"The Award recognises final year students and celebrates academic excellence within a field related to Cornwall. Rachel completed her dissertation on landslide susceptibility in Cornwall, having identified a clear gap in the literature."
“Having seen first-hand the rate at which the north coast of Cornwall is retreating, with fairly regular rock falls, I was already interested in monitoring coastline retreat and predicting risk but when three landslides occurred at the Eden Project, an inland site, I was determined to learn which environmental factors have contributed most to past landslides and therefore predict areas at risk of future landslides.
Given landslide occurrence is only going to increase with accelerating climate change, and Cornwall is heavily reliant on the coast and tourist attractions, such as the Eden Project, for financial income, I’m thrilled to have won the Sir Geoffrey Holland Memorial prize and hope my dissertation provided an useful insight into areas at risk of future landslides and may help stakeholders avoid future economic and personal losses.”
- Rachel Poppleton
A huge well done to Rachel for winning the annual Sir Geoffrey Holland Award this year!
See the full University of Exeter Cornwall article here.