UH Hilo geography students and faculty present their research at American Association of Geographers conference
The group of UH Hilo graduate and undergraduate students, along with faculty geographers and environmental scientists, made an impressive showing at the Honolulu conference, each presenting their own research in Hawaiʻi-focused panels.
By Susan Enright.
A group of students and faculty from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo traveled to Honolulu to present their research at the annual conference of the American Association of Geographers, April 16-20, 2024. In addition, the UH Hilo group, along with colleagues from Hawaiʻi Community College who also attended the conference, together hosted a group of conference participants for a huakaʻi (field trip) on Hawaiʻi Island, listed in the conference’s program as an off-island day trip for “land engagement.”
“The AAG was a great opportunity for geography and environmental science faculty and students to engage with each other outside the classroom at one of the largest meetings of geographers in the country,” says Kathryn Besio, UH Hilo professor of geography and environmental science and chair of the department. “We joined researchers from the continental U.S. and other parts of the world for five days of research presentations, ranging from huakaʻi to more traditional paper and poster presentations.”
The group of UH Hilo graduate and undergraduate students, along with faculty geographers and environmental scientists, made an impressive showing at the conference, each presenting their own research in Hawaiʻi-focused panels.
“The most satisfying part of the conference was sharing the experience with the tropical conservation biology and environmental science [graduate] students and geography and environmental science undergraduates who attended,” says Besio.
“The students presenting their research did a great job of representing our programs and UH Hilo in varied and interdisciplinary projects about Hawaiʻi Island,” adds Besio. “I think for all the students, the conference showed them future academic possibilities they may not have considered.”
Panel
At the conference, four graduate students in UH Hilo’s tropical conservation biology and environmental science program presented their research in a panel discussion they led, “Futures in conservation and mālama ʻāina (caring for the land).”
Anna Ezzy presented her work titled, “Women-identifying agroforestry practitioners’ experiences and access to government support for conservation in Hawaiʻi,” where she discussed Hawaiʻi’s history of Indigenous agroecosystems stewarded by Native Hawaiians. She argues that due to the effects of colonization and a plantation-structured agricultural economy, systemic change is required to restore food security. Her thesis is that understanding the decision-making of women of diverse backgrounds who cultivate land for agroforestry in Hawaiʻi, along with the utilization of government assistance for agroforestry, supports more equitable access to land and resources, especially for beginning farmers. Ezzy used semi-structured interviews to explore her topic.
Anya Benevides, whose paper titled, “Connections from makai to mauka,” covers her ethnographic research interviewing conservation professionals, people working with sustainable food systems, and formal educators who incorporate ʻāina (land)-based context into their curricula. Her thesis explores the ways in which modern conservation separates ecosystems that are actually culturally and biologically interlinked as is found in traditional mauka (mountain) to makai (ocean) land divisions of ahupuaʻa (large traditional socioeconomic, geologic, and climatic subdivision of land). She hopes “work like this can influence dialogue and collaboration within the conservation community.”
Kalena Shiroma, presented her work, “Comparing the efficacy of sUAS to ground measurements of Hawaiʻi island forests with applications to steep and remote areas.” Shiroma’s study looks to find the effectiveness and similarities of data collection done with small drones — Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) — in comparison to ground-based methods. The investigation focuses on how newer technologies can be implemented when traditional methods (such as trekking into the forest on foot or looking at the canopy from a helicopter) is not a viable or practical option. She asks, “Can we measure steep and remote areas without having to go over the edge, and if so, is it comparable to traditional fieldwork methodologies?”
Naiʻa Odachi, the fourth member of the panel, whose graduate research focuses on Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, a fungal disease devastating to the dominant and culturally important tree in Hawaiian forests, presented the visual communication aspects of scientific conservation work with her presentation, “Science and art intersect: Visualizing Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death mortality in Hawaiʻi forests and Hawaiʻi centric artwork for science communication.” Odachi talked about effective visual communication, from scientifically-based satellite imagery to art that her fellow graduate students are doing of native species and ecological themes, arguing that both types of media are highly effective at educating others and communicating conservation concerns.
