Melanie Frick, a junior at the University of Georgia, was named a 2026 Udall Scholar on May 13. The award recognizes her leadership, public service, and commitment to environmental issues.
The Udall Scholarship is given to sophomores and juniors who show dedication to careers in the environment, Native American health care, or tribal public policy. Recipients receive up to $7,000 for eligible academic expenses.
Frick is majoring in ecology at the Odum School of Ecology with minors in horticulture and landscape studies and a certificate in sustainability. She plans to focus her career on sustainable land management and conservation related to solar energy generation. “Melanie is dedicated to the lifelong pursuit of sustainability in ways that blend traditional conservation with the emergence of newer technologies, and we are proud of her recognition from the Udall Foundation,” said Meg Amstutz, dean of the Morehead Honors College. “As she continues to make an impact on the Athens community and throughout the Southeast, we are thankful for the faculty and programs that have supported her during her time at UGA.”
Frick conducts research with UGA’s Agrivoltaics Initiative alongside Mark Hunter, dean of Odum School, studying how farming can be combined with solar energy production as part of UGA’s Vertically Integrated Projects for Research program. She also works under Bodie Pennisi analyzing plant biodiversity under solar panels using a perennial peanut variety developed by UGA.
“Being selected as a 2026 Udall Scholar is a testament to the trust others have placed in me to continue researching sustainable land management solutions and protect threatened ecosystems,” Frick said. “I am incredibly excited to continue my studies and am profoundly grateful to the Udall Foundation for this honor and to everyone who has supported my academic journey.” She added that she hopes her work will extend across Georgia and beyond: “Their core belief system…allowed their legacy to extend far beyond Arizona, in the same way I hope for my environmental work to extend across Georgia and the Southeast.”
