UH Hilo community-based conservation researchers featured at Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce event
Special guests at the Chamber’s “Business After Hours” event were two conservation researchers and the dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences.
By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.
The Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce featured two University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo conservation researchers and a college dean at a “Business After Hours” event held on campus March 5th. The event, “Listening to Animals: Mauka to Makai,” celebrated community-based collaborative work made possible through educational partnerships between the university and local organizations.
“I was delighted that UH Hilo was able to host another Chamber after hours event,” says UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin who attended the event. “Our faculty do such important work in and with our community, and it is wonderful to have an opportunity to share it beyond those directly involved.”
Special guest presenters were Assistant Professor of Marine Science Steve Doo and Professor of Biology Patrick Hart, both based at the College of Natural and Health Sciences. The dean of the college, Simon Kattenhorn, also gave a presentation about the college.
Helping host the event was Julie Mowrer, acting director for UH Hilo’s Center for Community Engagement.
“Our UH Hilo faculty, staff and students are doing amazing work with community partners to build thriving communities and address problems,” says Mowrer. “But it’s not enough to do the work, it needs to be shared with others to build trust in and understanding of UH Hilo’s commitment to our community.”
“We aren’t just educating students, but working alongside our community members to address complex issues with research and teach students to become engaged citizens who have the skill set and mindset to create positive change,” she adds.
Assistant Professor Steve Doo: The Coral Nursery
Assistant Professor Doo presented the work he’s doing at the Coral Nursery located at UH Hilo’s Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center; Doo is working closely with Keaukaha community members and local organizations in his coral conservation research, much of which is happening in Hilo Bay. Kaʻaka Swain, president of Keaukaha Community Association who also teaches at Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo charter school, joined Doo in giving the presentation.
The nursery has three main facilities: a lab with 21 flow-through tanks, an invertebrate pool, and four horse troughs used to house corals and run projects. UH Hilo students volunteer at the nursery during the semester.
A wonderful example of this collaborative, coral preservation work was on display at a recent community event, “He Pūkoʻa Kani ʻĀina,” held at the aquaculture center. In addition to co-organizer Swain and the Keaukaha Community Association, 12 groups headed the day’s activities. From the university were representatives from the College of Natural and Health Sciences, the Department of Marine Science, Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES), Liko Nā Pilina Hybrid Ecosystems Project, and the Coral Nursery.
Community groups included The Nature Conservancy, Waiʻuli We Count, Mokupāpapa Discovery Center, Sierra Club, Hui Hoʻoleimaluō, and the Kumuola Marine Science Education Center. The Hawaiʻi State Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) also participated.
Professor Patrick Hart: LOHE Bioacoustics Laboratory
Professor Hart presented his work at the event with co-presenter UH Hilo alumna Kili Kawaiaeʻa, now a technician in Hart’s lab.
Hart is founder of UH Hilo’s Listening Observatory for Hawaiian Ecosystems (LOHE) Bioacoustics Laboratory, a center established in 2014 for research on the ecology and conservation of native Hawaiian forests and birds. For over a decade, the lab teams have been using bioacoustic technology to routinely conduct studies on how birds communicate with each other through sounds and also how scientists can use those sounds to improve monitoring the birds’ distribution and abundance over time.
The lab is now using AI to analyze the thousands of hours in the lab’s library of animal sounds while further developing AI tools to automatically analyze those recordings to monitor bird populations. They are also focusing on installing passive acoustic recorder networks in forest bird habitat across Hawaiʻi; the new AI recording analysis is already being implemented across the state with partners such as Haleakalā National Park on Maui with plans to expand the efforts across the Pacific to Pohnpei, Palau, and Guam.
The researchers at the acoustics lab are also highly involved with community outreach, attending Earth Day fairs and educating children and the community about the environment and the different opportunities available in the field of ecology. The lab team regularly gives talks at the Lyman Museum, conservation conferences, and the Friends of Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge.
Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce “Business After Hours”
Last year, for the chamber’s ongoing “Business After Hours” series of events, the community-engaged work happening at UH Hilo’s College of Business and Economics was featured. The chamber plans to feature a different UH Hilo college each year.
Story by Susan Enright, 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.
