Theron Sowers

Sacramento, California | theronsowers.weebly.com | Email: tasowers@ucdavis.edu

Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Education Expected June 2026
University of California, Davis
Tentative Dissertation Topic: Examining the intersectional identities of LGBTQIA2S+
and disabled geoscientists
Master of Science in Geology May 2022
California State University, Sacramento
Thesis: Pressure-Time-Temperature Record of Cretaceous–Paleocene Exhumation of the
Northern Salinian Block
Bachelor of Science in Geology May 2018
California State University, Sacramento
Thesis: Stable Isotopes in the South Fork of the American River
Research and Professional Experience
Project Manager/Research Associate I February 2019 to present
University Enterprises, Inc.
• Conducted scientific research on (broadly) the interaction of oil/gas production and
groundwater resources in the southern San Joaquin Valley, including examining
historical production and injection records.
• Supervised and mentored up to twenty undergraduate students in data collection and
entry level research.
• Designed and implemented a 10-week internship for local community college students,
leading to three intern abstracts at the 2023 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting.
• Developed and facilitated workshops focused on professional development activities,
including resumes, cover letters, and personal statements for internship and graduate
program applications.
• Developed and facilitated leadership training, including Dare to Lead reading groups and
Clifton StrengthsFinder activities.
• Developed and assigned personalized research projects that developed relevant skills for
students pursuing both academic and industry career paths.
• Directed scientific workflow of all projects within the larger scope of work.
• Created workflows and delegated special projects as necessary.
• Established a professional network that includes local Community Colleges to facilitate
recruiting.
• Planned, developed, and implemented career and professional development training
workshops for employees and students within the Geology department that led to
increased job placement upon or before graduation. All graduated students who attended
are now gainfully employed in geology-related jobs.
• Developed training materials in Canvas LMS.
• Conduct quality control on data collected relating to oil and gas wells.
• Ensure timely preparation and delivery of data products to USGS collaborators.

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Student Research Assistant December 2015 to February 2019
University Enterprises, Inc.
Research Scholar August 2017 to June 2018
LSAMP Research Scholars Program – California State University, Sacramento
Intern May 2017 to August 2017
Research Experience in Solid Earth Science for Students – UNAVCO, Boulder, CO
Summer Undergraduate Research Experience May 2016 – August 2016
College of Natural Science and Mathematics – California State University, Sacramento

Teaching Experience
Lecturer – Historical Geology Fall 2022
California State University, Sacramento
Teaching Associate – Physical Geology Laboratory Spring 2019
California State University, Sacramento

Volunteer Experience
On-to-the-Future Mentor (https://www.geosociety.org/GSA/OTF/Home.aspx)
Geological Society of America (October 2022)
• Provided individual mentorship for an On-to-the-Future student during the Fall meeting.
Drop in Mentor
Geological Society of America (October 2022)
• Provided resume/CV feedback for students during the Fall meeting.
• Provided career path mentoring for students.
Communication Mentor
Research Experience in Solid Earth Science for Students (RESESS), UNAVCO (Summer 2020)
• Provided feedback on student manuscript and poster deliverables for two RESESS
students.
• Regularly met with mentees to discuss research progress and overall internship well-
being.

Workshops Taught
Introduction to Research Series (June – August 2023). A weekly workshop series for
community college interns that covered the basics of the research process, from literature review
to data analysis and statistics.
Introduction to Leadership and Mentoring (June 2023). A workshop for graduate students
teaching the fundamentals of leadership, motivation, and mentoring practices.
Professional Development Bootcamp (January 2023). A series of workshops that taught
writing skills for resumes, curricula vitae, cover letters, and statements of qualifications, along
with interviewing skills and practice.
Career Pathways Series (Spring 2022). A series of career panels with recent (<5 years) alumni
of the Geology program at Sacramento State. Individual panels focused on career pathways in
state government, federal government, consulting, non-profit, and professional licensure
requirements.
Professional Development Bootcamp (January 2022). A series of workshops that taught
writing skills for resumes, curricula vitae, cover letters, and statements of qualifications, along

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with interviewing skills and practice. All graduated participants successfully found jobs within
the geosciences field.
Introduction to Project Management (September 2021). A broad overview of project
management principles and techniques for students.
The Basics of Plotting (September 2021). A quick introduction to basic research visualizations
in Excel and QGIS.
Introduction to Excel for Research (September 2021). An introduction to some useful
applications of Excel for geoscience research.
An Overview of the California State Job Application Process (July 2021). An overview of the
state application process along with advice on how to make applications shine.
Finding and Applying to Consulting Positions (June 2021). Tips and tricks on finding and
applying to geotechnical consulting positions in the geosciences, with real-life examples from a
recent graduate.
Career Pathways in the Geosciences (June 2021). An overview of the pathways in the
geosciences and the ways to get there.
Professional Development I (January 2020). Resumes, curricula vitae, cover letters, personal
statements, and LinkedIn profiles.
Hornet Science Scholars Research Bootcamp (July 2019). Introduction to data analysis, GIS
visualizations, and poster creation in Adobe Illustrator.
Introduction to Effective Scientific Communication (October 2018). A Collaboration with the
Student Research Center at California State University, Sacramento.
Your Poster Session: Why You Shouldn’t “Wing It” (October 2018). A Collaboration with
the Student Research Center at California State University, Sacramento.
Communicating Your Research through Storytelling (October and November 2018). A
Collaboration with the Student Research Center at California State University, Sacramento.
The Elevator Speech (October and November 2018). A Collaboration with the Student
Research Center at California State University, Sacramento.

