Sidney enjoyed reading travel books as a young boy, and utilized his family's resources to gain knowledge of the world.
[1] In the summer of 1910, he spent time at the Yale Forestry School, but after his graduation from Williams in 1911, geology was a stronger calling to him.
[2] From 1911 to 1913, Powers studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which resulted in a Master of Science degree.
[4] On September 10, seven days before he accepted his position with the USGS, Powers married Dorothy Edwards.
He traveled to France and the United Kingdom while on active duty, and returned to the U.S. after the war had ended.