GMES Alumni Spotlight Q&A:
Walter Rathbun, B.S. Geological Engineering 2008
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Dad to Paxton (10) and Twyla (6)
Walt Rathbun, P.Eng. (BC), graduated from Michigan Technological University in 2008 with a B.S. degree in geological engineering, following a family legacy of connection to Michigan Tech. His career has spanned internships at Cleveland Cliffs and Rio Tinto, roles in mining consulting focused on large-scale earth structures, and his current work in land development with Lewkowich Engineering Associates on Vancouver Island. MTU’s rigorous, hands-on education prepared him for industry challenges, particularly seismic engineering and geotechnical assessments. Walt fondly recalls the vibrant campus community and the invigorating walks through snowy Houghton, where he dreamed of his future. Of all his accomplishments, being a dad to Paxton and Twyla is likely the one he cherishes most.
Q: Why did you choose MTU?
A: My parents met at MTU, and Houghton was always a special place for my family growing up. When deciding on a university, MTU felt most like home, and my brother and sister felt the same.
Q: What has your career path been like since you graduated?
A: My career started with internships with Cleveland Cliffs Michigan Operations and Rio Tinto’s Bingham Canyon in Salt Lake City. I followed that up with a job working for a boutique mining consulting firm working on the design and operational support for pit walls, waste dumps, and tailings storage facilities in Northern Alberta and Northeastern BC, where I had the privilege of working with some of the brightest engineers and geoscientists in western Canada. I worked on the design of Canada’s 3rd largest earthen dam (at that time) for Shell Canada Energy, with the firm after my departure eventually being bought out by Stantec. From mining, I transitioned to working in land development on Vancouver Island. I work for Lewkowich Engineering Associates, based in Nanaimo, BC, on Vancouver Island. I work on assessments to prepare land for new homes, roads, bridges, subdivisions, and small dams. That usually involves some combination of slope stability assessments, liquefaction assessments, retaining wall design, and ocean flooding assessments.
Q: How did your time at MTU prepare you for your industry/career?
A: MTU is a genuinely unique engineering institution, finely tuned to all types of learning and personal growth, in relative isolation, next to moody Lake Superior in one of the most remote areas of the lower 48. The learnings most applicable to the industry were my field geology and field geophysics courses. All the academics and theory you can flex with mean nothing if you don’t know how to apply it. More importantly, you should be able to communicate your findings clearly and concisely when left to your own devices (or a Brunton compass). You have to be a little crazy, but the good kind of crazy, to want to go to MTU. MTU’s close ties to North America’s mining and cultural history partially led to my hiring at the mining consulting firm— the person who hired me told me he had admired fellow MTU alums at a past job. I continue to be amazed in my career, once you graduate, you will find, even across the continent, MTU’s reputation precedes itself. And if they haven’t heard of MTU, I can only assume it sounds like MIT to some.
Q: What’s it like to return to the campus now? Have you noticed any changes?
A: My parents are now retired, live in Houghton, and are active in the community. They keep me updated on changes for the most part, but I’m still surprised every time I’m back by how many changes there are. The hockey team has seen a lot of success from where the team was during my time as a student, which is exciting to see. I’m also a big fan of the rock garden outside Dillman. I miss the EERC tree only a little bit, but I also love the new Husky statue.
Q: What is the most impactful memory of your time here?
A: It’s hard to pick just one. What I cherish the most are my memories of walking home from campus, biting cold air and fresh snow crunching under my feet, my mind exhausted and stressed about an exam/project but churning with new learnings after late nights in the computer lab. MTU is a place where I felt most alive with the possibilities of just what my education meant and where it might lead me, which was where my mind was often on those cold walks. What resulted when I left was beyond my wildest imaginings.
Q: What is your favorite activity when you return to campus?
A: In the summer months, soaking up whatever beach time I can get. The Great Lakes are second to none on this planet and should be cherished.
Q: What advice would you give someone just starting at Tech as a Husky?
A: Turn your life into an experiment. You’ll be surprised what you can do when you challenge yourself and dare to dream big!
Q: What role did the community or extracurricular activities play in your overall experience?
A: I was active in the geology club, water polo club, and Nordic skiing at MTU. The strong sense of community is part of what makes MTU so unique, and as a student, the intensity of MTU’s rigorous academics is best balanced with as much fun and active play as you can reasonably cram into your free time.
Q: Looking back, what opportunities do you wish you had taken advantage of here?
A: I Nordic-skied extensively on the tech trails during my last two years at MTU, but I wish I had taken more time to enjoy those facilities throughout my time there. We have reasonably wet, heavy snow in the Pacific Northwest. I miss both the perfect snow conditions and the world-class trails at Tech.
Q: What networking opportunities did you take advantage of as a student?
A: I always attended the career fair, even just to practice with a mock interview. I also had the opportunity to fly to the SEG conference in New Orleans one year and the SME conference in Salt Lake City. At the SME conference, an employee of the eventual firm I worked for in Vancouver pointed out that the Denver office manager was an MTU Alum.
Q: What is your current position’s unexpected benefit/skill set? What did you not realize at first was a part of what you do?
A: My seismic design skillset. My first introduction to seismic engineering was more straight to the source, I think, compared to most engineers, with Plate Tectonics and Global Geophysics with Dr. Diehl, rock mechanics with Dr. Gregg, and Dr. Waite’s Volcano Seismology courses serving as my introductions to stress/strain tensors. However, I first learned some of the methods we now use when working on the surface in mining in Northern Alberta and Northeast BC. One doesn’t think of these areas traditionally as seismically active, but when dealing with earth structures of that size and the potential life-safety/environmental consequences of a failure, a tiny burp of an earthquake (or even no earthquake at all, as seen with recent tailings dam disasters) can have disastrous consequences. It is paramount to understand the stress regime and how realistically that could change on a given site when subjected to strain, whether soil or rock.
Q: Did you have on-campus employment while a student? If yes, what did you do?
A: I was all over the place. I worked for a bit at the campus cafe in Wads. I also worked in the paleomagnetism lab, baking cores and making magnetic hysteresis plots for Dr. Jimmy Diehl and, for a short time, taking much smaller rock fragments for testing with Dr. Aleksey Smirnov. I was also active as a lifeguard, teaching swim lessons and volunteering to referee intramural water polo.
Q: Any other comments?A: Lets go, yous Huskies! (Imagine the Yooper accent!)
