REU Site: Ka'ao: Telling the Stories of Hawaiian Ecosystems

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This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).This REU Site award to the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (UH Hilo), located in Hilo, HI, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2022-2024. Place-based research will be embedded in collaborations between UH Hilo and community-based, Federal, State, and private organizations located on Hawaiʻi Island. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from under-represented groups, especially Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, first-generation college students, and students with little to no research experience, will be trained in the program. Students will learn how research is conducted within a biocultural context, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Assessment of the program will be done through the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. This REU program places primary emphasis on biocultural restoration research in terrestrial and marine ecosystems on Hawai‘i Island. The REU program models a proactive, reciprocal, and community-based research process while teaching students important science communication skills. It is intentionally structured to provide participants with research experience, quantitative tools, communication skills, and cultural and community awareness, and at the same time deepen their environmental stewardship. Students will participate in Māhuahua (professional development), Huaka‘i (field trips), and Ho‘omohala (outreach) on Hawaiʻi Island, attend a state conservation conference, and prepare an oral presentation and final paper. Students interested in the program may apply online through our website (hilo.hawaii.edu/uhintern). Short-listed students will be contacted by program staff for an interview, and if selected, a second interview with a prospective research mentor. Selected students will receive a stipend, housing and meal allowance, and travel to and from Hilo. More information about the program and the application process is available by visiting http://hilo.hawaii.edu/uhintern, or by contacting the PI (Dr. R. Ostertag at ostertag@hawaii.edu), co-PI (Dr. N. Puniwai at npuniwai@hawaii.edu), or project coordinators at uhintern@hawaii.edu.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.