Investing in Multidisciplinary University Activities through Hawaii EPSCoR

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The University of Hawaii has proposed a plan for Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) with the overarching theme of "Biodiversity in an Integrated Environment". The project involves the collaboration of the University of Hawaii campuses at Manoa and Hilo. The effort will be directed at three research thrust areas that are consistent with the state's commitment to a research agenda that targets responsible stewardship of its island ecosystems: evolutionary genetics, ecosystems, and information technology for environmental research. The research agenda will focus on Hawaii's native and introduced invasive species and consider the impact of human activities on ecosystem functionality and biological diversity. Hawaii investigators will use new molecular and technical approaches to study timely and substantive environmental research questions. A partnership with Kamehameha Schools will enable researchers, educators and students access to land of tremendous diversity for enriched research and educational experiences. An Environmental Information Technology Research Network will be established to store and retrieve spacial data that can be used to model ecosystem processes throughout the Hawaiian Islands and serve as a central clearinghouse for biological resource datasets.Hawaii's RII effort will strengthen and increase interactions and collaborations among researchers within the state as well as with US mainland researchers and integrate research in biodiversity with educational and outreach activities. K-12 students and teachers will interact with university researchers in field work designed to increase math and science interest and learning in Hawaii's youth, particularly Native Hawaiian students. Infrastructure support will also include funding of faculty and student travel, start-up funding for new faculty, "seed funding' to promote competitive collaborations among investigators and support for research experiences of community college students.