UH Hilo students win big at UH System marine science competition

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UH Hilo students win top honors in four major categories at the 34th Annual Marine Option Program (MOP) Student Symposium.

Group on beach with tents in background.
34th Annual Marine Option Program Student Symposium, hosted by UH Hilo, was held this year at Halau Maluhia, Keʻei, Hawaiʻi Island. (Left to right) Branden Ono (Windward CC), Keelee Martin (UH Hilo), Rosie Lee (UH Hilo), Yonatan Armon (UH Mānoa), Joctan Dos Reis Lopes (UH Hilo), Tyler Phelps (UH Hilo), Emily Menzies (UH Mānoa), and Jessica Lotts (UH Manoa). Courtesy photo MOP/UH Hilo.

Several students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo participated in this year’s 34th Annual Marine Option Program (MOP) Student Symposium, hosted by UH Hilo at Halau Maluhia, Keʻei, Hawaiʻi Island. The symposium featured the top Marine Options Program (MOP) students from campuses across the UH System presenting their applied learning “Skills Projects.”

“Congratulations again to everyone and thank you to all the UH campuses that joined us for the amazing weekend of presenting and camping at Keʻei beach!” MOP posted on their Instagram.

UH Hilo MOP students brought home awards in four major categories:

Roseanna “Rosie” Lee won the Anna Toy Ng Memorial MOP Scholarship, awarded to a MOP student exhibiting excellence in marine scholarship, ocean stewardship, and contributions to MOP.

Tyler Phelps won for Best Research Project: “Scooters and Scaridae: Utilizing New Technology to Answer Ecological Questions.”

Keelee Martin won Best Poster category: “Writing the Waves: UH Hilo Seawords Contributions.

Joctan Dos Reis Lopes won the Sherwood Maynard Award for Ocean Impact: “Marine Debris Education and Coastal Cleanup Project, in Com and Dili, Timor-Leste.”

Other participating students also made a good showing and were strong contenders in the competition. They were Michael Caban II Akamai-Stephens, Amelia Dolgin, Brittany R. Fuemmeler, James Gomez DeMolina, Alexander Hernandez, Shelby Marhoefer.

“All of these students did an outstanding job, and represented UH Hilo exceptionally well,” says Assoc. Prof. of Marine Science Steven Colbert in an email announcing the winners.

More photos from the symposium:

Tents set up on the beach.
Tents set up at Keʻei beach for the 2017 MOP Symposium. Courtesy photos from MOP/UH Hilo.
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