YEAH Fellows

YEAH Fellows are graduate or senior-level undergraduate students who act as mentors and peers to facilitate student teams participating in courses, conferences, workshops, and other activities organized by the YEAH Network. A critical responsibility of YEAH Fellows is to prepare students to actively participate in the annual UNFCCC sessions of the Conference of Parties (COP). Fellows are nominated by YEAH member institutions for periods ranging from a month to a year or more.

Current YEAH Fellows

Gabe Ahrendt in a green coat with fall landscape and water behind.

Gabriel Ahrendt is a PhD student in Geological and Mining Engineering Sciences at Michigan Technological University, and an organizer for social justice and climate action in his community. As a geophysicist, he uses magnetic signatures frozen in rocks to study Earth’s magnetic field and paleoclimate. He also maps and studies the unique geological formations of the Upper Peninsula region. Gabriel has been involved in climate education starting with youth climate education centered around the Florida ecosystem where he hails from. As a YEAH fellow, Gabriel prepares YEAH students to participate fully in the COP climate negotiations and helps carve out a space for their voices at the conference.

Gabriel Ahrendt

Lead Yeah Fellow and Climate Leaders Academy Senior Fellow (2023-25)

Matthew is a PhD student and a research assistant in Agricultural Sciences at Tennessee State University. He received his M.S. in Plant Science from Missouri State University and his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. Matthew’s research focuses on understanding how certain resilient plants survive and thrive in harsh environments like cracks and crevices along the roadside. He is interested in growing food to feed the ever-growing population using climate smart agriculture approaches. He helps with tree planting as a volunteer at the Nashville Tree Foundation.

Matthew Manu

Yeah Fellow and Climate Leaders Academy Fellow (2024-25)

Emma Daily is a first-year PhD student in the Templer Lab at Boston University, studying the impacts of climate change on biogeochemical cycling in forest ecosystems. She graduated from Macalester College in 2019 with a degree in Biology, and has done field and lab work studying the effects of climate change on several ecosystems, including prairie, oak savanna, and the Alaskan arctic. She has spent most of the past four years as a lab manager at the University of Minnesota, studying changing fungal ecology and drought tolerance in prairie ecosystems. Emma has also worked in citizen science, as an EMT, and in community health. Outside of science, she enjoys books, backpacking, and live music.

Emma Daily

Yeah Fellow and Climate Leaders Academy Fellow (2024-25)

Alumni YEAH Fellows

Elise Rosky is an atmospheric scientist studying the physics of cloud formation and precipitation, receiving her PhD at Michigan Technological University. She is interested in ensuring that her research efforts ultimately serve communities needs, and hopes to have a voice in international dialogue on cloud and weather modification. As a YEAH Fellow for COP28 in Dubai, she organized a series of panel events to discuss the role of research scientists and universities in shaping global climate policy, including a discussion about fossil fuel divestment campaigns at universities around the world.

Dr. Elise Rosky

YEAH Fellow (2023/2024)

Dr. Shardul Tiwari (MSc, PhD) is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on energy justice, policy, and transition innovation. Dr. Tiwari received his PhD in Environment and Energy Policy at Michigan Technological University. For his PhD dissertation, Dr. Tiwari used social-economic and legal lenses to examine the development of Pumped Underground Storage Hydro (PUSH) in abandoned underground mines in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. His dissertation was part of the more extensive study funded by the SLOAN Foundation. Dr. Tiwari’s works also studied the techno-spatial potential for developing energy storage in various brownfield sites (abandoned mines) in the U.S. He attended four COPs from 2019 to 2023 while earning his Ph.D., during which he organized multiple events, panels, conferences, and workshops for the YEAH network.

Dr. Shardul Tiwari

YEAH Fellow (2020 – 2023)

Eugene is a doctoral student in communication and new media technologies at Michigan Technological University. Eugene earned a Masters degree in Communication in Ghana where he also worked as a journalist and a fact-checker. His current research interest lies at the intersection of new media technologies and social justice.

Eugene Brown Agyei

YEAH Fellow (2022/2023)

Ayush Chutani, a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech, specializes in enhancing the efficiency of single-axis tracker solar plants in snow conditions. Passionate about climate science and policy, Ayush has completed coursework in the field, leading to involvement with YEAH as a fellow. With extensive engagement in global climate dialogues, Ayush has represented at COP 26 and COP 27 as a delegate and virtually attended COP 28. Ayush actively contributes to organizing events, facilitating discussions, and crafting statements to advocate for sustainable solutions, particularly within COP and other YEAH initiatives.

Ayush Chutani

YEAH Fellow (2021 – 2023)

Sarah is interested in how we can manage landscapes amongst the world’s most pressing challenges, including biodiversity loss, invasive species encroachment, and climate change. She is motivated in finding nature-based, research-oriented solutions that are tangible for land managers to implement. Sarah joined the USGS in 2023 and is currently working in the Carter research group on the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (NC CASC) Structured Science Syntheses project. This effort will better inform how land managers integrate climate change into the resource management decision-making process. She is also contributing to science plans for the Bureau of Land Management’s National Landscape Conservation System, which are used to prioritize science needs and manage resources effectively..

Dr. Sarah Whipple

Lead Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Jacob (he/him) is a first-year master’s student in the Ecosystem Science and Sustainability program at Colorado State University. His work in the Bowser Lab revolves around better understanding pollinators in protected areas and engaging new perspectives in climate change negotiations.

Jacob Genuise

Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Maryam is a senior in ecosystem science and sustainability at Colorado state University. She is also an international student from Cameroon. She joined the YEAH fellows this summer. Her interests are in sustainable development, city planning and renewable energy.