Honors and Awards

Outstanding Graduate Student (May 2022)
Award by the Geology Department at California State University, Sacramento in
recognition of outstanding academic achievement and service to the department.
Geological Society of America Graduate Research Grant (May 2019)
Application scored in first tier and received full funding.
Outstanding Senior (May 2018)
Awarded by the Geology Department at California State University, Sacramento in
recognition of outstanding academic achievement and service to the department.
Tim Todd Field Camp Scholarship (May 2018)
Field camp scholarship awarded for academic achievement.
Program Recognizing Outstanding Undergraduate Distinction Scholar (April 2018)
California State University Louis Stokes’ Alliance for Minority Participation
Chosen as the PROUD Scholar for the 2017-2018 academic year for outstanding service
and leadership.
Best Student Poster Presentation (April 2018)
Award by the Sacramento Chapter of the Association of Engineering Geologists for
poster presentation at their student night.

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Honorable Mention – NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (April 2018)
Provost Award for Research Excellence – First Place Undergraduate (March 2018)
Awarded for presentation of undergraduate thesis work: Stable Isotopes in the South Fork
of the American River.
Groundwater Resources Association Scholarship (May 2017)
Research scholarship award in support of undergraduate thesis.
Groundwater Resources Association Scholarship (May 2016)
Research scholarship award in support of Summer Undergraduate Research Experience
investigating trends in the hydrothermal system in Yellowstone.
Outstanding Junior (May 2016)
Awarded by the Geology Department at California State University, Sacramento in
recognition of outstanding academic achievement.

Publications
Sowers, T., Rack, S., Guillot, R., Shimabukuro, D., Skinner, S., Wakabayashi, J., and Cecil,
R.M., in preparation, Reconstructing the southern Sierra Nevada using low temperature
thermochronology from the northern Salinian block. Manuscript in preparation.
Stanton, J., Landon, M., Shimabukuro, D., Kulongoski, J., Hunt, A., McMahon, P., Sowers, T.,
In Review, Groundwater Quality and Risk Factors near the Placerita Oil Field, Los
Angeles County, California, 2018: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations
Report.
McMahon, P., Landon, M., Stephens, M., Taylor, K., Wright, M., Hansen, A., Kraus, T.,
Cozzarelli, I., Shimabukuro, D., Sowers, T., Kulongoski, J., Hunt, A., Karolyte, R.,
Hillegonds, D., Ballentine, C., In Review, Land-Use Interactions, Oil-Field Infrastructure,
and Natural Processes Control Hydrocarbon and Arsenic Concentrations in Groundwater,
Poso Creek Oil Field, California, USA: Applied Geochemistry.
Stanton, J.S., Land, M., Landon, M.K., Shimabukuro, D.H., McMahon, P.B., Davis, T.A., Hunt,
A.G., and Sowers, T.A., 2023, Groundwater quality near the Montebello Oil Field, Los
Angeles County, California: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report
2022–5128, 80 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20225128.
Shimabukuro, D.H., Sowers, T.A., and Stephens, M.J., 2022, Idle well fluid measurements for
oil and gas wells in California: U.S. Geological Survey data release,
https://doi.org/10.5066/P92AIV6T.
Flowers, M.D., Stephens, M.J., Shimabukuro, D.H., and Sowers, T.A., 2022, Geophysical and
geological data for select petroleum wells in North Coles Levee Oil Field, Kern County,
California: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9GHJDL4.
Stephens, M.J., Sowers, T.A., Courser, H.N., Bunch, J.D., Rosecrans, C.Z., 2021, Mud logs
from the Oxnard oil field, Ventura County, California: U.S. Geological Survey data
release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P913QDD5.
Sowers, T. and O. S. Boyd, 2019, Petrologic and Mineral Physics Database for Use with the
USGS National Crustal Model: U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 2019-1035, 27
p., https://doi.org/10.3033/ofr20191035.
Stephens, M.J., Haugen, E.A., Shimabukuro, D.H., Gillespie, J.M., Sowers, T.A., Ducart, A.,
and Medrano, V., 2018, Geochemical, geological, and geophysical data for wells in the
Poso Creek oil and gas field, Kern County, California: U.S. Geological Survey data
release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9RR9UYN.

