Every year, we at The Wilderness Society are proud to empower the next generation of conservation leaders through the Gloria Barron Wilderness Society Scholarship. Named in honor of the eponymous devoted educator and conservationist, the scholarship provides project funding for graduate students seeking to understand and protect our natural world.

In some ways, this year's selected projects could not be more different. One is an exploratory study focused on interactions and ecological connections between two very charismatic critters; the other is a technical project building monitoring and data collection capacity in wilderness. But at their core both projects are motivated by the same thing: a deep connection to nature held by their respective scholars.

"We are so excited about this year's Gloria Barron Scholars," The Wilderness Society Director of Research Mariah Meek, Ph.D. said, "Both of their projects are going to help advance our understanding of how to better conserve and protect species and wilderness."

Meet this year's scholars-Mallory Sandoval Lambert and Rachel Deininger-and learn about their projects:

Transcribed interviews have been edited for brevity and clarity