The Next Generation of Women in STEM

ACRT Services is proud to embrace women in a traditionally male-dominated field. One individual is Rachel Bienemann, who serves as ACRT Services’ laboratory supervisor and diagnostician.

From a young age, Bienemann knew she had a calling in biology. She remembers garnering an initial interest in marine biology from her childhood role model Rachel Carson, a marine biologist, author, and conservationist.

Bienemann eventually redirected her interest to ecology and conservation and later specialized in plant health management. She followed her dreams and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Plant Health Management from The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research & Development Center.

Now, as a young woman in STEM, Bienemann describes her mentors in the science, technology, engineering, and math field as professors and lab personnel she’s worked with at various universities.

To advance our Research, Science, & Innovation department, Bienemann is using the advice and skills from her mentors to conserve and preserve. Her work focuses on logging and processing plant and insect samples collected in the field, identifying whether those samples are rare, threatened, and endangered species, then providing biological data to clients.

After taking a minute to reflect, Bienemann shared, “If I was talking to my younger self, I’d tell her, ‘Even if people say you can’t — you can.’ Ask for help and keep pushing forward.”

Whether it’s dealing with ecology and conservation or searching for professional advice, Bienemann also stresses the importance of young professionals, like herself, seeking out industry participation, like the Utility Arborists Association and International Society of Arborists.