Student Spotlight with Dominick Antolino

Dominick Antolino is an FAU alumna who graduated in Summer 2008 with his B.S. in Geology and Fall 2011 with his M.S. in Geology. Antolino has worked with the U.S. Geological Survey at the South Atlantic Water Science Center in Raleigh, North Carolina for the last eight years.

What are some of your core responsibilities?

I am a groundwater hydrologist, specializing in using environmental tracers and borehole and surface geophysics to help characterize hydrogeologic frameworks and groundwater-surface water interactions. I really enjoy my position at the USGS as it allows me a good split of fieldwork and research writing for a variety of hydrologic projects.

How did FAU help prepare you for this role?

The undergraduate program gave me a solid foundation of geologic understanding. My graduate work helped refine my specialization in hydrogeology and linked me with an internship and thesis project at the USGS in Ft. Lauderdale.

What did you enjoy about your experience at FAU?

I enjoyed the Geoscience faculty and students most. It was a small group, which provided good friendships and allowed professional networking relationships to develop.

What research did you perform while at FAU? And how did the faculty help you through your thesis or dissertation?

While working on a large groundwater project with the USGS (which I used for my thesis work), having Dr. Tara Root as an advisor to help navigate the research questions was invaluable.

What tips would you give to current students in the College of Science looking to pursue a career in your field?

Take internships or short volunteer opportunities to get a feel for what real-world work in the field looks like as soon as you can. This will help bring clarity on what things are most important to you and areas where you may need to focus in your studies. Do an independent study with a department faculty member in their area of expertise, it will expand your research perspective.