MEMBER PROFILE
This month The Professional Edge chats with Ralf Maxeiner, P.Geo., a Precambrian research geologist with the Saskatchewan Geological Survey.
Tell us about your personal and professional background.
I was born and raised in Germany – or rather West Germany, as it was known at the time. After high school, I spent a year in Canada with an organization called Frontiers Foundation. Its focus was doing charitable work for First Nations. We moved around quite a bit, building houses on reserves across the country. Through that experience, I basically fell in love with the place.
What was it that appealed to you so much about Canada?
I think many Germans grow up with an idyllic view of Canada as a place of vast, unspoiled wilderness. In my case at least, my experience matched the ideal. Unfortunately I couldn’t stay. I had to return to do my compulsory military service and to take my undergrad studies in Germany.
Why did you choose to go into geoscience?
I liked rocks but I didn’t know that much about them at first. I went into the field because it matched my other interests – I liked the idea of working outside and I thought geology would be a field that would help me find a job in Canada.
My girlfriend and I finally moved here in 1990 when I started my graduate studies at the University of Regina. We got married in the fall of that year here in Regina.
What was your biggest challenge studying in Canada?
Language was a bit of a barrier but not much of one because, like most Germans, I had studied English since grade 5. Money was always tight of course being on a student budget and having arrived with only two suitcases each.
What was your first job after college?
My current one! My master’s thesis was funded in part by the Saskatchewan Geological Survey so right out of university I was able to get contract work with them that then led to a permanent job with the survey.
What do you feel was your single greatest accomplishment as an geoscientist?
A big part of my job is working with geology students every summer. Every year, three to five students come up north with us and help with mapping. The greatest satisfaction in my career has been to be able to see so many of these kids grow up, become skilled geologists in their own right and then move on to greater things.
What are your interests outside of work?
There are a few things that take up my time. We live on an acreage so home improvement is a constant part of our lives – we always seem to be working on something. I also enjoy all outdoor activities like horseback riding, hunting and fishing. I love hunting whitetail deer and have instilled that in my boys, who are 19 and 21 now. They prefer bird hunting, so they drag me along from time to time. They’ve turned the tables on me – I used to teach them about hunting but now they’re teaching me.
Are you involved in any volunteer activities?
I am heavily involved with the Saskatchewan Geological Society – not to be confused with the Geological Survey. The Geological Society is a non-profit organization of geoscientists and one of its main goals is to promote earth sciences. I’ve been president twice and been on the executive for about 10 years in the last 25. We’ve undertaken several interesting projects. One of the more prominent ones was the making of the Geological Highway Map for the province; it’s a regular highway map with the geology as a backdrop and a lot of other really interesting geological information. For the last two years, we’ve produced the Geological Calendar as another tool to bring awareness to the awesome geoscience we have available to us in Saskatchewan.
What is your favourite vacation spot?
We enjoy both hot holidays like Mexico or Cuba or ski vacations in places like Fernie, BC. Of course, we go back to Germany to visit family but we also try to work in visits to other European cities. We recently went to Rome and on our next trip we plan on hitting Prague.
What is your favourite book?
Aside from some of the German authors I grew up with, like Günter Grass, my all-time favourite book is Lord of the Flies. I also quite liked The Hunger Games novels. I read them a few years back while I was working in the wilderness which provided an extra dimension of realism to them.
Who has had the greatest influence on your life and career?
For my career, Tom Sibbald, P.Geo. who was the co-supervisor of my master’s thesis. He proposed the thesis project and secured the funding for it and later hired me on with the Survey. He’s retired now. He is a very bright geologist who was not only an important career mentor for me but also became a very good friend. I really owe him a lot in regards to my career.
Aside from my parents (I’m sure everyone says that), my greatest influence on my life in general has been my wife. She is German like me. She took the leap and came with me to Canada in 1990 and we married here. She found a job and helped pay for my education here in Canada. Without her support, that major move wouldn’t have happened.