Individual presentation
Olivia Jarvis, also in the tropical conservation biology and environmental science graduate program, presented her work, “Strawberry guava (Psidium cattleyanum) detection from aerial imagery using convolutional neural networks on Hawaiʻi Island.” Jarvis is investigating the invasive strawberry guava tree that’s degrading native ecosystems around the world; in Hawaiʻi, the tree has become one of the most abundant invasive plant species across the islands. Detection of the tree is difficult, but remote sensing technologies allow scientists to better detect the invasive species from an aerial perspective. Jarvis helped collect and analyze data from flights in early 2024 that used a machine learning algorithm trained to identify strawberry guava trees in ʻŌlaʻa Forest on Hawaiʻi Island. “Mapping strawberry guava tree stands and identifying biocontrol candidates are important for informing land management decisions and protecting native ecosystems in Hawaiʻi and around the world,” says Jarvis.
Joint presentation
Graduate student Trina Henry who also is in the tropical conservation biology and environmental science program, along with undergraduate Kanoa Lindiwe who is majoring in environmental science, presented “Mapping and visualizing East Hawai’i Veterans Cemetery No. 1 with Leaflet.” Using drone flights, field work, and a lot of geographic information system programming, the project, which included input from a group of 48 UH Hilo student geographers spanning three classes, involved mapping a local veteran’s cemetery to help visitors find gravesites though a user-friendly website featuring an intuitive user interface, easy searchability, ease of use, accurate plot information, map navigation, and accessibility. To see the map, visit the East Hawaiʻi Veterans Cemetery 1 Map now available online. Through an overhead view of the entire cemetery, a viewer can click on each gravesite to see a photo of each gravestone. Viewers can also search by name.
Faculty presentations
Several faculty researchers also presented their work at the conference.
Professor of Geography Besio presented her work, titled, “A ‘fairy godmother,’ family, and philanthropy: Rachel Workman MacRobert and the colonial ties that bind.” Using newspaper articles, personal correspondence, biographical sources, and MacRobert’s parents’ journals and publications, Besio analyzes how MacRobert created a colonial identity through family, suffrage for white women, and philanthropy.
Chris Knudson, assistant professor of geography, was part of three panel session on water, colonialism, and sovereignty with his presentation, “Water Sovereignty on Hawaiʻi Island.” Knudson’s paper examines the history of the sugar industry’s diversion of streamflow on Hawaiʻi Island and the current struggles for communities to manage water more sustainably.
Ryan Perroy, professor of geography and environmental science, was organizer and also presented at a panel session on invasive species in Hawaiʻi with his paper covering his area of expertise, “Detecting Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death in Hawaiʻi.” He discussed some of the different methods (e.g., remote-sensing technology, high-resolution satellite, aerial devices, drones, and helicopter imagery) he uses to detect trees suspected of the fungal infection and provided a current assessment of mortality levels in a number of long-term monitoring plots distributed across the islands of Hawaiʻi and Kauaʻi.
Roberto Rodriguez III, assistant professor of aeronautical science, was unable to attend the conference, but Professor Perroy presented Rodriguez’s paper, “Drones to helicopters: Scaling artificial intelligence based detectors for aerial surveys of Hawaiʻi’s forests,” where he discusses the ability to use drones as a springboard for developing new artificial intelligence models that can be readily used for surveys conducted by helicopter, thus decreasing initial costs of creating models while meeting the needs of natural resource managers.
Huakaʻi (field trip)
The Hilo group, along with students and faculty from Hawaiʻi Community College who also attended the geography conference, hosted a group of conference participants for a huakaʻi (field trip) on Hawaiʻi Island, listed in the conference’s program as an off-island day trip for “land engagement.”
The group visited the restored Haleolono fishpond in Hilo and Halemaʻumaʻu crater at Kīlauea Caldera while learning about how students enrich their education and scientific knowledge through engaging in mālama ʻāina (care for the land) activities, learning the significance of place names, moʻolelo (stories), and kaʻao (epic legends) connected to the island environment, and enjoying huakaʻi (journeys) to wahi pana (storied places) around the island.
The huakaʻi was made possible with community participation, notably Luka Kanakaʻole from Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation (learn more about the work restoring Haleolono fishpond). Contributing faculty from HawCC were Drew Kapp, assistant professor of geography (hōʻike honua), and No’el Tagab-Cruz, assistant professor of Hawaiian studies and program coordinator of the college’s Hawaiʻi Life Styles program.
“This collaboration between institutions was integral to the success of the land engagement,” says Besio.
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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.
