Tom Faucette to lead SmithGroup Science & Technology studio in Washington, DC

SmithGroup, an integrated design firm, has elevated Tom Faucette to lead its Science & Technology studio in Washington, DC. Adding Faucette to this role strengthens the company’s position as a designer of cutting-edge research environments in the Mid-Atlantic, across North America and internationally. Faucette, a principal, will be responsible for growing the firm’s share of the federal research, academic research, corporate R&D, and mission critical markets in the region.

Faucette has nearly 20 years of experience in the planning and design of high-performance building systems and has been with SmithGroup for 17 years. His clients, including AstraZeneca, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institutes of Health, the Internal Revenue Service, Old Dominion University, University of Delaware, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, among others, have benefitted from Faucette’s ability to develop resilient and sustainable critical building systems.

“Tom understands that the operational success of any research institution is core to its ability to fulfill its mission,” says Ed Burton, SmithGroup Science & Technology Practice director. “He is uniquely suited for the role of guiding our clients in their journeys of scientific discovery.”

SmithGroup’s Science & Technology Practice encompasses a spectrum of specialty expertise, including planning, programming, and design of academic research, corporate and governmental research and development, forensics, mission critical, and research parks and innovation districts.

Faucette joins the practice’s leadership team to grow its position in the federal research, corporate R&D, academic research, forensics and mission critical markets, where clients include Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Data Center, National Institute of Standards & Technology  California Institute of Technology (Caltech), University of California San Francisco, New York Police Department (NYPD), Promega Corporation, Caris Life Sciences, General Electric, SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions, and Wanxiang Group Corporation.

Faucette’s expertise ranges from project leadership to programming and design of systems for corporate and federal workplace and research facilities, higher education campuses, federal service contracts, cultural campuses and facilities, international embassies and large-scale resorts.

Faucette earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland College Park and holds both a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University. He is a registered professional engineer in 11 states and a LEED accredited professional. A cycling enthusiast, Faucette rides with the Squadra Coppi, a DC metro area bicycle club and supports various bike advocacy groups. Faucette is a native of Mebane, North Carolina and currently resides in Kensington, Maryland.

SmithGroup (www.smithgroup.com) works across a network of 13 offices in the U.S. and China, with a team of 1,300 experts in strategy, design and delivery. The firm creates design solutions for healthcare, science and technology organizations, higher education and cultural institutions, urban environments, diverse workplaces, mixed-use and waterfront developments, and parks and open spaces.

Husson University holds its first Green Jobs Fair

Husson University held its inaugural Green Jobs Fair recently on its Bangor, Maine campus. Organized by AmeriCorps, the job fair provided students and other individuals interested in internships or employment the opportunity to meet with representatives from a variety of environmentally friendly organizations. 

“Events like the Green Jobs Fair not only promote the sustainability industry, they also increase awareness of high paying, fulfilling jobs,” says Johanna Holman with AmeriCorps. “Like the Green New Deal, we’re hoping to help people become employed and combat climate change at the same time.”

This was the first time Husson University hosted a Green Jobs Fair. All of its students, regardless of major, were encouraged to participate. A variety of business and volunteer organizations had booths at the event. Representatives from renewable energy, farming, government, environmental monitoring, engineering, management, and other environmental and sustainability-related organizations were present. There was no cost to attend and no need to register in advance, and the event was open to students, veterans, and members of the public.

According to projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), occupations related to helping the environment or conserving natural resources will experience some of the strongest job growth over the next decade. Two occupations that the BLS believes will have the fastest employment growth from 2016 to 2026 are solar photovoltaic installers (105-percent increase) and wind turbine service technicians (96-percent increase).
“Companies that incorporate environmental stewardship into their business model need to find qualified job applicants, just like other companies," says Dr. Tom Stone, an associate professor who co-directs the Environmental Science program at Husson. “Our Green Jobs Fair was focused on connecting these companies with job applicants who share the same environmental values." 

For more than 120 years, Husson University has offered undergraduate and graduate degrees with a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online, and experiential learning opportunities, Husson's Bangor campus and off-campus satellite education centers in Southern Maine, Wells, and Northern Maine, provide programs in business, health and education, pharmacy studies, science humanities, and communication. In addition, the university has an adult learning program. For more information, visit Husson.edu.

Brown & Caldwell begins environmental work at Iron Creek cobalt mine

First Cobalt Corporation has announced that it has engaged Brown and Caldwell at the Iron Creek Project in Idaho to provide guidance on permitting and to develop an environmental baseline study strategy. Trent Mell, First Cobalt President and Chief Executive Officer, comments: “Our strategy in 2019 is to advance and de-risk our two key assets: the Iron Creek Project and the First Cobalt Refinery in Ontario, Canada. Environmental and permitting work are critical next steps to progressing Iron Creek towards development. We are pleased to have the experience of Brown and Caldwell as we drive the project forward. On the heels of the maiden resource estimate announced in the fall, this is one of a series of technical programs initiated to help us determine the optimal mining and mineral processing design at Iron Creek. Baseline environmental data is critical to advancing the timeline toward production as we work towards developing an environmentally responsible source of cobalt in North America.”

Mell goes on to say, “Cobalt is essential for the growing electric vehicle market as it is used in lithium-ion batteries, and cobalt assets outside China and the Democratic Republic of the Congo remain exceedingly rare. There is no primary cobalt mining or refining in North America today, and the potential for First Cobalt to produce ethical cobalt in a safe jurisdiction allows us to stand apart.”

Brown and Caldwell's services will be provided from its Boise, Idaho office, which has extensive experience in project permitting, water management, environmental monitoring, and reclamation. The firm will provide permitting guidance and oversee the collection of environmental baseline data at the Iron Creek Project. Water quality data collection commenced in 2017 and is ongoing.

Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, the employee-owned Brown and Caldwell is a full-service environmental engineering and construction firm with over 55 offices and 1,600-plus professionals across North America. For more than 70 years, the firm has helped scores of municipal, federal, and private agencies overcome water and environmental issues. For more information, visit www.brownandcaldwell.com.