{"id":10,"date":"2017-04-07T15:42:51","date_gmt":"2017-04-07T15:42:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/?page_id=10"},"modified":"2026-04-18T00:31:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T00:31:53","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"People"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Current Students<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Graduate Students<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Tyrik Cooper <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/tyrik-cooper\/\">LinkedIn<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tyrik Cooper, a Savannah, GA native, is a Ph.D. student in Forestry and Environmental Resources at NC State University, where his research focuses on intercropping industrial hemp within loblolly pine plantations. He earned his B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Shorter University, where he also pitched for the baseball team. Before graduate school, Tyrik aspired to be a veterinarian and worked as a veterinary technician for two years before shifting his focus to environmental research. He later completed his M.S. in Forestry and Environmental Resources at NC State in 2021. Outside of research, Tyrik enjoys sports, riding motorcycles, skateboarding, fishing, hiking, gardening, and puzzles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"584\" height=\"584\" src=\"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/Tyriks-Headshot-2-edited.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/Tyriks-Headshot-2-edited.jpg 584w, https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/Tyriks-Headshot-2-edited-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/Tyriks-Headshot-2-edited-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Kendall Brown<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Michelle Hooke<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Undergraduate Students<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Hana Robinson <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/hana-robinson-713502217\">LinkedIn<\/a> \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Hana moved down to North Carolina in middle school. During this time, her love for the outdoors blossomed. Through summer camps, kayak trips with her family, and mountain biking, Hana was able to explore North Carolina. After high school, Hana briefly went to school for nursing before deciding to take a break from higher education and join Americorps NCCC. For 10 months during 2020-2021, Hana traveled the country and served non-profit and government organizations through environmental stewardship, urban and rural development, and disaster relief. After completing 1700 service hours, Hana decided to continue her education. First, with an Associate&#8217;s degree in Horticulture from CPCC in Charlotte, NC. She then earned a full-ride scholarship through the Goodnight Transfers Scholars program to attend NCSU. Now she is studying Natural Resources with a minor in Forestry in hopes of one day working in the government for state parks, or supporting non-profit organizations on environmental projects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/Hana-Robinson-01-edited-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-370\" srcset=\"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/Hana-Robinson-01-edited-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/Hana-Robinson-01-edited-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/Hana-Robinson-01-edited-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/Hana-Robinson-01-edited-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/Hana-Robinson-01-edited-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/Hana-Robinson-01-edited-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/Hana-Robinson-01-edited-2048x2048.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Nicholas Monaco<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/nicholas-monaco-052110294\">LinkedIn<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nicholas Monaco was born and raised in Apex, North Carolina. His passion for health began when he started strength training, which sparked his interest in biology and medicine. He is pursuing a degree in Human Biology with a minor in Statistics at North Carolina State University. On campus, he works at the recreation center as both a Program Assistant for the Member Services department and as a Personal Trainer. He holds NASM Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) and EMT-Basic certifications. Nicholas volunteers at WakeMed and with the Crisis Text Line. His long-term goal is to attend medical school and become a practicing physician. He is currently assisting graduate student Tyrik Cooper with a greenhouse study on industrial hemp. Outside of academics and work, he enjoys working out, watching football, and reading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/HEADSHOT-edited.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/HEADSHOT-edited.jpg 600w, https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/HEADSHOT-edited-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/HEADSHOT-edited-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sydney Clemons<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kenedi Jubert<\/strong> &#8211; NC A&amp;T<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rohin Roy<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Logan O\u2019Neal <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/logan-o%E2%80%99neal-7a934a256\/\">LinkedIn<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Logan O\u2019Neal is a second-year student at UNC Chapel Hill studying Biology and Environmental Health Sciences on the pre-dental track. Originally from Washington, D.C., moving to Wake Forest during middle school, he is passionate about exploring the intersections between sustainability and dentistry, with the goal of bringing innovative, environmentally conscious practices into healthcare. Currently working as a Resident Advisor, Logan values creating positive impacts and building strong relationships within his community, believing that connections and support among individuals are the key foundations for growing a strong team. Along with this, Logan values creativity and forward-thinking as tools to drive meaningful change, both in science and in everyday life. Outside of academics, he enjoys crafting, ant keeping, biking, and caring for plants, hobbies that reflect his curiosity and appreciation for the natural world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"393\" height=\"374\" src=\"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/IMG_2165.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/IMG_2165.jpeg 393w, https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/10\/IMG_2165-300x285.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 393px) 100vw, 393px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Former Students<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Graduate students:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Thomas Barnes<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/tcbarnes2\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Austin Cary<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/austinca\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>David Dick<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-dick-493841b6\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Asija Rice<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/asija-r-305b52173\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tim Shively<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/tim-shively-69a27098\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Summer Lauder<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/summer-lauder\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Darius Ledbetter<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/darius-ledbetter\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ilene Doyle<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ilene-doyle-4a4665314\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Papa Gueye<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/papa-gueye-654410196\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lauren Lintz<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/lauren-lintz-duggan-2660a7113\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kelsey Bakken<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kelsey-bakken-b27506b1\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_campaign=share_via&amp;utm_content=profile&amp;utm_medium=ios_app\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Marley Smith<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/marley-smith-b38b86186\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_campaign=share_via&amp;utm_content=profile&amp;utm_medium=ios_app\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lauren Lintz<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/lauren-lintz-duggan-2660a7113\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kayla Stukes<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kayla-a-stukes-bb96bbb4\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ryan Heiderman<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sam Ford<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Undergraduate Students:&nbsp;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Andrea Casallas<\/strong>, NCSU, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/andrea-casallas-818424278\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dominic James<\/strong>, NCSU, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dominic-james-8749202bb\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lauren Srisaguan<\/strong>, NCSU<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kimberly Parris<\/strong>, NCSU<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jonathan Floyd<\/strong>, UNCG, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sjfprofile\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Minna Eltinay<\/strong>, NCSU<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shelby Williford<\/strong>, NCSU, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/shelby-williford\/\">LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Amaya Horner<\/strong>, NCSU, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/amayahorner\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Noah Sacks<\/strong>, NCSU, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/noah-sacks-858b12185\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Alison Plumley<\/strong>, NCSU, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alison-plumley-088546101\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jacob Burris<\/strong>, NCSU<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jaren Baluyot<\/strong>, NCSU, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jarenbaluyot\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Westley Foxx<\/strong>, NC A&amp;T<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Joshua Carter<\/strong>, NCSU<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Noel Griffin<\/strong>, NCSU<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ashlee George<\/strong>, NCSU<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>James Holmes<\/strong> <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Connor Saunders<\/strong> <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dorian Gothard<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Willie Adams<\/strong>, NCSU<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Adrian Chamberlin<\/strong>, NCSU, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/adrian-chamberlin-67aa8314b\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dave Axline<\/strong>, NCSU, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dave-axline-746635180\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Janai Minga<\/strong>, Texas Southern University, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/janaidminga\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sophie Uthe<\/strong>, NCSU, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sophiauthe\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Colleen Smith<\/strong>, Humboldt State University<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Austin Cary<\/strong>, Tuskegee University &amp; NCSU, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/austinca\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nadia Bowles<\/strong>, Tuskegee University, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/nadiabowles\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Kedel Sulimani<\/strong>, Tuskegee University<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Janell Neal<\/strong>, East Carolina University<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Maddie Adams<\/strong>, NCSU, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/maddieadams1017\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rosemary Edberg<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rosemaryedberg\/\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Current Students Graduate Students Undergraduate Students Former Students Graduate students: Undergraduate Students:&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":390,"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10\/revisions\/390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu\/zakiyaleggett\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}