Postdoctoral Fellows
Sophie Hill
Sophie Hill is a Postdoctoral Fellow researching human influence on the water cycle and how to actively represent it in the education and outreach resources that are widely available. This includes creating representations of the water cycle that highlight human impacts, using place-based examples, and incorporating seasonal patterns and long-term changes in climate. She worked for 7 years as a K-12 math/science teacher and is the mom of 3 boys.
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Raymond Lee
Raymond Lee is a Postdoctoral Fellow researching ecological (terrestrial, aquatic, and glacial) and social responses to anthropogenic disturbances from the plot scale to the continental scale.
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PhD/MS Students
Sara Sayedi
Sara Sayedi is a Ph.D. student working on combining expert opinions to assess risk of dangerous change in Earth systems (permafrost collapse, global wildfire, and water security).
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Qiwen Zhang
Qiwen Zhang is a Ph.D. student working on using Arctic river networks as multi-scale sensors to reveal terrestrial and aquatic signals of ecosystem change.
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Brian Brown
Brian Brown is a Master’s Student in Environmental Science. His undergraduate degree (BYU ‘19) was in Bioinformatics with a minor in Computer Science.
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Adam Norris
Adam Norris is an M.S student studying soil fire responses and nutrient cycling following the Mt. Nebo Megafire of 2018.
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Leslie Lange
Leslie Lange is an Environmental Science MS student from Modesto,California. She is studying different approaches to increasing science literacy in the public and reducing waterborne pathogens.
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Sam Bratsman
Sam Bratsman is an M.S. student working on eutrophication in Utah Lake and the effects of climate change in the Abbott and Aanderud labs.
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Isabella Errigo
Isabella Errigo is an M.S. student studying the effects of wildfire on aquatic biodiversity in the Frandsen and Abbott labs. She is interested in the interactions between human policy and ecosystem sustainability.
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Aria McComber
Aria is a master's student in Environmental Science. She is interested in corporate sustainability, environmental health, international development, and environmental economics. Before being recruited by BYU's volleyball team, she received a degree in business administration from Washington State University.
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Undergraduate Students
Haley Moon
Haley Moon is the field manager in the Abbott Lab. She is a senior from Sandy, Utah studying Environmental Science and Sustainability, with minors in Geology and Western American Studies. She loves exploring National Parks, reading, and watching John Wayne movies.
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Justin Lemke - Lab Manager
Justin is the lab manager in the Abbott Lab and an undergraduate student from Los Alamos, New Mexico studying Microbiology. He has a strong infinity for conservation and ecology. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, backpacking, cooking and watching videos of dogs for mental health.
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Zach Eliason - Data Manager
Zach is the data manager in the Abbott Lab and an undergraduate student in Bioinformatics from Provo, UT. He has strong interests in ecology and conservation.
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Sarah Chan - Assistant Manager
Sarah is a junior majoring in Environmental Science. She developed a passion for environmental science during her time at the School of Environmental Studies in Minnesota. While there, she was able to participate in a high altitude physiology field study which took her to Tlachichuca, Mexico to climb Pico de Orizaba. Since then, she has transferred to BYU and has taken many classes which have expanded her interest in the environment, such as environmental biology, soil science, and chemistry.
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Kallin Austin
Kallin is a junior at BYU studying exercise science and preparing to apply to medical school. He is a member of the BYU Army ROTC and is planning on commissioning as a 2nd lieutenant in the United States Army in the spring of 2022.
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Addison Bliss
Addison is an undergraduate from Peoria, Arizona majoring in Environmental Science. She is interested in improving community and individual health by establishing gardening programs in environments such as elementary schools and urban areas. She can’t wait to encourage others to get their hands dirty and nurture the world beneath their feet. She loves reading, gardening, cooking, drawing, hiking, and meditating.
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Sarah Buening
Sarah is a freshman at BYU and who is excited to gain experience in environmental research and sustainability efforts. She is interested in studying correlations between human and environmental health and advocating for stronger environmental protection policies, particularly reducing air and water pollution. She wants to ensure that our beautiful planet is healthy and strong!
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Emma Bulter
Emma is an undergraduate student from Gaithersburg, Maryland studying biology. She has a strong interest in animals and veterinary medicine. In her spare time she likes to bake, play basketball, and watch movies. She loves visiting national parks and being in nature.
