College of Arts and Sciences

On this week’s episode of Segue, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s weekly radio program exploring the lives and work of the people on campus and beyond, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Kevin Leonard, PhD, interviews Adriana Martinez, PhD, associate professor in the Departments of Geography and Geographic Information Sciences, and Environmental Sciences.

This episode of Segue airs at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12. Listeners can tune into WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound or siue.edu/wsie.

Martinez earned a bachelor’s in environmental geosciences in 2005 and a master’s in geography, specializing in fluvial geomorphology, in 2008, both from Texas A&M University. She then went on to earn a PhD in geography in 2013 from the University of Oregon, before joining the SIUE faculty in the fall of 2013.

Her research focuses on the influence of human activities along river systems, and her current work examines the influence of the U.S.-Mexico Border Fence on flooding and the fluvial geomorphology of the Rio Grande River. She is also currently involved in projects regarding archaeological sites in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and environmental justice in the St. Louis Metro East.

“Welcome to Segue, Dr. Martinez,” begins Leonard. “How did you become interested in geography and environmental sciences?”

“I grew up in South Texas along the Rio Grande River, and my parents owned a property in Eagle Pass, Texas with a creek running through it,” says Martinez. “I spent my days playing and fishing in the creek, and watching it flood as it would rain. I was fascinated by moving water, and that really got me interested in geography and environmental sciences and how humans interact with their environment.”

Leonard asks, “Was there a pivotal moment in which you realized that you wanted to devote your career to this area?”

“When I was in high school, I took AP Environmental Science and my teacher took us outside to identify plants in the desert and to the Rio Grande River monthly to test the water for pollutants and contaminants,” explains Martinez. “This allowed us to look at the river from a completely different perspective.”

Martinez credits her passion for environmental science to her interest in and fascination with the textbook for the AP course.

“I wanted to absorb all the facts it listed about water quality or managing our different ecosystems. That’s what made me choose an environmental geoscience major at Texas A&M,” she says.

“Were there important individuals who encouraged and supported you as you pursued your career in this field?” inquires Leonard.

 “I had a lot of really neat professors who helped me whenever they saw opportunities,” Martinez replies. “For example, as an undergraduate, I had professors who would reach out to me because they knew I was applying for graduate school and would offer help with the application process.”

Martinez was inspired by her advisor as who was not only one of the few women in sciences, but also had many students who were women.

“There are so few women who actually study rivers, so I found that really inspiring to be advised by a person that really was a pioneer in the discipline,” she explains. “All of these people supported me as I was an undergraduate and graduate student and encouraged me to pursue academics.”

In early 2021, Martinez was awarded the 2021-23 Hoppe Research Professor Award. The Hoppe Award recognizes and supports SIUE faculty members whose research or creative activities have the promise of making significant contributions to their field of study. The award supports a significant portion of a faculty member’s research agenda for a two-year period.

Tune in at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12, to WSIE 88.7 The Sound to hear the entire conversation.