CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Two University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students received recognition from the Stewart L. Udall Foundation, Morris K. UdallThey are known for their dedication to the environment. Ethan Moore, Plano, Texas, was one of 55 Udall Scholars nationwide. Jenna Schaefer, from St. Joseph in Illinois, was given honorable mention.
A national 20-member independent review committee selects Udall Scholars based on applicants’ commitment to careers in the environment, Native health care or tribal public policy; leadership potential; record of public service; and academic achievement. Scholars can receive up to $7,000 towards educational expenses and are invited to attend a five day conference in Tucson, Arizona to learn about public service and interact with other scholars and community leaders in tribal health care and governance.
Honorable mentions have access to ongoing networking opportunities through Udall award. Since 1992, the Udall Foundation awarded 1,843 scholarships worth $9.4 million.
Ethan Moore
Ali Moore Photo
EditYou can embed media in the Files tab and re-insert if necessary.
Moore is a Plano Senior High School graduate and a junior majoring. mechanical engineeringJames Scholar Honors Student in the Grainger College of Engineering. Moore is working independently at Illinois to develop a low-cost autonomous surface vessel. This vessel uses machine learning to enable continuous dynamic map and prediction of water quality parameters such as pH and turbidity. His research has been funded by the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Moore also founded WYSE DREAAM Robotics to inspire middle school students in robotics. “Ocean acidification, commercial overfishing and industrial pollution wreak havoc on the very waters harboring all life on Earth,” Moore said. “I aspire to tackle these challenges by proliferating robots across the world’s waters to collect data to assist policy enforcement, predict future states and disseminate treatments.”
Jenna Schaefer
Christina Garcia photo
EditYou can embed media in the Files tab and re-insert if necessary.
Schaefer, a St. Joseph-Ogden High School graduate, has completed her second year at Illinois. She is pursuing a major. Agri- and consumer economicsJames Scholar honors student in the University of Michigan with a focus on environmental economics and policy College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Schaefer is part of the Zero Waste Illinois Climate Action Plan Team. He works with students and faculty to develop zero-waste initiatives that meet the Illinois Climate Action Plan goals.
She is also the Illini lights-out intern at campus Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment. Additionally, she volunteers with Project for Less, packaging excess food hall food for donation in order to combat both food insecurity and waste. Schaefer stated that she plans to become a zero waste coordinator, promoting environmental sustainability through responsible procurement, reducing waste sent to landfills, and education about the effects of waste on the environment.
“The University of Illinois has had a combined 11 Udall Scholars and honorable mentions in the past decade, a true testament to the ongoing opportunities for environmental engagement on our campus and in our community,” said David Schug, the director of the National and International Scholarships Program at Illinois. “It is great to see these students’ work pay off in such a tangible way.”
