{"id":78115,"date":"2026-06-08T10:22:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T17:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=78115"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:59:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T19:59:14","slug":"wyss-foundation-scholars-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wyss-foundation-scholars-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Two NAU environmental science and policy master\u2019s students receive national conservation scholarships"},"content":{"rendered":"

Northern Arizona University\u2019s School of Earth and Sustainability and the\u00a0<\/span>Wyss Foundation<\/span><\/a>\u00a0have named\u00a0environmental\u00a0science\u00a0and\u00a0policy graduate students\u00a0Taylor Hartness and Tia Hatton\u00a0as 2026-2027\u00a0<\/span>Wyss Conservation Scholars<\/span><\/a>. The prestigious program supports innovative graduate-level education to advance a new generation of leaders in U.S.\u00a0land conservation. Scholars are chosen for their commitment\u00a0to\u00a0conservation and\u00a0their leadership\u00a0qualities. They are pursuing interdisciplinary graduate studies\u00a0to\u00a0develop\u00a0effective\u00a0new approaches\u00a0to today\u2019s most pressing environmental challenges.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Wyss Foundation has been a longtime supporter of the Environmental Science and Policy program at NAU,\u201d said Erik Nielsen, School of Earth and Sustainability professor and director of the NAU Wyss Scholars program.\u00a0\u201cThey have played a critical role in growing a network of young conservation leaders that are leading the way to protect public lands,\u00a0waters\u00a0and wildlife.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>We\u2019re\u00a0incredibly proud of Tia and Taylor and know that, with this generous support from the Wyss Foundation, they will advance innovative approaches to bridge the science-policy divide\u00a0that will result in just and lasting conservation outcomes.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Taylor<\/a>
Taylor Hartness<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hartness, a Fargo, North Dakota native, spent much of her childhood in the lake country of central Minnesota, where she developed a deep appreciation for freshwater ecosystems. Before graduate school, she worked as a forestry technician for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on floodplain forest management and wildlife monitoring. At NAU, Hartness\u2019 research examines how climate change and increased human activity affect freshwater macroinvertebrates, such as snails and worms, and aquatic vegetation. She plans to pursue a career in stream and riparian restoration, integrating ecological research and collaborative conservation to support freshwater biodiversity. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“It’s an honor to be chosen as a Wyss Scholar. I am excited to help bridge ecological research with collaborative policy solutions that support resilient freshwater ecosystems,\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Hartness said<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tia<\/a>
Tia Hatton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hatton, a native from Bend, Oregon, began her conservation journey immersed in the outdoors. She got involved in environmental advocacy at an early age, and at 18, when she joined the landmark climate lawsuit <\/span>Juliana v. United States<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0After\u00a0completing her\u00a0undergraduate studies at the\u00a0University of Oregon, she\u00a0worked\u00a0with the Wallowa Land Trust, Oregon League of Conservation\u00a0Voters\u00a0and the City of Flagstaff Sustainability Office.\u00a0Hatton\u2019s\u00a0graduate research focuses on justice-oriented conservation in the American West. She plans to pursue leadership roles in community engagement,\u00a0stewardship\u00a0or conservation policy.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReceiving this scholarship is a\u00a0game-changer\u00a0in supporting my graduate journey, including supporting meaningful work in collaborative and community-led conservation efforts with Indigenous communities in the Southwest,\u201d\u00a0Hatton said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The highly competitive Wyss Scholars program supports students attending six innovative conservation graduate programs, including NAU\u2019s Environmental Sciences\u00a0and\u00a0Policy program, Yale University,\u00a0the\u00a0University of Michigan, Lewis and Clark College,\u00a0the\u00a0University of\u00a0Colorado\u00a0and the University of Montana. Each award covers the costs of two years of graduate school plus a summer internship stipend that supports applied conservation science and leadership.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information about the Wyss Scholars Program at NAU, contact\u00a0<\/span>Erik\u00a0Nielsen<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Northern Arizona University\u2019s School of Earth and Sustainability and the\u00a0Wyss Foundation\u00a0have named\u00a0environmental\u00a0science\u00a0and\u00a0policy graduate students\u00a0Taylor Hartness and Tia Hatton\u00a0as 2026-2027\u00a0Wyss Conservation Scholars. The prestigious program supports innovative graduate-level education to advance a new generation of leaders in U.S.\u00a0land conservation. Scholars are chosen for their commitment\u00a0to\u00a0conservation and\u00a0their leadership\u00a0qualities. They are pursuing interdisciplinary graduate studies\u00a0to\u00a0develop\u00a0effective\u00a0new approaches\u00a0to today\u2019s most…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":78118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-academics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/100"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}