Rachel W. Obbard
Adjunct Associate Professor
Appointments
Adjunct Associate Professor
Senior Lecturer
Area of Expertise
Microstructure of sea ice,
Materials characterization,
Instrument design for polar research,
Microplastics in the marine environment,
Social implications of technology,
Sports engineering,
Scientific writing,
Science writing
Biography
Dr. Obbard's background is in engineering and her field and laboratory research has focused primarily on the microstructure of sea ice and on instrument design for planetary polar research. Although she has spent more than a decade leading grant‑funded research projects, her core mission at Dartmouth is to teach and mentor students in the writing classroom. Her teaching interests and writing classes focus on the social implications of technology.
Education
Ph.D. Engineering, Dartmouth College
M.S. Materials Science and Engineering, University of New Hampshire
B.S. Engineering Physics, Colorado School of Mines
Publications
Remotely monitored buoys for observing the growth and development of sea ice in situ. R. Obbard, A. Bradley, I. Rigor (2022) Journal of Oceanic and Atmospheric Technology. https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-20-0183.1
Emerging Capabilities for Mars Exploration: Whitepaper #315 Submitted to the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032. C. Edwards, M. J. Amato, J. D. Baker, N. J. Barba, J. Balaram, E. J. Brandon, P. Briggs, B. D. Davis, J. C. Day, A. Freeman, M. R. Grover, G. S. Hubbard, D. B. Lavery, L. Mandrake, L. H. Matthies, G. Meirion-Griffith, M. M. Munk, I. A. Nesnas, R. W. Obbard, M. Ono, M. A. Peck, V. Stamenković, S. A. Townes, T. G. Trenkle, E. Venkatapathy, and K. A. Zacny (2021) Bulletin of the AAAS. https://doi.org/10.3847/25c2cfeb.e7f8e763
Micro computed tomography for in situ analysis of subsurface structure. R. W. Obbard, P. Sarrazin, N. T. Vo, J. Palmowski, P. Ngo, K. Zacny, Z. Begland (2021) 2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference (50100), pp. 1-10, doi: 10.1109/AERO50100.2021.9438421 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9438421
In situ microCT for planetary exploration: Whitepaper #190 Submitted to the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032. P. Sarrazin, R. Obbard, N. Vo, K. Zacny, N. Hinman, B. Lafuente, J. Chen, D. Blake, T. Bristow, E. Rampe, S. Byrne, S. Eckley (2021) Bulletin of the AAAS. https://doi.org/10.3847/25c2cfeb.9d6a5500
Towards the Integrated Marine Debris Observing System. N. Maximenko, P. Corradi, K. Lavender Law, E. Van Sebille, S. P. Garaba, R. S. Lampitt, F. Galgani, V. Martinez-Vicente, L. Goddijn-Murphy, J. M. Veiga, R. C. Thompson, C. Maes, D. Moller, C. Regina Löscher, A. M. Addamo, M. Lamson, L. R. Centurioni, N. Posth, R. Lumpkin, M. Vinci, A. M. Martins, C. D. Pieper, A. Isobe, G. Hanke, M. Edwards, I. P. Chubarenko, E. Rodriguez, S. Aliani, M. Arias, G. P. Asner, A. Brosich, J. T. Carlton, Y. Chao, A.-M. Cook, A. Cundy, T. S. Galloway, A. Giorgetti, G. J. Goni, Y. Guichoux, B. D. Hardesty, N. Holdsworth, L. Lebreton, H. A. Leslie, I. Macadam-Somer, T. Mace, M. Manuel, R. Marsh, E. Martinez, D. Mayor, M. Le Moigne, M. E. M. Jack, M. C. Mowlem, R. W. Obbard, K. Pabortsava, B. Robberson, A.-E. Rotaru, M. T. Spedicato, M. Thiel, A. Turra, C. Wilcox Frontiers in Marine Science. Front. Mar. Sci., 28 August 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00447
A Network Model for Characterizing Brine Channels in Sea Ice. R. M. Lieb-Lappen, D. D. Kumar, S. D. Pauls, R. W. Obbard. The Cryosphere. DOI:10.5194/tc-2017-169
The first physical evidence of subglacial volcanism under the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. N. Iverson, R. Lieb-Lappen, N. W. Dunbar, R. Obbard, E. Kim, E. Golden. Scientific Reports 7: 11457 (2017) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11515-3
Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Salts in Natural Sea Ice. R.W. Obbard, R. Lieb-Lappen, K. V. Nordick, E. J. Golden, J. R. Leonard, A. Lanzirotti, M. G. Newville. Earth and Space Science. 11/30/16 DOI:10.1002/2016EA000172
X-ray computed microtomography of sea ice. R. Obbard (2015) Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., 15, 13167-13171. http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/15/13167/2015/acpd-15-13167-2015…
Microplastics in Polar Regions: the role of long range transport. R. W. Obbard. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health. Volume 1, February 2018, Pages 24–29 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2017.10.004 - INVITED
Global warming releases microplastic legacy frozen in Arctic Sea Ice. R. Obbard, S. Sadri, Y.-Q. Wong, A. A. Khitun, I. Baker and R. C. Thompson (2014) Earth's Future, 2 (6), 315-320. doi: 10.1002/2014EF000240
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