Elora Robeck

hIGH SCHOOL Apprentice

“I love reading and writing research papers. I think the questions in them and the methods used to answer those questions are really interesting. Even citing sources is fun.”

This isn’t something you would expect to hear from a senior in high school, but Elora is way ahead of the game for her age. As a part of the tick research team, she faces a lot of questions about disease ecology that really fulfill her lifelong obsession with all aspects of the natural world.

“I really just want to get more experience in the field of ecology and see if this is what I want to pursue as a career. It’s also a great excuse for me to be outside as much as possible.”

Even after only a few weeks at Tyson Elora has already felt the impact.

“I was kind of on edge about getting a degree in ecology. For a while I thought about being a research scientist in a lab all the time or a doctor. But now after being outside in the field, this is what I want to do.”

Elora worked with Solny Adasteinsson's Tick & Wildlife Ecology team during summer 2019. Learn more about their prescribed fire and tick-borne disease ecology research here.