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Taylor Chattin
Taylor is a sophomore in BYU’s wildlife and wildlands conservation major. She has aspirations of becoming a zoo curator and working with manatees.
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Vivine Chen
Vivine is an undergraduate student from upstate New York studying Environmental Science. She enjoys to collecting and organizing data from different experiments. She likes to use her phone to stay connected and to be socially aware.
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Elisabeth Currit
Elisabeth is sophomore from Texas majoring in environmental science and minoring in international development. She loves hiking (especially in Great Basin National Park), reading, mountains, and she plans on getting a PhD someday.
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Madalynn Drennan
Madalynn is an undergraduate studying Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation. She is from Dallas,Texas and loves hiking in Zion National Park.
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Danny Dudley
Danny is an undergraduate from Lake Tahoe, NV studying Strategic Management and Environmental Science. He loves listening to music, biking, reading, and spending time outdoors. He is passionate about the impact of environmental policy on people and places.
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Sara Frutos
Sara is an undergraduate from Corning, New York studying Environmental Science and Sustainability. She is passionate about protecting and preserving the beauty of the Earth. She hopes to bring sustainable practices to developing countries and improve their quality of life. She enjoys music, watching movies, hiking, and New York-style pizza.
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Mitchell Greenhalgh
Mitchell Greenhalgh is a senior studying environmental science and statistics. He is a lab manager in the Abbott Lab. He has experience in R and ArcGIS and introductory experience in Python, SAS, and SQL.
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Jacob Gudmundsen
Jacob Gudmundsen is an undergraduate student majoring in Economics and minoring in Environmental Science. He has a strong passion for connecting the interests of economic growth with environmental stewardship.
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Margaret Hancock
Margaret is a sophomore from the San Francisco Bay Area majoring in Nutritional Science and minoring in Chemistry. She is planning to go into medicine.
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Brigham Jewkes
Brigham Jewkes is an undergraduate Biology student with aspirations of becoming a dentist and an advocate for environmental health.
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Whitney Kingsolver
Whitney is an undergraduate student from Orem, Utah and she is studying Biodiversity and Conservation. She has always had a passion for protecting the environment. She enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and roller skating!
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Lexanne Klimes
Lexanne is an undergraduate from Minnesota studying Environmental Science and Portuguese. She is interested in plants and water ecology, and hopes to help conserve river systems and prevent pollution in Latin America.
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Shannon Lambson
Shannon Lambson is a sophomore undergraduate studying Environmental Science and Sustainability. Her interests include wildlife conservation, improving women’s health in developing countries, and watching reruns of the Crocodile Hunter.
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Ethan McQuhae
Ethan is an undergraduate from Fort Worth, Texas, studying Environmental Science and Sustainability. He is an avid lover of all things plantae. In his free time he loves to hike, eat pizza, and hunt for new plants he hasn’t seen before. He hopes to help others understand the importance of plants in the environment and how we can be better stewards of our great, big planet.
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Kylee Mecate
Kylee is a first-year undergraduate from Imperial, California. She’s majoring in Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation, and she’s always had a passion for animals.
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Marina Merritt
Marina Merritt is an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering. Her goal is to learn man-made as well as natural processes involved in delivering sanitary water to a community, and is currently helping with various projects in the lab. When she is not stumped by her homework, she enjoys running, pretending she can dance, and improving her cooking skills.
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Megan Nebeker
Megan is an undergraduate student studying exercise science from Oregon. She loves learning more about the environment, and ways that we can protect it. She is planning on becoming a physical therapist. In her spare time she enjoys go hiking, visit national parks, and play tennis.
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Nick Newbold
Nick is an Environmental Science major from Kaysville, Utah. He loves everything from cheesecake, bigfoot stories, and his wife and baby daughter...not necessarily in that order. He is also minoring in International Development and would love to marry that with his major eventually.
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Luke Oldham
Luke is an undergraduate student from Eagle River, Alaska studying Exercise Science. He is planning on going to medical school and enjoys skiing, backpacking, traveling, and music.
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Abbie Packard
Abbie is an undergraduate from Draper, UT studying Global Supply Chain Management. She has a passion for environmental sustainability in businesses and hopes to create a large impact by working with corporations to create a balanced and sustainable approach to the 3Ps: people, profit, and the planet.
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Ryan Packham
Ryan is a sophomore from Idaho majoring in Environmental Science. He hopes to improve environmental stewardship in developing countries through research and educational outreach programs.
