5/24/2022 Illinois News Bureau 2 min read
Written by Illinois News Bureau
Mechanical engineering junior Ethan Moore was one of two University of Illinois students who received recognition from the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation for their commitment to the environment. Moore, of Plano, Texas, was among 55 students nationally selected as a Udall Scholar.
A national 20-member independent review committee selects Udall Scholars based on applicants’ commitment to careers in the environment, Native health care or tribal public policy; leadership potential; record of public service; and academic achievement. Scholars receive up to $7,000 toward educational expenses and attend a five-day conference in Tucson, Arizona, to learn more about public service and to interact with fellow scholars and community leaders in environmental fields, tribal health care and governance. Since being established by Congress in 1992, the Udall Foundation has awarded 1,843 scholarships totaling $9.4 million.
A graduate of Plano Senior High School, Moore is also a James Scholar honors student. At Illinois, he is independently developing a low-cost autonomous surface vessel using machine learning to enable continuous dynamic mapping and prediction of water body quality parameters like pH, turbidity, salinity and dissolved oxygen. His work has garnered funding through the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Moore also founded WYSE DREAAM Robotics, an outreach program to inspire robotics interest in middle school students. “Ocean acidification, commercial overfishing and industrial pollution wreak havoc on the very waters harboring all life on Earth,” Moore said. “I aspire to tackle these challenges by proliferating robots across the world’s waters to collect data to assist policy enforcement, predict future states and disseminate treatments.”
“The University of Illinois has had a combined 11 Udall Scholars and honorable mentions in the past decade, a true testament to the ongoing opportunities for environmental engagement on our campus and in our community,” said David Schug, the director of the National and International Scholarships Program at Illinois. “It is great to see these students’ work pay off in such a tangible way.”