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Conference Presentations
Oral Presentations
Sowers, T., Hankins, R., Rack, S., Shimabukuro, D., Skinner, S., Wakabayashi, J., and
Cecil, R. (December 2019). Thermal evolution of northern Salinia using apatite
and zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronology. Geology and Geodynamics of the San
Francisco Bay Area I. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco,
California.
Sowers, T., and Wagner, A. (March 2018). Stable Isotopes in the South Fork of the
American River. Physical Sciences and Mathematics. Student Research
Symposium, Sacramento, California.
Sowers, T., and Boyd, O. (August 2017). A Petrologic Database for the USGS National
Crustal Model. UNAVCO RESESS Colloquium, Boulder, Colorado.
Sowers, T., and Wagner, A. (March 2017). Geographic Trends in the Hydrothermal
Waters in Yellowstone. Biological Sciences and Geology. Student Research
Symposium, Sacramento, California.
Abstracts (*denotes undergraduate student author)
Sowers, T., Shimabukuro, D., Stanton, J., and Stephens, M. (December 2023). Historical
extent of open annular spaces in California oil wells. Characterizing the
Environmental Impacts of Active and Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells, Locating
Undocumented Wells, and Prioritizing Abandonment. American Geophysical
Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California.
*Van Deuren, A., Sowers, T., Botell, B., Dreger, E., Ryan, A., Sanborn, E., and
Shimabukuro, D. (December 2023). Drilling and abandonment practices in dry
wells outside of gas fields west of Sacramento, California. Characterizing the
Environmental Impacts of Active and Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells, Locating
Undocumented Wells, and Prioritizing Abandonment. American Geophysical
Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California.
*Wiggins, T., Sowers, T., Botell, B., Dreger, E., Ryan, A., Sanborn, E., and
Shimabukuro, D. (December 2023). Characterizing well construction history
within gas fields in Solano, Yolo, and Sacramento counties, California.
Undergraduate Research on Water Quality and Resources Poster. American
Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California.
*Bowen, L., Sowers, T., Botell, B., Dreger, E., Ryan, A., Sanborn, E., and Shimabukuro,
D. (December 2023). Vertical proximity of oil production and fluid injection to
groundwater resources in Coalinga Oil Field, Fresno County, California.
Undergraduate Research on Water Quality and Resources Poster. American
Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California.
Sowers, T., and Shimabukuro, D. (October 2022). Historical Production and Injection
Volumes for Oil Fields in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 54, no. 5.
https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2022AM-382911
Sowers, T., Shimabukuro, D., and Skinner, S. (October 2021). Geometry of the Late
Cretaceous Southern Sierra Nevada Detachment System: A Comparison of Pre-
San-Andreas-Fault Paleogeographic Reconstructions. Recent Advances in
Tectonics/Tectonophysics. Geological Society of America Fall Meeting,
Portland, Oregon.

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 Sowers, T., Davidson, E., Wagner, A., and Shimabukuro, D. (December 2017). Stable
Isotopes in the American River, near Sacramento, California: Application and
Relevance to Sierra Nevada Paleoelevation Models. Tectonophysics: General
Contributions. American Geophysical Union, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Sowers, T. and Boyd, O. (October 2017). A Petrologic Database for the USGS National
Crustal Model. Approaches to Applied Modeling for Industry and the Public.
Geological Society of America, National, Seattle, Washington.
Sowers, T., Fau, E., and Wagner, A. (May 2017). Geographic Trends in the
Hydrothermal Waters in Yellowstone. Advances in Geothermal Resource
Investigation (Posters). Geological Society of America, Cordilleran, Honolulu,
Hawaii. (In absentee).
Sowers, T., Fau, E., and Wagner, A. (December 2016). The Relationship Between
Distillate Yield and 18O/16O Fractionation. Water Isotope Systematics-Improving
Modern and Paleoclimate Interpretations. American Geophysical Union, San
Francisco, California.
Ornouski, E., Sowers, T., and Wanger, A. (December 2019). A Stable Isotopic Profile of
Atmospheric River Precipitation Impacting the Sacramento Valley. Extreme
precipitation in past, present, and future climates. American Geophysical Union
Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California.
McDonald, D.M., Wagner, A., Sowers, T., Gainer, S., and Espinoza, P., (December
2019). The Folsom Lake Isotopic Model – Relating Depth and Location to Stable
Isotope Ratios in Lake Water. Undergraduate Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean, and
Space Science Research and Outreach Posters. American Geophysical Union Fall
Meeting, San Francisco, California.
Boyd, O., Shah, A., Sowers, T. (April 2019). Progress on Building a USGS National
Crustal Model for Seismic Hazard Studies. Building, Using, and Validating 3D
Geophysical Models. Seismological Society of America Annual Meeting, Seattle,
Washington.
Boyd, O., Shah, A., Sowers, T., and Thompson, E. (December 2017). Building a USGS
National Crustal Model: Theoretical foundation, inputs, and calibration for the
Western United States. Geophysical Parameter Estimation of the Very Upper
Crust: Perspectives from the Field, Lab, and Mind. American Geophysical Union
Fall Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Keene, D., Sowers, T., and Wagner, A. (December 2017). Isotopic Variability in Central
Valley Precipitation Events. East Meets West: Eastern North Pacific Controls on
Precipitations Variability in Western North America. American Geophysical
Union Fall Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Professional Affiliations
American Geophysical Union
Member since 2016
Geological Society of America
Member since 2016
Association of Engineering and Environmental Geologist (AEG)
Member since 2018
Sigma Xi

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Member since 2018
Mineralogical Society of America
Member since 2018

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