Early Career Spotlight

Rachel Atkins

Tell us about yourself:

I am a fluvial and tectonic geomorphologist and received my Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in 2021. My geoscience career began at SUNY Geneseo where I received my bachelor’s in Geological Sciences and Adolescent Education. Wanting to become a middle or high school Earth Science teacher, I pursued a master’s degree at NC State in geoscience education research. It was midway through my master’s that I caught the research bug and decided to pursue a Ph.D.

 

What is your research about?

Broadly, I study what surface features can tell us about the geologic and anthropogenic history of a planetary body. I’ve been in several research projects that vary widely in time and spatial scales. I have investigated large thrust faults on Mars to understand its tectonic deformation history. And some of my most recent work has looked at the impacts that European settlement and landscape modification has had on drainage networks in the piedmont region of the United States.

  

What excites you about your research?

Because of the diversity of research topics and collaborators that I’ve been able to work with thus far in my career, I have seen and done some amazing and impactful geology in really awesome places. I like to approach my work from an interdisciplinary perspective, which can be intimidating at times when I’m far outside my area of expertise, but it has allowed me to connect with so many diverse scientists and I get to keep learning all the time.

 

What broader importance does your research have for society?

Science and scientific literacy in general impacts everyone’s everyday lives, including regulations and policy. Developing an understanding of how landforms and surfaces change over time helps us disentangle geologic processes and our impact as humans on the landscape so we can change and/or adapt in the future.

 

What inspired you to pursue a career in Earth Science?

I have always loved being outside, and when I found out that I could study what I could see around me as a career, I was hooked!

 

What are you looking to do after you complete your PhD or postdoc?

I am fortunate to have landed a great position at the U.S. Geological Survey, where I am really enjoying doing science with some great folks at the Utah Water Science Center.

 

Given unlimited funding and access to resources, what is your dream project that you would pursue?

That’s a tough one, I might have to pick two. For my Ph.D. work I was able to quantify potential erosion of channel heads upslope as they respond to anthropogenic landscape modifications in the piedmont of North Carolina, but because of time and financial constraints, this work was limited to a small state park. I would love to expand this work and involve others all across the entire US piedmont which would involve soil sampling and delineating streams in GIS, but also investigations of exposed tree roots to establish a rate of erosion. A second project I’d be interested in pursuing would be a large-scale investigation into *why* underrepresented groups DO or DO NOT choose to pursue or persist in a geoscience career, which support lots of ongoing efforts to address this question. This work could involve researchers from across universities and survey students majoring in a variety of disciplines and would help us target efforts to retain students with a love of geoscience and frame our outreach efforts to show the diversity of things those successful geoscientists do on a daily basis.

 

What else do you do? Any hobbies or interests outside of work?

Staying active is important to me, but the activities have evolved over time. When I’m not working, you can find me mountain biking, hiking, working on house projects, or puzzling (a new hobby that developed during the pandemic).

Personal Website: www.rachelatkins.net

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Rachel teaching field camp in northern New Mexico when a freak snowstorm surprised instructors and students in May 2019 (previous years had been in the high 90’s F) . A good lesson about being prepared for everything in the field!