Category: Staff

Lukas is a junior at Austin Peay State University working towards a bachelors in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology. He is working towards becoming a wildlife biologist, with an internist in animal behavior and conservation. Outside of school, Lukas volunteers at a wildlife rehabilitation center and takes care of his many pets. He attended WYSE during the summer of 2023 and was a JFA in the summer of 2025. He is very excited to return!

Julius R. Rodriguez is a clinical psychology senior at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, with a background in positive psychology and comparative animal behavior. His passion lies in finding physiological, observable data to support primarily mentalistic clinical and cognitive theories. He currently leads research on how optimism can moderate body image issues and how self-objectification, measured through eye-tracking, may be reduced in romantic relationships through admiration-based interventions that promote positive body image. He’s also studied sexual harassment in fish, deep-sea conservation, and sustainable college practice (recycling, gardening, pollinating, etc). He’s worked with psychologists, zoologists, conservation biologists, and park rangers, hosted sustainability and deep-sea education seminars, and spends most of his free time traveling to aquariums. At Rollins, he blends psychology and sustainability as Sustainability Senator, and as a WYSE 2023 alum, he’s excited to return and help students explore where behavior and the environment intersec

Madeline is an Environmental Science undergraduate at Georgia Tech, pursuing a
minor in Energy Systems and a Sustainable Business Certificate. She works with
the Tang Research Group, exploring rare earth element transformations for clean
energy applications. Madeline also contributes to methane emissions research
through Georgia Tech’s Methane Project team and was part of the first-place
Plastathon team developing a plastic-reduction app. She enjoys reading, hiking,
and photography. She uses visual storytelling to advocate for environmental
awareness and inspire curiosity through creativity and science.

Gabby is from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and is an upcoming junior at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she studies Environmental Studies, Political Science, and Public Policy. After attending the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment in 2023, she left inspired to pursue environmental conservation through Policy. At UW–Madison, she has continued to explore how policy can drive solutions to environmental challenges.

Outside the classroom, Gabby enjoys aviation, reading, collecting old maps, and getting outdoors whenever she can. As a Junior Faculty Advisor, she is excited to help students dive into the WYSE experience, challenge their perspectives, and discover their own path in protecting the environment.

Abby is a dedicated student who has always been interested in the environment. She fell in love with birds after watching wildlife cameras online during the pandemic. A high achiever in school, she wishes to continue her studies to become an avian veterinarian focused on wildlife rehabilitation. Currently, she attends Western Carolina University and is pursuing a B.S. in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Natural Resource Management.