People

Maitreyi Koduganti Venkata (she / her / hers)

Maitreyi Koduganti Venkata is a PhD student in NRES at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, working in the van Riper Research Lab. She holds a double Master’s degree in Water Management and Governance from IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (Netherlands) and in Environmental Science from Osmania University (India), as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru. Maitreyi’s interests lie in understanding how human values, behaviors, and perceptions shape environmental decision-making, and the social and cultural factors that influence community adaptation. With over nine years of experience working across the rural–urban spectrum in Asia, Africa, the EU, and the United States, she has had the opportunity to engage with diverse approaches to water policy, sustainability, gender, wellbeing, and nature-based solutions. She hopes to build on this background to learn how people respond to environmental challenges, deepen knowledge of the values and connections between people and nature, and contribute insights that can inform more inclusive policy and governance.

Allie Johnson (any pronouns)

Allie Johnson is an M.S. Student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. They hold a B.S. in Wildlife from Purdue University. Allie’s current research investigates the socio-ecological drivers behind recreational use patterns in degraded Chicago waterways using spatial analysis. Their research interests broadly include using transdisciplinary methods to evaluate human-environment interactions relating to natural resource issues, with a specific focus in informing management and policymaking. Ultimately, their research aims to support environmental health initiatives and increase equitable access to clean natural resources in urban settings.

Carly Smith (she / her / hers)

Carly is an M.S. student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is co-advised by Dr. Carena van Riper and Dr. Jessica Rudnick. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and a B.A. in English from the University of North Florida. Carly’s research interests center on climate change communication and education, particularly how community-based educational programs can foster learning and engagement with environmental issues. Her current research evaluates the University of Illinois Extension’s Climate Stewards program, examining how participatory climate education influences climate-related attitudes, beliefs, emotions, and behavioral intentions. More broadly, she is interested in understanding the social and psychological factors that shape how individuals and communities engage with and communicate about climate change and other environmental challenges.

Madeline Eversmann (she/her/hers)

Madeline is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois majoring in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Environmental Social Sciences. She is very interested in combining both the natural and social sciences to find impactful solutions to environmental issues. Madeline is currently involved in research evaluating the resilience of rural social-ecological systems to promote sustainable transformation strategies.

Adam Transue (he / him / his)

Adam is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois majoring in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and a minor in Political Science. He has strong interests in human-environment interactions, ecology, and conservation. He is currently involved in research assessing the psychological drivers of recreational angling participation.

Charity Escobedo (she / her / hers)

Charity is an undergraduate student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. She is most interested in environmental sustainability, public participation in environmental concerns, and environmental justice issues related to water quality. By focusing on access to blue spaces in an urban context, she aims to develop a deeper understanding of the socioecological constraints individuals face that prevent them from pursuing engagement with nature-based recreation and environmental advocacy.

Amane Hosono (she/her/hers)

Amane is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois majoring in Earth, Society, and Environmental Sustainability at the College of Liberal Arts and Science, and a minor in Natural Resource Conservation. She has a strong interest on how people interact with the environment and how pro-environmental behaviors can be encouraged. She is currently involved in research examining recreational use patterns and the socio-ecological factors influencing recreation in degraded Chicago waterways.

Evelyn Ma (she / her / hers)

Evelyn is an undergraduate student majoring in Finance and Data Science at the Gies College of Business. She is deeply passionate about the intersection of business and environmental sustainability, with a particular focus on biodiversity conservation. Her commitment to addressing environmental challenges has led her to volunteer in Costa Rica for sea turtle conservation and organize beach cleanup events to combat marine pollution’s impact on wildlife. Currently, Evelyn is a research assistant on a project exploring the relationship between human psychology and bird populations.