Brian Bencivengo concluded his time as Assistant Curator of the National Ice Core Laboratory (NICL) on February 7, 2014. Brian received his BS in geology from CU Boulder in 2005. Shortly after graduating, he became a member of the NICL staff in September of 2005. Within his first year as an Assistant Curator for the NICL Brian was deployed to the field, spending the summer of 2006 at Summit Greenland during the DISC Drill tests, testing the core handling equipment and procedures that were to be used at WAIS Divide in Antarctica later that year.
Quickly taking to the fieldwork, Brian became an important member of the WAIS Divide project, deploying to Antarctica for four field seasons from 2007 to 2010. During his time working both in the field and at the NICL, Brian became known for his hard work, amiable personality, and a wide variety of playful outfits including some of the most unique hats the ice core community has ever seen. He was an integral part of the collection and shipping of the WAIS Divide core, one of the largest and most successful ice cores ever drilled by the United States. Working tirelessly in the field as well as at the NICL, Brian had the unique opportunity to be involved with both ends of the project. Between four seasons of drilling in the field and six core processing lines at the NICL, Brian likely had more hands-on time with the WAIS Divide core than anybody else involved in the project.
Throughout his eight years working at the NICL, Brian was dedicated to the preservation of the ice core collection and the research that came from the cores. His passion for the science was evident in his interactions with scientists from the ice core community and his deep involvement with the WAIS Divide Project. Along with all of his other duties and contributions to the NICL, Brian was also the Collateral Duty Safety Officer for the lab and was awarded the 2013 USGS Safety and Occupational Health Award of Excellence. With all of his responsibilities, Brian never failed to put all of his effort into everything he did, and he was a vital part of keeping the operations at the NICL running smoothly.
During his time at the NICL, Brian was also actively pursuing his Masters in Hydrology from CU Denver, balancing his studies and his work with unfailing tenacity. Brian finished his Masters program in 2013, offering him new opportunities to pursue his passions. In February 2014 Brian accepted a position with the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), Department of the Interior Office of the Secretary. He will be missed at the NICL, and we wish him all the best in his new endeavor.