taught hydrogeology during winter quarter 2019 and 2020. It has been very challenging, but I think it important to pay forward all of the great mentoring and instruction I received as a student, and it's also an excellent way to stay current in the field.

My time at Central allowed me to cultivate many skills that I use in both roles, such as critically reviewing scientific literature, managing large environmental data sets, and communicating technical concepts to a general audience. I am very thankful for all of the faculty and staff at CWU Geology that helped me along the way.