Rachel’s background is in biology and public education. She enjoys connecting people with information they need to understand and make informed decisions.

Rachel has a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M University. Her experience includes: co-leading a national community science program to educate the public about Chagas disease vectors, working as a public health epidemiologist, field and laboratory work throughout the Americas, and science outreach presentations to audiences of all ages.

Rachel's answers to a few questions about working with the District:

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

I love that every day is completely different, and that I get to see so many people and parts of the County. Last month, there was a day that I spent the morning at Mori Point in Pacifica as a guest presenter for a Skyline College class, and then that evening I was giving a presentation about tick-bite prevention to a community group in Kings’ Mountain. In between, I was scheduling elementary school mosquito presentations and working with a graduate student on a project to better understand how to more effectively teach people about ticks.

What do you wish more people knew about mosquitoes and other vectors?

I am always showing people what mosquito larvae look like (see this video from our friends at San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District).  So many people think they are tadpoles.  I met a parent who thought they had found tadpoles in water in their backyard and brought them inside so their kids could watch them grow up into frogs.  After seeing our mosquito larvae at an event, she said “now it makes sense why there were no frogs, but we had mosquitoes in the house!”

What is the most surprising mosquito source?

Before starting at the District, I had no idea how often leaks under houses are the source of water for mosquitoes to breed.  It’s not uncommon for our staff to be checking neighborhoods for water sources and find a leak under a home that mosquitoes have found first!  Whether it’s a leak of clean water or wastewater, these water leaks can sometimes go unnoticed for months by the people living in the home (how often do most people check underneath their house?).  In those weeks and months, mosquitoes can enter through gaps around the crawlspace door, cracks in the foundation around pipes, or through broken vent screens.  These under-home sources can be a significant source of mosquitoes in a neighborhood.  Our staff alert the residents, and we can control the mosquito population in the meantime of the owner getting the pipes fixed.

You work with a lot of students – any favorite moments from the classes you’ve visited?

One of my favorite moments was when I was explaining to a class of 3rd graders that storm drains are great places for some kinds of mosquitoes to grow (especially the ‘house mosquito,’ which can spread West Nile virus).  And that broken storm drains are particularly ‘good’ for mosquitoes to grow because they hold water in a way that functional drains should not.  I was explaining that in the City of San Mateo, we have many old, broken storm drains, which means our team must do some extra work in that City so that mosquitoes cannot grow in those drainpipe systems.  A student (shout out to Matias!) very thoughtfully asked “Why don’t they just fix the drains??”  Which was a great question!  I was so impressed that he had quietly done a root cause analysis of the issue, as an 8-year-old!  It was just after a special vote by the property owners in San Mateo to dedicate funds to updating the storm drain system, so I tied in a lesson about voting and that the adults had actually just (barely) passed a vote that would, in fact, help address the root cause.  It was mosquitoes, critical thinking, and civics all in one lesson – something I love to encourage when in the classroom!

Where is the best view in the County?

Whoever placed the community colleges did an amazing job.  The view of the Bay from the College of San Mateo is incredible.  And there is an astounding view of Pacifica and the Pacific Ocean from Bay Area Ridge Trail behind Building 12 at Skyline College – WORTH the drive (and chance to see one of the amazing community colleges we have!).  I’ve not been to Cañada College yet – anyone have a great view for me to see there?(email me at rcurtis@smcmvcd.org)

What residents have to say about Rachel