The 40th Annual MOP Student Symposium:

40 Down, Many more to come

By: Abbie Jeremiah, Seawords Editor & Sofía Flores Pina, Associate Editor

Hosted at the beautiful Leeward Community College in the ahupua‘a of Waiawa on O‘ahu, 14 Marine Option Program students presented at the 40th Annual Student Symposium on Saturday, April 15, 2023. MOP students from across the University of Hawai‘i system gathered and presented their skills projects before their peers “live” for the first time in three years.

The keynote address was given by Athline Clark, the recently retired National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Superintendent for Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM). Clark shared her experiences with the MOP program and how they impacted the trajectory of her career. She also talked about her extensive work at the PMNM and across Hawai‘i, especially with marine debris and conservation management. She highlighted the ecological and cultural importance of the region as well as some of the challenges that arise with so many agencies in collaboration. She concluded by expressing her hope for the upcoming generation to come up with new management strategies by challenging Western concepts of conservation with the indigenous Hawaiian perspective.

After the exhibition of unique and fascinating research projects and internships, a panel of judges gathered to decide which MOPers would be presented with awards including Best Research Paper, Best Internship Paper, Best Poster, the John P. Craven Award for the most inspired and inspirational presentation by a MOP “Child of the Sea,” the PACON award for the best paper integrating marine science and technology with a Pacific focus, the Sherwood Maynard Award for the student exhibiting the greatest example of ocean stewardship, and the Anna Toy Ng Memorial MOP Scholarship for a MOP student exhibiting excellence in marine scholarship, ocean stewardship, and contributions to MOP. In addition to highlighting the excellence of each student and their dedication to improving their communities and environments, the MOP symposium provided inspiration to the audience, leaving them feeling energized and optimistic about the future. Congratulations to all the students who presented their skill projects!

HE PŪKO‘A KANI ‘ĀINA- John P. Craven Award

Hayley Luke, Leeward Community College- Internship

During her internship at the Core Resilience Lab on Moku o Lo‘e as an education assistant, Haley explored ways to facilitate the lab’s growth, incorporate Hawaiian knowledge and traditional practices into her research, and the best way to communicate her research to different audiences. Her duties included assisting with classroom and community outreach as well as conducting cultural and historical research to contribute to the lab’s curriculum. Through a partnership between the lab and the Kahala Hotel Resort, Haley had the opportunity to become involved in various community outreach activities including a live touch tank, a weekly ocean-themed keiki art class, and a monthly Sunset Seminar program which showcases local researchers and organizations. A Hawaiian studies major, Haley was able to synthesize her research and began working on a cultural and historical coral reference guide for the lab to use as a resource. She also changed classroom lesson plans to become more place-based and engage students by telling the histories and stories of their ahupua‘a. Inspired by her experience, Haley declared a second major in Marine Biology and accepted a research assistant position with the Core Resilience Lab. She is currently working on developing an experiment that integrates her historical and cultural research with scientific research and hopes to continue research for her reference guide.

HIXON LAB INTERNSHIP

Kylie Bebe, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa– Internship

For her MOP skill project, Kylie Bebe assisted mentor Dani Escontrela with field research of coral reefs, corallivores, and the cushion sea star. Bebe began by highlighting the importance of corals and coral reefs as areas that host and sustain great biological diversity. Bebe then explained the ways in which corals are indirectly and directly stressed. Indirect stressors reduce coral growth and reproduction while direct stressors cause coral mortality by bleaching events as well as predation by cushion stars. Cushion sea stars, which are abundant around O‘ahu, were gathered and a series of trials were conducted to determine what corals they prefer. In order to subsidize feeding, the stars were held in what Bebe described as a starvation chamber for one week. After 151 trials, it was determined that cushion stars preferred the Pocillopora. Bebe speculates this is because of Pocillopora’s knoblike projections which allows for larger surface area to consume for the cushion stars. Her team also worked to create a reliable technique to identify individual cushion sea stars which is important for population dynamic studies. Using I3s spot software, photos were taken of cushion stars on the reef, off the reef, and once returned to the reef. Any identifying marks such as scars, contours, and pigmentation were outlined with points. Three methods were used: a thirty-point method, forty-point method, and fifty point method. At 31.4 percent accuracy, the forty-point method was most successful at identifying individuals. This is the first time I3 spot software was used on echinoderms. From these experiences, Bebe learned how to ask scientific questions, execute hypotheses with underwater field research, and became confident in her ability to conduct field research on her own.

WAIKĪKĪ BEACH CLEANUP INTERNSHIP

Molly Deppmeier, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa– Internship

As an intern for the Waikīkī Aquarium, Molly Deppmeier educated the public on the impacts of marine debris. The public were given the opportunity to engage in monthly beach clean-ups hosted by the Waikīkī Aquarium. Each participant was assigned a bucket, tongs, and a pair of gloves to then remove any pollution in the area. Once the participants returned, the waste they had collected was then sorted to be properly disposed of. While the participants were often surprised by the amount of trash collected, many left with a feeling of fulfillment of having left an immediate positive impact on the environment. Deppmeier highlighted the importance of properly disposing waste to minimize the further breakdown of plastics and inorganic materials in coastal areas. Deppmeier concluded with gratitude for her mentors, the cleanup participants,and encouraged the members of the symposium to participate in cleanup efforts.

