Research Scholars - Hawaiʻi
🌊 Are you interested in getting your feet wet and hands dirty?
🌱 Are you interested in learning about science and culture through restoration, stewardship, and research?
🪸 Are you interested in community based restoration and managment?
🤿Are you interested in building foundational field research and mapping skills?
JOIN US FOR A 10-DAY IMMERSIVE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IN O‘AHU
SUMMER 2026 DATES COMING SOON
Program Description
Hawaii, with its exceptional natural beauty and cultural heritage, is deeply rooted in the core principle Mālama ʻĀina, or “to care for the land,” which reflects a profound respect for the environment and underscores the interconnectedness between humans and nature. Aligned with this philosophy, the Research Scholars Marine Science—Hawaii Program will offer a transformative experience on the island of Oahu, inviting students passionate about marine science and environmental stewardship to join us for 10-days of hands-on learning through restoration, stewardship, and research.
Students will work alongside our partners to engage in restoration and research initiatives in Waimānalo. Using ArcGIS, students will evaluate the effects of land-based pollution and climate change on the bay by analyzing both publicly available data and data they gather themselves. The results will be compiled into a story map using ArcGIS to highlight the students’ contributions and support community interests and ongoing conservation efforts.
This program strives to inspire youth to become climate and environmental stewards by helping them understand that we are an integral part of nature, and encouraging students to reconnect with their local resources. Through this awareness, we hope to motivate participants to take what they’ve learned back to their communities, fostering a sense of responsibility for the health of watersheds, ecosystems, and, ultimately, our ocean.
Through our program, students will gain leadership and research skills in coral reef restoration and management as well as ...
- Ho‘okua‘āina
- Kaulaukalana
- 808 Cleanups
- Oʻi kalo (taro fields)
- Loko iʻa (fishponds)
- Preserve water quality
- Reduce soil erosion
- Prevent nutrient runoff
- Minimize pollutants from reaching the ocean
- Remove invasive algae
- Assess the health of the reef at Waimānalo using transect survey methods
- Learn coral transplantation techniques
- Map with ArcGIS
2025 PARTNERS AND ORGANIZATIONS
Kumu Kimeona Kane
Community Partner
Kimeona is a proud lifelong son of Waimānalo, a Kumu Uhau Humu Pōhaku, an Aloha ʻĀina Steward, and a forever haumana, always wanting to learn. Currently, he is the Chair of the Waimānalo Neighborhood Board, where he has served for the last few years, and is the Director of Community Outreach for a local environmental non profit, 808 Cleanups, working towards a Hawaiʻi that they can be proud to leave to the next seven generations.
Kumu Daniel Kinzer
Community Partner
Dan Kinzer works at the intersection of bio-cultural conservation, education, technology, and innovation, with a strong focus on the ocean and its relationship to people. Dan is a crew member of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, and leads community technology efforts promoting regeneration through technology and collaboration.
Kumu Amanda Millin
Community Partner
Amanda Millin, a former editor with an M.S. in Publishing, was inspired by sustainable aquaculture to shift from journalism to hands-on conservation. Her work with Indigenous communities across the globe led her to earn a master’s in Marine Biodiversity & Conservation. Now on Oʻahu, she manages an aquaculture grant for the Polynesian Voyaging Society and is a committee Member at Cross-Pacific Indigenous Aquaculture Collaborative.
Kumu Ryan Chang
Community Partner
Ryan Chang is a Forestry Technician IV with the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Outside of work, he actively volunteers with organizations such as Protect & Preserve Hawaii, 808 Cleanups, Waimānalo Limu Hui, and Kanaka Climbers. A student of Uhau Humu Pōhaku, Ryan is also an avid nature photographer, using his images to celebrate native species and inspire community stewardship.
Kumu Madison Cahill
Community Partner
Maddison Cahill is Project Coordinator at 808 Cleanups, supporting grant writing, volunteer coordination, and fieldwork. She helps manage cleanup and restoration projects, liaises with funders, and leads weekly events at Queen Liliʻuokalani Botanical Garden—blending behind-the-scenes work with hands-on community engagement.
Kumu Dr. Kiana Frank
Guest Speaker
Kiana Frank is a professor at UH Manoa. Her resesearch includes understanding the complex role that microorganisms play in biogeochemical cycling, with focus on describing the microbial community structure, functional capacity and rates of metabolic activity in the context of the physico-chemical environment.
Kaulaukalana
Organization
Kaulaukalana is dedicated to restoring and revitalizing Kailua back to ʻāina – spaces that feed our community – once again. Students will ʻāina to huli ka lima i lalo (turn your hands to the ground), hear and learn Kailua-specific moʻolelo (stories), and enjoy an ʻono lunch together with food grown from their beloved ʻāina of Kūkanono, Kailua!
Ho‘okua‘āina
Organization
Ho‘okua‘āina is a non-profit nestled in the ahupuaʻa of Kailua, Oʻahu. Through the cultivation of kalo, they provide a safe gathering space for community to grow in their connection to culture, place, and one another. Ho‘okua‘āina cultivates a culture of individual well-being and community waiwai through aloha ‘āina. waiwai = wealth, value, worth, importance, benefit, riches; aloha ʻāina = love of the land
E hoʻomau i ka aʻo no ka ʻāina o Oʻahu
HIGHLIGHTED TESTIMONIALS
