Madeline Schill is a rising Junior at the University of Texas at Austin studying Biology with a focus in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior.  She is minoring in Business and aims to attend graduate school to continue ecological research in the future. Madeline began working in the Juenger Lab through the Freshman Research Initiative in 2016, and continued research through the summer of 2016 as a recipient of the FRI Summer Fellowship. The research conducted that summer received the CNS Award for Excellence in Biological Sciences at the 2017 Undergraduate Research Forum this past spring.  She is currently a mentor for incoming undergraduate students in the Freshman Research Initiative.  She has an interest in environmental conservation fueled (pun intended) by research in biodiversity and ecological history, and is fascinated by her studies of Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) and Panicum hallii (Hal’s grass). Outside of the lab, Madeline enjoys taking advantage of Austin trails and foods, is a member of the service group Helping Hornz, and is training for her bike ride to Alaska next summer with the Texas 4000 for Cancer 2018 Team.  Madeline is eager to continue collaborating with researchers in the Juenger Lab this summer.