RACHEL E. GEHR
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Purdue University
Rachel received her BSE in Civil Engineering from LeTourneau University in 2018,
and her MS in Environmental and Ecological Engineering from Purdue University in 2020.
She is currently working toward her PhD at Purdue in Engineering Education. Her past experience
includes water and wastewater treatment and PFAS remediation.
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CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS
Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement (SCALE) K-12:
The SCALE K-12 project incorporates microelectronics content into existing curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Students are exposed to the engineering design process and encouraged to utilize their creativity and new microelectronics knowledge to engineer solutions. Rachel currently serves as a curriculum writer while planning for data collection and analysis.
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Water Supply in Developing Countries
An interdisciplinary, student-led course that was created to provide safe water access as a means to improve public health in rural communities of the Dominican Republic. This project implements sustainable, community-scale water treatment systems that now supply clean water to over 1000 people. Rachel served on the leadership team while overseeing the project's finances and grants. During this time, she led two trips to the Dominican Republic.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION (ASEE)
June 2023
Baltimore, Maryland
EMERGING CONTAMINANTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT
April 2022
Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
ENGAGEMENT SCHOLARSHIP CONSORTIUM
October 2019
Denver, Colorado
Implementation of Safe Water Practices to improve Public Health
Co-Presenter: Jessica Puente Castro
TEXAS WATER CONFERENCE
2018 - San Antonio, Texas
2017 - Austin, Texas
2018: Upgrade of the Alligator Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Grant County, Texas
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2017: Redesign and Capacity Increase of the Riverbend Water Reclamation Plant in Aubrey, Texas
PUBLICATIONS
ASEE Conference Paper: Assessment and support of advisor-student mentoring for graduate engineering students at a land-grant institution
View Paper
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ASEE Conference Paper: Student Connections between Engineering Contexts and STEM Content
View Paper
MENTORSHIP
The mentors Rachel has had over the years have been very influential in developing her research, teaching, and technical skills. As a result, she enjoys participating in and setting up mentorship relationships for graduate and undergraduate students.
GRADUATE MENTORSHIP FELLOW
The 2022 fellows work to improve the advisor/student relationship during research-based graduate programs. Selected to represent Purdue's College of Engineering, I identify common issues for advisors and their graduate students and propose solutions to alleviate stress and improve the graduate student experience.
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Link: https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/AboutUs/News/Spotlights/2022/2022-1212-mentoring-fellows
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
TEACHING ASSISTANT
Rachel was previously the teaching assistant for the graduate course Physicochemical Processes for Environmental Engineering (CE 550) as the class was converted to an online format. She has also worked as a teaching assistant for several other courses, including Principles of Hydraulic Engineering, Intro to Environmental Engineering, and Intro to Civil Engineering. Rachel has served as a supplemental instructor, tutor, and grader.
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Rachel is near completion of Purdue University's Teaching and Learning in Engineering Graduate Certificate. During her Engineering Education studies, she has gained skills in course development, setting learning objectives based on education taxonomies, and engaging students in the classroom. Her design of a senior-level Water Treatment Design course was identified as an exemplary project and is now provided to future students as an example of how to design a course.
LABORATORY MANAGER
At Purdue University, Rachel co-served as the lab manager for the Environmental and Ecological Engineering labs. This included training students on ICP-OES, IC, MIMS, and on basic laboratory safety. She oversaw these instruments and completed their maintenance and troubleshooting.
LABORATORY ASSISTANT
Rachel worked as a lab assistant for Intro to Environmental Engineering (CVGR 4403) and Intro to Civil Engineering (CVGR 1523) by setting up weekly experiments and assisting the instructor during lab sessions. In the instructors' absence, Rachel ran several lab sessions on her own for 15-20 students.
AWARDS
Purdue University College of Engineering - Outstanding Service Award (2022)
Purdue University Shah Lab I2D Exposition - 1st Place in Technical Posters (2021)
Purdue University Office of Engagement - Corps of Engagement Award (2020)
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow (2020 - Present)
Purdue University Engagement and Service-Learning Summit - 1st Place in Poster Contest (2020)
Purdue University Ross Fellowship Recipient (2018 – 2022)
North Texas Association of Environmental Professionals Scholarship Recipient (2017)
American Society of Civil Engineers Scholarship Recipient (2015)
