Age: 39
Occupation: Senior Geologist, ConocoPhillips; Co-founder, Geology in Motion
NASA doesn’t care about most people’s hobbies, but most people aren’t Dallin Laycock. As a senior geologist working in the energy industry, Laycock has published 12 papers and secured three patents on technologies designed to reduce the greenhouse gas impact of hydraulic fracturing, but it’s his passion project that earned the attention of the U.S. space agency.
In 2021, Laycock co-founded Geology in Motion, an organization that supports geoscience education and pro-bono environmental research. ”We were really just seeking to have fun with science and find ways to illustrate geologic concepts,” Laycock says, “but the impact from it was tremendous.”
Geology in Motion is now doing research in Europe on the geological impacts of the Second World War and has conducted research from Cape Canaveral in Florida to Puerto Rico, studying eroded coastlines where turtles nest. “In the process, we discovered a way to leverage storm activity to accelerate the restoration of the turtles’ habitats, potentially turning an existential threat into an asset,” Laycock says.
Educational videos from the Puerto Rico research, as well as other Geology in Motion projects, were featured at NASA’s booth at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, and have been accessed more than one million times around the world, everywhere from kindergarten classrooms to university lectures and beyond.
One of Laycock’s proudest achievements to date is working with NASA to collect scientific data from the Artemis I rocket launch in 2022. “Being involved in any capacity with a project of that magnitude is memorable,” he says.
He has managed to do all of this — plus volunteer with his church and various local non-profits — without sacrificing his home life. “Even though I’m a busy person, it’s important to me to make time for my kids and family,” Laycock says. “No amount of success can compensate for failure at home.”
Thank yous
“My wife, Laura, my parents, Brent and Kathy, and my children, Cooper, Wyatt and Bennett.”
Top 40 Under 40 2024
Eluvier Acosta & Juan Castillo