Christopher Adkison Email & Phone Number

Costa Mesa. California

With Geosyntec I am able to provide innovative solutions to a suite of environmental issues for clients in both the public and private sector. I assist with and manage projects that fall into three main practice areas, including ecosystem science and management, biogeochemistry & water quality, and environmental statistics. My contributions at Geosyntec have included ecological restoration, natural resource surveys, climate resiliency studies, statistical analysis & database support, best management practice (BMP) implementation strategies, environmental media sampling and instrumentation design, along with regulatory compliance at the federal, state, and municipal levels for various client locations.

Bryan/College Station, Texas Area

I worked in the Moore Ecohydrology Laboratory providing technical assistance to research projects in hydrology and ecosystem science. This typically requires the construction and installation of sap flow systems, installation and maintenance of eddy covariance systems, and collection of various environmental media (soil, twigs, surface water) for chemical analysis. My thesis specifically focuses on comparing the stable isotope and sap flow methods for partitioning evapotranspiration in a mixed-oak deciduous forest to better understand how forests play a role in regulating the hydrologic cycle. In addition to lab work and research, I also instructed an undergraduate laboratory -- ESSM 405 Forest Resource Assessment and Management -- to approximately 20 students.

Aiken, South Carolina

I performed advanced modeling of radionuclide fate and transport in soil and groundwater using the GoldSim Contaminant Transport Model to assist with developing model scenarios for decommissioning and deactivation (D&D) of a former nuclear materials processing facility on the Savannah River Site. To holistically aid in the D&D process I also performed engineering calculations, drafted formal reports, tables, and figures, developed source terms, inventories, and potential preferential flow paths for model simulation, all while engaging with stakeholders, interacting with customers, and effectively communicating with all parties.

Edgewater, Maryland

My role as an intern at SERC allowed me to work with an incredible group of scientists and conduct research on methane fluxes between C3, C4, and mixed salt marshes in the Chesapeake Bay Global Change Research Wetland (GCREW). To do so I designed and built steady-state gas flux sampling chambers and installed them in the field for remote continuous data collection. I also soldered, assembled, and programmed an Arduino based data-logging system and manifold that controlled the flux chambers, which were attached to a Los Gatos Research cavity enhanced absorption spectroscope (CEAS) for analysis of CH4 and CO2 fluxes, respectively. To characterize the subsurface, I collected soil gas, groundwater, and porewater samples and analyzed them with gas chromatography and ion chromatography for methane, sulfate, and chloride. In addition, I also collected desktop data on diurnal tidal patterns, atmospheric and meteorological data to help extrapolate meaningful conclusions from raw data results. All statistical analyses were conducted in RStudio with scripts developed by a SERC post-doctoral student and amended by myself.

San Antonio, Texas Area

In the environmental engineering laboratories, I assisted with research related to stormwater treatment using bioretention and sand filter basins in San Antonio, TX. Throughout my experience I aided in column experiment construction and testing using various soil media, analysis of water quality samples for TSS, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, phosphorus and nitrogen, as well as the collection of stormwater samples using an ISCO stormwater sampler.

San Antonio, Texas Area

With the UTSA Department of Geology River Science Laboratory, I was able to assist numerous graduate students and professors with research on the influences of sand on gravel bedload transport in the San Antonio River, as well as characterization and particle size distribution of bed material in the San Antonio River. Most of my time was spent using wet/dry sieving techniques and the hydrometer method to create particle size distributions of field samples, as well as keeping detailed data logs and chain of custody forms for the lab administration. To a lesser extent I also managed data into spreadsheets and produced visualizations of laboratory results.

San Antonio, Texas Area

Working with SAWS allowed me to gain invaluable skills in data management, environmental planning, and customer service that was a direct result of their unique approach to water resource management and conservation in the city of San Antonio. During my time at SAWS I conducted the first large scale statistical evaluation of rain barrel programs as a conservation tool in the industry, and assisted with the implementation and management of the WaterSmart and WaterWisely Programs under the Conservation Resource Analyst and Planner III. Daily tasks included creating technical tables, figures, and reports using Microsoft Word, Excel, and Access, using the Salesforce CRM platform to navigate program transactions and aggregate customer interactions, and assisting Field Technical Consultants with irrigation consultation appointments. I very frequently communicated in writing and through oral presentations the results and findings of my projects at SAWS, performed basic administrative and office duties (using printers, scanners, Microsoft Office Suite, filing of sensitive customer data), and to a minor extent interacted with the public over telephone.

San Antonio, Texas Area

While working with the San Antonio River Authority I conducted various aquatic biological assessments in the San Antonio River Basin, including Fish Community and Physical Habitat Assessments, Endangered Species Surveys, and Rapid Bioassessment Protocols. To supplement these assessments, I collected grab samples for water quality testing, and used multiparameter water quality sondes to collect point data in the field on pH, specific conductivity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen levels of surface water. When not in the field I dedicated my time to assisting in the NELAP accredited environmental laboratory analyzing water samples (TSS, TDS, BOD, Ammonia, TKN) by EPA CWA Approved Analytical Methods, and entering environmental data into the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). All duties were carried out in accordance with TCEQ Surface Water Quality Monitoring Procedures and SARA Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

Asheville, North Carolina Area

For my second summer in Asheville I acted as the point of contact (POC) for the Bent Creek Experimental Forest Seasonal Prescribed Burn Study. This entailed various technical tasks such as identifying herpetofauna, small mammals, and vegetation of the Southern Appalachian Mountains Region, as well as collecting data on the organisms themselves and on habitat characteristics (coarse woody debris, leaf litter depth, canopy cover). I built, installed, and maintained pitfall and funnel traps in the forest, trained volunteers to help with research, and assisted other foresters in nearby forests and game lands such as DuPont State Forest, Cold Mountain Game Lands Regional Oak Study, and Green River Game Lands.

Asheville, North Carolina Area

With the USFS I assisted two graduate students from the University of Texas at San Antonio and one graduate student from North Carolina State University with research related to prescribed fire and silvicultural treatments in regards to oak regeneration efforts and quantifying the possible unintended consequences of fauna mortality. This took the ability to identify herpetofauna, small mammals, and vegetation of the Southern Appalachian Region as well as the physical ability to hike for long hours and in demanding terrain. I assisted in the installation and maintenance of pitfall and funnel traps, as well as the collection of habitat data at various field sites. I utilized standard field equipment such as shovels, Pulaski’s, field vehicles, and GPS units to carry out daily tasks. Some of my time was also spent assisting a bat ecologist by calibrating and maintaining ANABAT systems for bat sonar data collection.

Master Of Science - Ms, Ecosystem Science And Management, Concentration In Hydrology

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Environmental Science, Graduation With Leadership Honors