GEM Environmental would like to congratulate Carylanne Joubert Maier on her Undergraduate Scholarship Award. Carylanne is one of our newest hardworking recipients. Congratulations Carylanne!

How did you hear about G.E.M. Environmental and this scholarship opportunity?
I learned about it through Arizona State University.
Please provide a brief description about yourself. 
I am from Central Florida where I live with my husband and two dogs. I enjoy reading, writing, scuba diving, nature photography, video games, and teaching. I value STEM education because we need it to not only explain the goings-on in our world but also to better understand our world so we can protect it. If we destroy our planet, we destroy our home. Not to mention, there are so many other creatures that call the planet home; we should protect it for all creatures.
Please provide a brief description highlighting your work/area of focus.
My area of focus is on Biology in Conservation and Ecology. I write about animals to teach kids about them, and I also intend to do research in local areas to me. I am planning a study on the yellow stingray at Phil Foster Park/Blue Heron Bridge to look at its diet, habitat, and the potential of the species as a whole moving north due to climate change.
If your scholarship funds HAVE NOT BEEN USED yet, how do you anticipate you will achieve success? 
I will be using my funds to pay for my college courses so that I can continue my education in Biology and to fund the beginning of my research project on yellow rays. This will allow me success as it allows me to continue my degree without having to stop due to finances, and it allows me to pursue my bigger goal of getting a Ph.D. in Biology so that I can be a successful researcher and teacher in the field. For the research project, it will benefit the scientific community in answering questions about the species that are as of yet unanswered. This can also help the community because the project may lead to a proposal to the local government to add better habitat markers for the yellow stingray to the site I am studying which will increase tourism to the site through snorkelers and divers.
Tell us what this scholarship means to you.
This scholarship means so much to me as a female scientist who is a first-generation student, a person with disabilities, and a non-traditional student. I now have the means of continuing my education towards my major goal of having a Ph.D. in Biology, and this will lead me to be able to live my life dream of working in the field of Biology. This definitely takes financial stress off my shoulders so that I can continue my education without worrying about skipping semesters to save money

GEM Environmental would like to congratulate Savage Hess on his Undergraduate Scholarship Award. Savage is one of our newest hardworking recipients. Congratulations Savage!

How did you hear about G.E.M. Environmental and this scholarship opportunity?
Through a fellow lab member.
Please provide a brief description about yourself.
I am indigenous and queer undergraduate researcher who hopes to combine my love for ecology with the microscopic world. In my free time, I engage in lots of creative work like digital art and game design.
Please provide a brief description highlighting your work/area of focus.
I am currently researching the unknown world of viruses within coyotes. With the help of many others, I've collected hundreds of scat along the Rio Salado. A small portion of those scat were sampled and scanned for ssDNA viral genome segments. We then isolated and amplified those gene fragments with our personally designed primers.
From the results we've uncovered so far, a circovirus has been identified. This circovirus is likely an undiscovered species but is closely related to canine circovirus and bamboo rat circovirus. This relationship give us immense ecological insight and potentially a clue into disease outcomes for these urban coyotes.
How do you plan on using your scholarship funds and how do you anticipate you will achieve success? 
I plan on using these funds to help pay for travel and registration at conferences. Attending this conference will enable me to make connections with other scientists active in my fields. This will help me retain a career in molecular ecology by letting others now I'm a serious and capable researcher that deserves opportunities. It will also give me experience presenting my research to a public audience. Communication of one's findings is a vital responsibility for all scientists. The more opportunities I receive to share my research, the more I will be able to explain it clearly and effectively.
Tell us what this scholarship means to you.
This scholarship means that I have an opportunity to be an indigenous person in the global stage of research and academia. There are few from my people who can claim such prestige and I hope that I can act as a become to young indigenous people every where. To be able to show that we can be equals in the western world.
Anything else you'd like to share about your work, yourself, or the STEM fields?
I design tabletop games as a hobby. It's another way I can represent my ancestors connection with story telling in this modern world.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SAVAGE HESS FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER: @savagehess