A first year PhD student from Herefordshire, who is studying at the University of Worcester, has received a prestigious award for her work.
Rebecca Collins, from Bromyard, was awarded the Geological Remote Sensing Group (GRSG) Student Award.
The award, which comes with a £750 prize, aims to recognise and reward students for their outstanding work and who are engaged in geoscientific research.
Rebecca's work, which is in its early stages, is looking into using a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) to create very high resolution digital elevation models of the eroding faces of a number of river banks.
The data she collects will enable Rebecca to track the evolution of the natural roughness of a riverbank, and in combination with meteorological data like rainfall, air temperature and water level, she can identify the meteorological conditions responsible for the most significant changes in the form roughness.
Rebecca, aged 31, who has two children, is a self-funded student and says the award is very important to her.
"It means a great deal," she said. "I am a mother of two with a job and all the commitments that come with that. Being recognised in this way is an uplifting validation that I am performing the cutting edge research I have been hoping to be part of. It also helps alleviate the pressures associated with funding my own studies."
The money that comes with the award will help Rebecca to fund the costs of a training course in Spain which will equip her with the necessary skills for data processing.