Rachel Tenney is a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in the department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering at UMN. She works under Drs. Paige Novak and Timothy LaPara and is studying nitrogen removal in rural wastewater treatment ponds. Rachel’s research focuses on elucidating fundamental mechanisms of nitrogen cycling with the goal of developing sustainable, practical methods for nutrient management in rural, low-infrastructure areas.  

Rachel grew up in Albany, NY and graduated from Lafayette College (Easton, PA) in 2018 with a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. As a Clare Boothe Luce Scholar and recipient of the Daniel P. O’Neil Award at Lafayette, Rachel studied non-Newton liquid mixing and conducted an honors research project on nutrient recovery from municipal wastewater in the form of fertilizer.  

Rachel will be able to use her ARCS Scholar Award to participate in geographically diverse conferences, which will allow her to expand her academic and industrial networks and take advantage of invaluable professional-development opportunities. She also plans to continue to pursue her passion for mentorship, promoting visibility, and developing community among groups underrepresented in engineering.