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Isaac Parrish
Isaac Parrish is a Junior from Salem, Utah studying Exercise Science and Gerontology. He is very interested in healthy lifestyles and helping others making changes to have a happy and healthy life; especially the underserved. Isaac is also interested in the recent wildfires. He loves being outside with friends mountain biking and playing Pickleball. He plans to go to medical school and work in Family Medicine.
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Heather Phipps
Heather is an Environmental Science major in BYU's Department of Plant and Wildlife Science. She has a strong desire to enhance environmental stewardship, personal accountability, and the application of science and technology.
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Shiloh Ploeg
Shiloh is an Environmental Science undergrad student from Pleasant Grove, Utah.
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Mary Proteau
Mary Proteau is an undergraduate student majoring in Environmental Science from Connecticut. She is a lab manager in the Abbott Lab.
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Sarah Rollins
Sarah is a BYU undergraduate student from Orlando, Florida. She studies Environmental Science and hopes to be an advocate for environmental health and sustainable living.
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Jacob Spencer
Jacob is a junior majoring in microbiology. He is very interested in the environment and how we can best protect it. He love sports, dogs and family. He look forward to going to dental school in the future.
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Nathan Thompson
Nathan is an undergraduate from Rexburg, Idaho studying Environmental Science and Sustainability. He has a passion for outdoor recreation and helping others get involved in those types of activities (backcountrybasics.org). He cares deeply for the environment and hopes to help everyone to become better stewards of this beautiful world.
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Past Students
Abigail Banks
Abigail Banks is an undergraduate in Environmental Science from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Brian Brown
Brian Brown is a Master’s Student in Environmental Science. His undergraduate degree (BYU ‘19) was in Bioinformatics with a minor in Computer Science.
Madeline Buhman
Madeline Buhman is studying Environmental Science and English, and loves the intersection of people and the environment.
Rya Clifton
Rya Clifton is studying statistics with the goal of becoming a data scientist.
Trevor Crandall
Trevor Crandall was a master's student working on water quality in the western US.
Rebecca Frei
Rebecca Frei is a Seattle native studying Environmental Science and International Development, currently working on projects studying Arctic permafrost degradation and headwater catchment resilience.
Jansen Howe
Jansen Howe is an undergraduate student in Environmental Science from Ephraim, UT.
Amanda Huebner
Was an undergrad in the Abbott lab from Los Angeles. She is currently a student at UC Davis, where she studies water security and chemistry.
Andrew Luymes
Andrew Luymes is from Pasadena, California and is studying Environmental Science with a minor in International Strategy and Diplomacy.
Leika Patch
Leika Patch (pronounced lake- uh) is an undergraduate at BYU studying Environmental Science, and minoring in Philosophy.
Liz Peterson
Liz Peterson is from Cedar Hills, Utah. She studies Environmental Science and is pursuing a minor in creative writing.
Makaylee Roylance
Makaylee Roylance is an undergraduate in biophysics.
Emilee Severe
Emilee Severe is an undergraduate student studying Environmental Science from Idaho. She is currently helping with the educational outreach component of our lab's recent NSF grant. She is interested in hydrology, agriculture and environmental science education. She hopes to learn how to best teach environmental topics to rural communities and to help people reconcile their political beliefs with climate change.
Rhetta Shoemaker
Rhetta Shoemaker received a thorough education of the natural world while growing up in rural New Mexico.
Carson Thompson
Carson Thompson is an undergraduate student from eastern Washington studying Environmental Science. He is currently leading a research project investigating how sustainable agriculture incentive programs in Utah can be made more effective.
Allie Tuttle Asay
Allie Tuttle Asay is an undergraduate in Environmental Science from Alpine, Utah.
Camila Vargas
Camila Vargas is from Bogotá, Colombia and has worked on soil analysis from areas occupied by the Mayas in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.
Rachel Watts
Rachel Watts is an undergraduate in Environmental Science, born and raised in Houston, Texas.
Zak Webber
Zak Webber is from Payson, Utah and is a senior studying Molecular Biology at BYU. Zak is investigating phytoremediation techniques to improve water quality in the Navajo Nation. Upon graduation from BYU he hopes to enter Medical School and actively participate in research and service. Zak loves to trail run in his sandals, kayak, do things that make him sweat, play guitar, and bake.
Derrek Wilson
Derrek Wilson is a senior from Utah studying Environmental Science.