Atekwana grew up in Cameroon and obtained her B.S. in Geology from Howard University in 1983 as a first-generation college student.[3] At Howard University, Atekwana started in a pre-med program before switching to a geology major.[3] She credits a teacher in the 1970s for inspiring her to pursue geology when they said that girls weren't suited for field work.[3] Estella Atekwana has overcome every stereotype she has been faced with. Lauletta-Boshart et al. (2022) wrote that throughout school she was told that she was just a woman from Central Africa, which somehow meant she would never accomplish anything. She took it upon herself to prove them wrong, and later became so well known for her research in biogeophysics and made a difference at every college campus she visited. (Lauletta-Boshart et al. 2022).[6] After earning her B.S., Atekwana completed an M.S. in geology, also at Howard University in 1986. In 1991, Atekwana completed a Ph.D. in Geophysics at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.[1] After completing graduate school, she became an assistant professor at Western Michigan University.[3] On a sabbatical in 1999, Atekwaka was a visiting professor at the University of Botswana.[5] After leaving Western Michigan University in 2003, she taught at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis and Missouri University of Science and Technology before starting at Oklahoma State University's Boone Pickens School of Geology in 2007.[5]
While working toward their goal, a team of geophysicists including Atekwana set out to Air Force bases to examine the hydrocarbon-contaminated environments. The group tested many parts of land in hopes to find hydrocarbon reservoirs, but instead came across something that had never been thoroughly tested or identified. After finding that the ground was electrically conductive, this group had to put their heads together to attempt to draw a conclusion. As this group of scholars worked together, they came up with the conclusion that electrical conductivity was caused by many different "things". During this experimental test, Atekwana found that different studies were so closely intertwined and had no idea, which is the start of biogeophysics.[11]
Atekwana is a pioneer in the multidisciplinary field of Biogeophysics, which uses geophysics to understand the biogeochemical interactions occurring at contaminated sites.[12] Atekwana's biogeophysical research investigates the effects of microbial-mediated processes on geological media.[13][14] Some of her research evaluates the utility and resolution of in situ resistivity measurements combined with surface geoelectrical measurements to map contaminant distribution in the subsurface.[15] Atekwana also uses the geoelectric and geophysical signatures of contaminated sites to investigate relationships between biological processes and their impact on electrical properties of geologic material.[16][17]
Atekwana also uses geophysics to investigate tectonic processes.[1] Her geophysical studies reveal crust and upper mantle structures that inform the geodynamic processes associated with incipient rifting of continental crust. [18] For example, Atekwana and colleagues show how geophysically imaged pre-existing basement structures in Malawi and Botswana influenced strain localization during early rifting.[19] Another case study from the nascent Okavango rift in northwest Botswana provides evidence that pre-existing basement structures control rifting.[20]
Atekwana is also involved in a project to use smartphones with geophysical sensors to potentially provide a more affordable approach to the acquisition of geophysical data, highlighting the application at academic institutions with limited access to expensive geophysical equipment.[21]
Works
Atekwana was involved in helping the writing of many geoscience journals such as:
Bacterial Stern layer diffusion: experimental determination with spectral induced polarization and sensitivity to nitrite toxicity[22]
High-resolution magnetic susceptibility measurements for investigating magnetic mineral formation during microbial mediated iron reduction[23]
The Microbial Community Structure in Petroleum-Contaminated Sediments Corresponds to Geophysical Signatures[24]
Awards and honors
Reginald Fessenden Award from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (2021)[25].
Atekwana, Estella A; Sauck, William A; Werkema, Douglas D (May 2000). "Investigations of geoelectrical signatures at a hydrocarbon contaminated site". Journal of Applied Geophysics. 44 (2–3): 167–180. Bibcode:2000JAG....44..167A. doi:10.1016/S0926-9851(98)00033-0.
^Atekwana, Estella A; Sauck, William A; Werkema, Douglas D (May 2000). "Investigations of geoelectrical signatures at a hydrocarbon contaminated site". Journal of Applied Geophysics. 44 (2–3): 167–180. Bibcode:2000JAG....44..167A. doi:10.1016/S0926-9851(98)00033-0.
^Atekwana, Estella A; Sauck, William A; Werkema, Douglas D (2000). "Investigations of geoelectrical signatures at a hydrocarbon contaminated site". Journal of Applied Geophysics. 44 (2–3): 167–180. Bibcode:2000JAG....44..167A. doi:10.1016/S0926-9851(98)00033-0.