USGS Mendenhall Fellow Erin Benson in the Field

Erin Benson is a USGS Mendenhall Fellow who received her PhD in Earth and Climate Science from Duke University and is now tracking the spatiotemporal evolution of a world-class carbonatite rare earth element deposit at Mountain Pass, California. 

“Working as a Mendenhall Fellow has provided the opportunity to continue my favorite parts of research from my Ph.D., while working on challenging new area of my field. Scientific research with the USGS is well-supported; I've appreciated the access to numerous research laboratories run by excellent scientists who enjoy collaborative work. Coming from a small Earth Science department with extremely broad research interests during my Ph.D., I've also enjoyed discussions with scientists working on diverse problems in my field.”