I am a current undergraduate student at Cornell University studying Biological Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Through my studies in Biology and my observation of the natural world, I have developed a deep interest in conservation and intersectional climate justice. Particularly, I am interested in using innovative tools such as eDNA barcoding to restore ecosystems and  in mitigating and reversing the effects of climate change. For this reason, I am very grateful to be working in the Cheong Lab this summer as a part of the Commons Biodiversity Project.  Outside my academics I love to read books, cook and watch movies. 

Hey! My name is Jemma and I am a 4th year business student at Trinity College Dublin. Throughout my studies so far I have found an interest in business sustainability and the ethical considerations in business practice. The balance between government intervention and business leadership in the strive for a sustainable future is one that fascinates me. My research project is focused on the environmental and social certifications available in the sustainable fashion industry and how these can be improved to consider the accessibility of the industry. After all, every person, regardless of budget wears clothes and should have access to information detailing the impact of their purchases.  I grew up in Bahrain and Singapore where I studied at UWCSEA before moving home to Northern Ireland. I love going on sea swims and walks with friends, I have recently picked up running like the rest of the world and I love food and cooking. A side interest of mine is looking into the impacts of the food industry on public health and the environment. My favourite podcasts are A Diary of a CEO and the Huberman Lab podcast, my music taste is all over the place, I like a bit of everything. 

Hello! I’m Trisha, a fourth-year student at Cornell University from Texas, USA. I’m majoring in Environment and Sustainability with a dual focus on food systems and wildlife conservation, and minoring in International Relations. My interests in combining my enduring passions for writing and wildlife conservation have driven me to explore multiple perspectives on highly-controversial issues such as trophy hunting, retaliatory animal killings, and illegal wildlife crime. Thus, during my first summer as a Laidlaw Scholar and as a member of the Morally Contested Conservation team, I wrote a literature review on the interconnectedness of climate change and human-wildlife conflicts in East and southern Africa. In June and July 2024, I furthered this research by traveling to the University of Oxford and to the Burunge Wildlife Management Area in Tanzania. I will be returning to Oxford and Burunge in June and July 2025 to report my results.  As an aspiring environmental policymaker and journalist, I am passionate about making technical scientific information more accessible to the general public. At Cornell, I am an Institute of Politics and Global Affairs Scholar, through which I interact with policymakers monthly to discuss pervasive issues in international politics. I also speak Marathi, Spanish, and Swahili at varying levels of fluency and plan to continue to grow my language skills to communicate environmental issues across continents and cultures.  For fun, I love to turn even the most mundane materials into recycled art, spend hours on end working through jigsaw puzzles, and go for runs while listening to podcasts. And as a diehard foodie who loves to travel, I’m always looking for recommendations of places to visit or new recipes to try!  The Laidlaw Scholars Program has been an invaluable component of my undergraduate experience. The friendships I’ve made, as well as the research and language skills I’ve begun to develop, have encouraged me to continue to ask and seek answers to complicated questions about global affairs and environmental science. If anyone has questions or feedback about the Laidlaw Program, is interested in collaborating, or just wants to say hello, please feel free to email me at trb238@cornell.edu. I hope we can meet in person someday!

Hi! My name is Paige and I am a sophomore studying electrical & computer engineering and computer science at Cornell University. My Laidlaw project involves using eDNA barcoding to assess the health and biodiversity of marine ecosystems. 

Hi! I am a junior at Cornell University pursuing an independent major of Interdisciplinary Studies (Education, Information Science, Psychology). Through Laidlaw, I am conducting research on the social-ecological impacts of Indonesia's capital relocation and am excited to explore the intersection between bioacoustics, Indigenous knowledge, and public education. Feel free to connect with me on here or on LinkedIn!

Hello! My name is Marina Blackman (she/her) and I am from Columbia, Maryland. I am a sophomore at Cornell University majoring in Biological Sciences in the College of Arts & Sciences and concentrating in Marine Biology. I have always loved the ocean and marine life, so getting hands-on Marine Biology opportunities is so exciting to me! As part of the Laidlaw 2024 Cohort, I am so excited to work with Dr. Soon Hon Cheong and Lee Yoke Lee on their Commons Biodiversity Project in Malaysia. In collaboration with a team of scientists at the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, the Commons Biodiversity Project aims to apply Environmental DNA techniques to help conserve the Crocus clams (Tridacna crocea) native to the area. With its mission of Crocus clam conservation, this project aims to foster and grow a passion for marine wildlife conservation in the local population of Terengganu.

Hello! I recently graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology Research from the University of Toronto. I’m passionate about youth mental health and how humour can be used to support resilience after adversity. My Summer 1 research project explored the relationship between childhood adversity, aggression, and self-regulation — deepening my understanding of the psychological impacts of early trauma. In Summer 2, I led a Leadership-in-Action project at SOS Children’s Villages in Cape Town, where I designed and facilitated a comedy-based mental health program for teens. That experience led me to found HaHaHelps — an organization that uses improv comedy to support youth mental health through accessible, community-led workshops. I'm currently piloting the full program in South Africa, with plans to expand to more communities globally. Please feel free to connect :) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younessrobert-tahiri Email: youness@hahahelps.org