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SALT LAKE CITY — An adjunct professor at the University of Utah is a vote away from leading a major department within the United States Department of the Interior.
The White House, on March 8, announced that it would nominate David Applegate, an adjunct professor of geology and geophysics at the U., as the director of the U.S. Geological Survey. The agency, which was created in 1879, oversees the country's natural resources and hazards.
In a statement following the announcement, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said that the U.S. Geological Survey is "essential" in helping the scientific component of the Department of the Interior's work, which is why she believes Applegate's nomination is important.
"For nearly two decades, David has helped advance the federal government's scientific understanding of climate change and America's geological features," she stated. "As the confirmed director, I am confident he will continue to empower the agency's scientific and technical experts to use the best available science to help address the most pressing challenges of our time."
Applegate began working at the U. in the early 2000s, university officials wrote in a news release Tuesday. He's also the associate director for the U.S. Geological Survey's Natural Hazard division, first joining the federal agency in 2004 as a science adviser for Earthquake and Geologic Hazards. Prior to that, he worked at the nonprofit American Geological Institute for nearly a decade after degrees at Yale and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Department of the Interior points out that the U.S. Geological Survey has a wide-ranging role regarding natural resources. The agency maps water, land and biological science elements across the country, and handles ecosystem science, land use, energy and mineral resources, natural hazards, water use and availability research.
Applegate's appointment is pending a vote from the U.S. Senate before it is official.
