The Gina Guy Center for Land and Water Law offers students a unique opportunity to develop their skills and expertise through the Student Fellows Program. This program allows students to work closely with faculty on substantive research projects, gaining hands-on experience in addressing real-world challenges in natural resource management, law, and policy.
Student fellows play a critical role in the Center’s mission by contributing to meaningful research and fostering innovative solutions to public and private resource challenges. Through mentorship and collaboration with faculty, fellows not only enhance their legal research and problem-solving skills but also deepen their understanding of the critical issues shaping natural resource law and policy.
Explore the Gina Guy Center for Land and Water Law Blog to discover the latest reflections, projects, and insights from our talented student fellows as they prepare to lead in the dynamic field of natural resource law.
Molly Bretthauer
Molly Bretthauer is a non-traditional law student who returned to school after working in Los Angeles as a paralegal. As a lifelong environmentalist, she has seen the evolving concerns on climate change and energy production. She was drawn to the University of Wyoming College of Law JD/MA Environment and Land Use dual-degree and the University's unique access to legal issues fueling the nation's economy. Molly's thesis will focus on the rebounding industries of mineral processing and refinement.
Michael Hammer
Michael is a second-year law student at the University of Wyoming College of Law, focusing on Environmental and Natural Resources (ENR) law, with a particular interest in water law and management. Growing up in Jackson, Wyoming, he developed a deep appreciation for the intricacies of water systems through diverse experiences, including summers spent irrigating pastures for cattle grazing, kayaking on the Snake River, and coaching ski racing beneath the iconic peaks of the Teton Range. These formative experiences cultivated his passion for addressing the legal and policy challenges associated with natural resource management, aspiring to make a meaningful contribution to the ENR field.
Sam Johnson
Sam is a JD/MA in Environment and Natural Resources. His research interests include building resilience to climate change and biodiversity loss in law, policy, and working public and private lands. His work includes focusing on state trust land recreation policy and the implementation of virtual fencing on public land, which is the subject of his master’s thesis. Sam enjoys hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, as well as reading, listening to music, and playing intramural sports.
Chris Thomas
Chris is a non-traditional student with a diverse background in business, operations, and now, the law. Chris came to law school with two decades of professional experience spanning industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services. Chris wants to use his wealth of knowledge to tackle the complex challenges facing the environment, seeking ways to improve resource management and gain efficiencies while engaging in responsible stewardship. Chris will earn a Juris Doctorate with a certificate in Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Law in May, 2025. This academic foundation provides him with a unique interdisciplinary perspective. Chris loves the outdoors and spends much of his time camping, snowboarding, hunting and fishing. He believes these resources must be preserved for future generations and is honored to participate in research projects taking place at the University of Wyoming Haub School of ENR.
Olivia Thomas
Olivia is a second-year law student in the JD/MA-ENR program, with a focused interest in water law and public lands law. Originally from Louisiana, she earned a degree in Psychology from Louisiana State University, where her studies of human systems began her interest in the legal field. Driven by a passion for the outdoors and the experiences it has to offer, she relocated west to pursue a career dedicated to the legal aspects of natural resource conservation and management.
Emily Wangen
Emily Wangen is a second-year law student in the JD/MA-ENR program and serves as the vice president of the Natural Resource Law Club. With a BA in Political Science from the University of Iowa, she moved to Wyoming shortly after graduation to work at the Wyoming Legislative Service Office for two years before pursuing a law degree. After graduation, Emily aims to work on natural resource law and policy for a state legislature or agency.
Learn more at the Uwyo law admissions page: https://www.uwyo.edu/law/admissions/
