BGS people – Rachel Bell, a tenacious hydrogelogist

For two weeks at the beginning of July I got the opportunity to meet a whole bunch of interesting people at the British Geological Survey and speak with them about what they do, why they enjoy it and why it’s interesting. It’s been a great opportunity for me to geek out at all the amazing things the BGS is doing and the brilliant people who work there.

Rachel Bell is a hydrogeologist, which means she is interested in water. Specifically she is interested in the quanity and quality of water held in rocks underground and as such has spent a lot of her career in an out of various rivers, lakes and other water bodies collecting data. She is also a great example of someone who really chased her dream, overcoming setbacks in her career that many others would have seen as the end of the road.  You can read the post here.

Rachel Bell collecting data

BGS people – Dr Rob Ward, a groundwater guru

For two weeks at the beginning of July I got the opportunity to meet a whole bunch of interesting people at the British Geological Survey and speak with them about what they do, why they enjoy it and why it’s interesting. It’s been a great opportunity for me to geek out at all the amazing things the BGS is doing and the brilliant people who work there.

Dr Rob Ward has one of the toughest jobs in the BGS. He is the Director of Groundwater Science, which means he oversees a large and diverse team of scientists and engineers, all trying to unravel the mysteries of groundwater (also see Stephanie Zihms). He has also in the past been called to be a part of SAGE (the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) particularly during the terrible flooding in Somerset earlier this year. You can read the post here.

Dr Rob Ward with the amazing sand tank model he and his team use in outreach events!

BGS people – Caroline Graham, a rock star physicist

For two weeks at the beginning of July I got the opportunity to meet a whole bunch of interesting people at the British Geological Survey and speak with them about what they do, why they enjoy it and why it’s interesting. It’s been a great opportunity for me to geek out at all the amazing things the BGS is doing and the brilliant people who work there.

Dr Caroline Graham is described at the BGS as the ‘rock star physicist’, only better than the other one because she has actual rocks! She spends her time studying geomechanics – which is how rocks behave under pressure and how they break apart – she has even listened to the sounds that rocks make as they fracture and discovered that some rocks make a specific sound just before they break!! Now she spends her time examining critical rock resources like those we may use to dispose of radioactive waste or store carbon. You can read the post here.

Dr Caroline Graham working in a salt mine.

 

 

BGS people – Tim Kearsey, a curious sedimentologist

For two weeks at the beginning of July I got the opportunity to meet a whole bunch of interesting people at the British Geological Survey and speak with them about what they do, why they enjoy it and why it’s interesting. It’s been a great opportunity for me to geek out at all the amazing things the BGS is doing and the brilliant people who work there.

Dr Tim Kearsey used to be a PhD student at Plymouth University and now spends his time investigating Tetrapods, examining uncertainty in 3D models and exploring the sedimentology of many countries around the world. You can read the post here.

Dr Tim Kearsey examining sedimentary cores

BGS people – Keith Ambrose, a geology champion

For two weeks at the beginning of July I got the opportunity to meet a whole bunch of interesting people at the British Geological Survey and speak with them about what they do, why they enjoy it and why it’s interesting. It’s been a great opportunity for me to geek out at all the amazing things the BGS is doing and the brilliant people who work there.

Here is the fourth post on the inspiring Keith Ambrose. Keith has worked for the BGS for nearly 40 years and along the way has become a leading advocate for preserving our geological heritage. Check out the post here.

Now that’s a geology desk – maps and rocks everywhere!