Rachel is a second-year Master of Public Policy student specializing in Energy and the Environment, with a focus on climate adaptation and resilience strategies. She spent the past summer working with the Coastal States Organization, researching and supporting coastal resilience efforts and advocacy at the state and federal levels.
Before UChicago, Rachel completed her B.A. in International Studies at the University of Washington, where she conducted research on urban climate policy and the emotional impacts of climate change. She then worked as a project manager for a large healthcare software company, before heading back to school to focus fully on climate issues. She is looking forward to putting her academic and professional experiences to work to help bridge the gap between science, policy, and implementation to help communities build resilience to climate change.
Rachel is also Co-Managing Editor and writer for the Harris School’s Chicago Policy Review.
“Attending CERAWeek as part of the UChicago student delegation pushed me out of my comfort zone, in ways both expected and unexpected. Presenting on Innovator’s Row at CERAWeek was at first intimidating, but it unexpectedly became a highlight of the conference, providing an opportunity to engage with professionals across the energy industry. It was a rare chance to discuss analysis I’d done as a policy student with practitioners, and their questions gave me fruitful ideas for future analysis on nuclear energy’s position in clean energy legislation.
I left the conference thinking about the role that policy can and must play to push the industry on a path as fast-paced and sustainable as climate change demands, and where I can contribute to that as a future policy professional focused on climate change.
The breadth of energy topics and perspectives at CERAWeek provided insight into how the industry is considering the current energy challenge, from both leaders and innovators. The Geothermal House in particular was a fascinating look at a potential path to decarbonizing the energy sector.”