Meet Mary Louise Hill, Professor of Geology at Lakehead University
Mary Louise Hill is well known at PDAC for her work as a geologist and long ties to the organization. She found her very first job in mineral exploration coming to PDAC as an undergraduate student looking for a summer job! Now Mary Louise serves on the Board of Directors and sits on the executive, human resource development and membership committees. And that’s just her volunteering efforts, we haven’t even reached her day job yet!
Today you can find Mary Louise teaching young scientists geology at Lakehead University. Having had to overcome many obstacles as a woman in her career, she has fortunately seen progress through an increased representation of women in both her undergraduate and graduate classes. By describing her work in the mineral exploration industry as a treasure hunt for grownups, Mary Louise encourages her students to find new techniques and places to explore in their line of work.
When she is not teaching, Mary Louise is an accomplished field geologist with more than 40 years experience gained in the Canadian Shield, U.S. Appalachians, Canadian Cordillera and Canadian Arctic. She earned an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Geology at Carleton University in 1978 and a Ph.D. in Geology at Princeton in 1985. Her current research on structural control of mineral deposits involves collaboration with the mineral exploration and mining sector, and has resulted in important new discoveries, enhanced delineation of economic mineralization and helped mitigate geological risk.
We caught up with Mary Louise as part of Women’s History Month to ask her what it is like being a woman in a male dominated industry, and some of the changes she has witnessed throughout her career.