Rachel Zobel

Graduate Student, University of Pennsylvania

Rachel is a Master of Environmental Studies candidate with a concentration in Environmental Biology at the University of Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Prior to her graduate studies, she attended Gwynedd Mercy University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. At Gwynedd Mercy University, Rachel participated in ecological research focusing on macroinvertebrate diversity and stream health as well as studying the metabolic pathways utilized by microbes for plastic degradation. Throughout her time at Gwynedd Mercy University and University of Pennsylvania, Rachel worked or interned for the Philadelphia Zoo, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the United States Department of Agriculture, New Jersey Department of Agriculture, and Delaware State Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Currently, her main focus is aquatic biology research. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, community service, and traveling. Her most recent trip was to Puerto Rico to study the effects of natural disasters on ecology around the entire island. Her next trip is to India to study water sanitation in schools.