Michael Lange
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)
Where do you work? How long have you worked there? What do you do?
Business manager.
How is your profession related to Environmental Science?
The area of our company I work in is the Energy, Environment & Infrastructure (E2I) Business Unit, an industry leader in providing environmental, energy, infrastructure, and engineering services to the DoD, DOE, EPA, and other federal and commercial clients, nationwide. With 2,500 employees and a network of over 50 offices in the U.S., some of the services we provide to a diverse client base that includes:
- environmental compliance
- restoration
- impact studies
- natural resources and planning
- health and safety
- information management
- water resources
- engineering (environmental and utility)
- technology evaluation
- optimization
- chemical biological/chemical demilitarization
- homeland security/critical infrastructure protection/safeguards and security
- emergency preparedness
- training
- energy management
- energy modeling
- IT systems analysis and integration
- e-commerce
- national security
- systems safety analysis
What are the most rewarding aspects of managing your career?
Working with a diverse range of clients, from commercial petroleum and energy companies to government agencies. My work changes from project to project and continues to provide a challenge. The field continues to grow and there are opportunities for career development and advancement.
How has your BYU education benefited your career and would you recommend any specific course background for your field?
Obtaining a degree from BYU opened the door for me to work in the environmental sciences and has provided me with the necessary technical understanding to succeed in my career. Courses in soil science, geology, hydrology, chemistry and geochemistry, technical writing and computer science have proven to be the most valuable for those in my field of work and I would anticipate this to continue into the future.
What changes do you see or expect in your profession in the near future?
Our company is looking for growth in energy development, modeling and management, environmental remediation, restoration and compliance, water resource management, and environmental and utility engineering. IT systems analysis and integration is becoming integral to the success of any business endeavor and an education that includes a solid understanding of IT systems and business will continue to prove extremely valuable for career development and enhancement.
There is a common misconception of lumping environmental science with environmental activism. How can our department best address this perception problem with our students and employers?
Develop a curriculum based on environmental resource management, compliance, remediation and engineering (combined with energy development/management/modeling). Develop a synergistic relationship with the outstanding BYU business management programs to provide your graduates with best-in-class business management skills so they will become leaders in their industry. Develop mentoring and internship programs with energy, environmental consulting, and state environmental agencies so your students are involved in real-world projects and obtain training that will enable them to enter the marketplace with a running head-start. Classes should include studies and real-world models for situations graduates will encounter when they enter the job market, enabling them to discuss projects and courses that relate directly to the jobs they will be interviewing for. Graduate programs and mentor-research programs should focus on environmental resource management, remediation, compliance and engineering, not subjects and research that is purely academic and that has no application in the marketplace.
How can students best network within your profession in order to gain employment or internships? Does your company have internships that may be of interest to our students?
TParticipation in Professional Conferences and volunteer
Does your company have internships that may be of interest to our students? Who should they contact?
Our company has full time employment opportunities. Please refer to thiswebsite for contact information and employment listings.
Do you have any general advice for our students or our faculty with regard to your profession?
AI recommend tailoring the course work towards the NEPA regulations. Most of the work in the area of Environmental Science is a result of the regulations required by NEPA.
Would you share a favorite memory of your BYU professors?
My favorite memories are working with the faculty in the Environmental Science program, both in the soils lab and in applied research and courses. The program was small enough to be concerned for each individual student and the professors truly seemed to care for each person.