Maryam Aida Tidjani

Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Alexis is a research scientist with experience working on issues at the nexus of renewable energy, policy, technology, and society. Her research is focused on how renewable energy transitions and land use optimization can be advanced through agrivoltaic system development.

Alexis Pascaris

Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Shane is a sustainability educator and enabler who is highly skilled in environmental awareness, education, community engagement and training. He strives to create empathy and compassion for the Earth in a creative and inclusive way. Also, he loves sharing different perspectives on the natural environments we are a part of with a sense of positivity.

Shane French

Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Nicole Cowan is a student of the Masters of Environment and Sustainability at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. She has also completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Science majoring in zoology and has a strong interest in conservation biology. Currently, she is working as a Teaching Associate for Monash University, with a focus on sustainability in the classroom.

Nicole Cowan

Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Brij is an Industrial Designer and throughout his career has worked on a range of interdisciplinary and creative projects. He is currently a casual tutor at the Victorian College of Arts (University of Melbourne). His passion for education and sustainability have led him to study a Master of Environment and Sustainability at Monash University.

Brij Parmar

Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Sarah is studying Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Colorado State University. She is from Lone Tree, Colorado and is a senior, graduating in December. She is in the process of applying to law school for Fall 2022, to become an environmental lawyer. Her passions include water law and environmental policy and this is her first semester as a YEAH Fellow.

Sarah Viders

Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Keegan is a senior studying Environmental Policy & Economics at Moravian University. This Fall and Spring Keegan is working with ICLEI and the PA Department of Environmental Protection, to form a climate action plan for the Lehigh Valley. This is his first semester with the YEAH Network and he is interested in learning more about SDG 7.

Keegan Shealer

Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Nassy is a PhD candidate and research assistant in the chemistry department of Michigan Technological University (MTU). Her research focuses on characterizing and understanding dissolved organic matter in marine environments. She is also interested in finding the linkages between natural organic matter and climate change.

Dr. Nassy Khademimoshgenani

Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Amanda is a second year Masters student at the University of Connecticut in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Her research focuses on responses of a plankton species to its predator and how rising CO2 levels will impact these predator-prey dynamics. Currently, she is studying the same species to understand how evolution acts on variation in plasticity!

Amanda Pastore

Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Charles is a doctoral student in Civil Engineering at Vanderbilt University. He earned his M.S. degree in Environmental Engineering at Vanderbilt University and a B.S. in Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His current research focuses on risk assessment of infrastructure systems impacted by severe weather as a result of climate change.

Charles Doktycz

Yeah Fellow (2021)

Casmali is an undergraduate student at Colorado College, Colorado Spring, CO, USA. He is a lifelong grass-roots organizer and a member of the Chumash Community. He has special interest in indigenous politics, mathematical economics, and thinking through the lens of other possible worlds.

Casmali Lopez

Yeah Fellow (2020)

Emily Faulks was a YEAH fellow from 2020 to 2021, working within a group of other YEAH fellows to complete a short case study on the SDGs.

Emily Faulks

Yeah Fellow (2020-2021)

Kaydee is a traveler/business consultant/communicator turned soil ecologist, currently pursuing her B.S. in Ecosystems Science and Sustainability and a minor in Soil Science at Colorado State University. Her research interests focus on understanding plant-soil interactions and biogeochemical cycling to provide a basis for making decisions about management of natural resources for climate change mitigation, food security, and global environmental justice.

Kaydee Barker

Yeah Fellow (2021)

Emmeline is a senior Environmental Studies major at Colorado College. She is interested in renewable energy and environmental economics with experience working in the field. Emmeline served as an intern at the New York Green Bank, which invests in projects that demonstrate greenhouse gas emissions reductions. She also had an internship with Goldman Sachs in the asset management division where she gained exposure to Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) investing.

Emmeline Kelley

Yeah Fellow (2021)

Madeline is a 1st year PhD student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Vanderbilt University. She is committed to supporting data-driven land, resource, and emergency management decisions through GIS- and remote-sensing-based research.

Madeline Allen

Yeah Fellow (2021)

Elyse completed a BS degree in Marine Biology at UC San Diego. Upon graduating, she started working as a science interpreter at the Birch Aquarium and she acquired the talents to teach ocean, earth, and climate science. Now, she is pursuing a Masters of Advanced Studies in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Elyse Goin

Yeah Fellow (Fall 2020)

Allyson is a double major at Colorado State University in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability and International Studies with minors in Spanish and International Development. Her experiences interacting with people domestically and internationally has helped her working toward a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future.

Ally Murphy Pauletto

Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Macey is a graduate student at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA. Her research concentration is International Climate Governance, and she is passionate about environmental justice.

Macey Halgren

Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Jaden is an undergraduate at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. He is a senior studying Ecosystem Science and Sustainability with a special interest in urban ecology and sustainable development, hoping to tie them into his future career.

Jaden Wrightsman

Yeah Fellow (2021)

Melissa is an undergraduate student at Moravian College. She is a senior student in Environmental Science, who is passionate about conservation ecology and the relationship between invasive plant species and pollinators. She is also interested in environmental justice within local government,

Melissa Morales

Yeah Fellow (Fall 2020)

Emerson is the Lab Manager/Senior Research Technician for the Templer Lab in the Biology Department at Boston University, Boston, MA, USA. They are interested in how forest biogeochemistry is affected by climate change and urbanization.

Emerson Conrad-Rooney

Yeah Fellow (2020/21)

Amna was a Fulbright Scholar from Pakistan and she received her PhD in the Department of Chemistry at Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA. Her research focused on understanding the molecular nature of complex environmental (organic matter) mixtures from soil, water, and air using sophisticated analytical techniques, particularly high-resolution mass spectrometry. Amna is currently a Postdoctoral researcher at Aix-Marseille Université.

Dr. Amna Ijaz

Yeah Fellow (Fall 2020)