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NWT geologist earns second national award

Hendrik Falck, a Northwest Territories-based geologist and geoscientist, is the recipient of the 2022 Canadian Federation of Earth Scientists (CFES) Mentorship Award.
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Hendrik Falck, an NWT geologist and geoscientist, has now been recognized twice at the national level by earning the 2022 Canadian Federation of Earth Scientists (CFES) Mentorship award. Falck’s first national award was presented to him in 2020. Photo courtesy Industry, Tourism and Investment

Hendrik Falck, a Northwest Territories-based geologist and geoscientist, is the recipient of the 2022 Canadian Federation of Earth Scientists (CFES) Mentorship Award.

Falck’s most recent award recognizes the “sustained and inspirational mentorship of colleagues and employees including peers, graduate students, undergraduate students and technicians,” according to information from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), his employer.

CFES is an umbrella organization that represents a federation of earth science societies and associations across Canada.

Falck, manager of geology and resource royalty policy with the GNWT, said his role models demonstrated to him “the value of supporting peers and students to accomplish territory- and nationwide aims.”

“The goal is to solve problems together,” he stated. “Mentorship is about working to create, encourage and support connections between academic, government and industry professionals in order find passionate people who want to engage in understanding and solving Northern problems. It is ensuring that those people access each other’s skills, are capable of doing the work and do it safely.”

Falck, who resides in Yellowknife, added that it’s gratifying to become colleagues with people whose careers he was involved with at their start.

His nomination was submitted by Garth Kirkham, a long-time colleague, with support from the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum.

The nomination reads: “With his broad experience and a generous mandate to conduct research that encourages exploration for the future economic engines of the territory, Hendrik has supported the research and experience of nearly 100 students and young professionals. Using his contacts with industry, academia and government, he has developed a wide array of research projects from identifying the research problem, advocating for the research funds, developing the logistics to support the project and participating in the fieldwork.”

Falck previously received the nationally recognized Canadian Professional Geoscientist Award in 2020.

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