Post by CDM Smith

#NewPerspectives: Not many environmental geologists start their careers on stage as professional ballet dancers. For Laura M., that early training in precision, discipline and composure now shapes how she approaches the world below our feet, piecing together clues she can’t actually see. Today, her work helps clients understand what’s moving underground, from chemicals that quickly evaporate to metals, pesticides and emerging contaminants like PFAS, and what those patterns mean for the communities around them. It’s detail-driven work where accuracy matters and small insights shape big decisions. We caught up with Laura in the field in Bannock, Idaho, and back at her home office in Montana, where her dogs make for loyal colleagues. 🎬 If you had to compare your job to a movie, what would it be? Honestly, Scooby-Doo! Groundwater is invisible, so I’m trying to figure out what’s happening underground without being able to see any of it. You’re piecing together clues: how the water’s moving, where contaminants may be coming from, why a trend suddenly shows up. It can feel almost comedic, but the detective work is what keeps it interesting. 📍 You’ve been back to the Bannock landfill site many times. What keeps you engaged? This will be my ninth trip back in about two and a half years. It was my first field site at CDM Smith and early on it felt like a whirlwind, learning new equipment, software and sampling protocols while stepping into a task lead role. Now it feels much more straightforward, a good reminder of how much you grow when you stick with a project. I’m working with mostly the same team and we’re not just collecting data, we’re seeing how it evolves and how contaminants respond to injections. Field events are also when our remote team connects in person which makes it especially rewarding. 🪨 You came from a rock chemistry background. Does that shape the way you lead in the field? My background was in hard-rock chemistry and isotope geochemistry, so groundwater wasn’t my focus coming in, that’s for sure! I learned sampling and fieldwork on the job by example from people who do it every day. One thing that stuck with me early was thinking about results as systems rather than individual data points, and that has carried into how I lead today. I manage field events, from site logistics to data quality, across a wide range of contaminants like metals and pesticides. On past projects it was PFAS, which come with their own requirements that sharpen your attention to detail. More recently I’ve started running drilling programs, coordinating crews and making real-time, often tricky, decisions. Through all of it, a big part of my role is translating complex data into accessible language, whether that’s mentoring newer staff or walking a client through results. I think of it as technical translation. Subscribe to our Breaking Down PFAS newsletter for the latest science and regulatory updates from our experts. https://bit.ly/4vvNGKD