Hometown: San Diego, California

Bio: Rachel is a current Master’s student studying the monotonic and cyclic response of well-graded coarse-grained soils. She earned her Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from San Diego State University, while working part-time for three years in Construction Management at McCarthy Building Company. During her Bachelor’s degree, she led a team of research students to conduct testing on various methods of treating synthetic wastewater and held leadership positions of Vice President and Outreach Chair for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Upon graduating, she spent one year as a geotechnical engineer working with WSP USA on soil investigation reports, retaining wall and foundation designs, and slope stability analyses. In 2019, she joined the University of California, Davis for a Master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering, working experimentally with interests in earthquake engineering, liquefaction, and post-liquefaction reconsolidation.

Interests: liquefaction and earthquake engineering, running, hiking, stand-up paddleboarding, cross stitch, crocheting, and traveling