Several UH Hilo Marine Option Program students bring home awards from statewide MOP Symposium

Posted on by

The annual MOP Symposium features oral and poster presentations by undergraduate students from UH campuses around the state.

Group of students and instructors stand for photo, ocean mural in background.
Several students from UH Hilo’s Marine Options Program won awards at the statewide 2023 MOP Student Symposium. From left, Caden Christensen, Sydney Lewis, Madisen Coelho, UH Hilo MOP Site Coordinator Lisa Parr, Chloe Molou, UH Hilo Staff Coordinator Matt Connelly, and Miranda Maassen (nominee). (Cooper Lund/UH Hilo Stories)

By Susan Enright.

Logo: Marine Option Program University of Hawaii, with a wave.Several students from the Marine Options Program at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo won awards at the statewide MOP Student Symposium held April 15, 2023, at Leeward Community College. The annual event features oral and poster presentations by undergraduate students from UH campuses around the state.

“They were fantastic representatives of UH Hilo,” writes Lisa Parr, instructor of marine science and a MOP faculty co-coordinator who runs and oversees the program at UH Hilo, in an email announcement. “Please congratulate them on a job well done when you see them on campus!”

      • Madisen Coelho won the PACON award for a marine project with a technology focus for her project, “Developing Theodolite Workshops for MOP and Secondary Students.”
      • Chloe Molou won Best Internship for her project, “University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Seawords Liaison.”
      • Sydney Lewis won the Sherwood Maynard Ocean Impact Award for her project, “Hawai‘i Island Fishing Line Recycling Program.”
      • Caden Christensen won Best Research project for his work on “High Elevation Surveys for ‘Ua‘u Burrows on Mauna Kea.”
      • Sydney Lewis shared the Anna Toy Ng Award along with UH Mānoa student Savannah Crosby for the student who has contributed the most to MOP this year.

Miranda Maassen was a strong contender who was nominated in several categories for her project “Collaborating with Waikoloa Elementary and Middle School to Bring Marine Science Experiences to Students.”

See the UH Hilo MOP website for details about all this year’s student projects.

A total of 21 MOP students from across the UH System presented their projects this year. Award winners from other campuses were Hayley Luke from Leeward Community College, who won the John P. Craven Child of the Sea award for her project, “He Pūko‘a Kani ‘Āina,” and Emma DeBenedictus from UH Mānoa won Best Poster for her project, “Enhancing Marine Stewardship Through Various Forms of Education Outreach.”

The UH Hilo Marine Option Program is open to students in all majors.

Story by Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.

Photographer Cooper Lund is majoring in marine science at UH Hilo.

Share this story