PARLEY FOR THE OCEANS INTERNSHIP

Maiana Villegas, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa- Internship

Maiana Villegas completed her MOP skill project through an internship at Parley for the Oceans’ Parley Air Station. Parley for the Oceans is a nonprofit organization that works to combat marine plastic pollution through international collaboration. The Parley Air Station serves as an upcycling workshop and collaborative hub for the community to educate them on marine plastic pollution. Maiana presented the detrimental impacts of plastic pollution and introduced Parley’s approach to the issue, the Parley Air Strategy, which stands for Avoid, Intercept, and Redesign. The strategy advocates for avoiding plastic whenever possible, intercepting plastic from entering the ocean, and redesigning plastic waste into something useful. During her internship, Maiana also worked to raise awareness about marine plastic pollution by partnering with local nonprofits, hosting beach cleanups, and organizing educational activities for youths. Maiana shared how Parley partnered with the Twinfin Hotel and local artist Dane Nishikawa to create an eight-foot wave made of upcycled plastic sheets, water bottle caps, and marine plastics. The hotel pledged to stop using single-use plastics and displayed the wave near their lobby as a symbol of the change they hope to make in Waikīkī. Maiana concluded by expressing her gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the internship, going on to announce she has accepted a position at Parley as the Air Station Coordinator.

WHICH FISH LIVE WHERE? EFFECTS OF EXTREME TIDAL EVENTS AS FUTURE SEA LEVEL RISE SCENARIOS ON HE‘EIA FISH COMMUNITIES FOR AHUPUA‘A RESTORATION- Anna Toy Ng Memorial Scholarship

Savannah Crosby, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa- Internship

Savannah Crosby shared her experience as a Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center summer undergraduate research fellow in which she worked at the He‘eia National Estuary Research Reserve (NERR), collecting data to examine how fish biodiversity changes with climate change. Her project used the extreme tidal events known as King tides as a proxy for future sea level rise. Savannah analyzed samples of environmental DNA (eDNA) and water quality to assess the temporal and visual variability of fish communities during these events. While the data collected are still in the process of being analyzed, Savannah presented preliminary findings from data she collected from the Kamehameha Bridge site during the King tide event in June 2022. Aside from her main research activities, she assisted with He‘eia NERR’s biannual fish data collection, helping to identify fish species and collect voucher specimens for an eDNA genetic database. Additionally, she had the opportunity to work with other organizations dedicated to ahupua‘a restoration and conservation including Paepae o He‘eia and Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi. Through her work at the He‘eia NERR, Savannah gained insight into the ecological health and functioning of the He‘eia watershed which will help prepare the ahupua‘a for future impacts of climate change.

KETONE-ESTER PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO THE MOLECULAR LINK BETWEEN KETOSIS AND THE ASOCIAL CONDITION IN THE MEXICAN CAVEFISH

Jia Cashon, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa – Research

Jia Cashon, through her work with the Yoshizawa Lab, conducted research on the genetic basis for asocialness in the cave morphs of Astyanax mexicanus. The study found that there is a link between the metabolic degradation found in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the reduced social behavior observed in the cave fish. The similarities between the genetic basis for ASD and cavefish led Jia and the Yoshizawa Lab to hypothesize that flipping the glucose pathway to a ketone pathway can induce social behavior in the fish. The team conducted an experiment using a ketone ester to test the theory. After running dosage experiments to determine the best results in terms of social behavior, the team then conducted a treatment using the optimal dosage of ketone ester diet to treat both surface fish and cave fish twice a day for one month. The results showed that there was an increase in socialness and body weight, indicating a link between ketone ester and social behavior. Jia concluded by discussing the potential for this research to be eventually transferred to humans to help people with ASD.

THE BIRDS OF SUMIDA WATERCRESS FARM

Alyxe Cadavona, Kapi‘olani Community College– Research

Alyxe Cadavona completed her research skill project at Sumida Watercress Farm. Alyxe documented the avian species that used the farm as a refuge and resource. Her materials included binoculars, a waterproof notebook, a bird watching guide as a reference, and her keen eye. The area was divided into various sectors, Alyxe rotated through the sections in intervals of ten minutes, observing and recording the birds that arrived. While observing bird arrivals, she came across an issue when identifying the ducks of Sumida Farms as the distinctive, identifying traits of the Koloa Maoli, endemic to Hawai‘i, and the Mallard duck were both present in singular ducks. This is because in the late nineteenth century, Mallard ducks were introduced to Hawai‘i to decorate ponds. Later, in the 1950’s and 60’s, Mallards were brought to the islands for sport. As a result, many of the ducks observed at the farm were hybrids. In addition to logging the species that landed in the farm, Alyxe documented which depths certain birds favored to roam and where they chose to raise their young.

CHANNEL ISLANDS MARINE AND WILDLIFE INSTITUTE

Aubree Fritch, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa– Internship

Aubree Fritch shared her experience rehabilitating and providing care to pinnipeds on the Southern California Coast as an intern at Channel Islands Marine Institute, or CIMWI. Pinnipeds are large, carnivorous semi-aquatic, mostly marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and walruses. Aubree’s duties involved cleaning enclosures, feeding, and providing general care to the pinnipeds. The patients treated in the CIMWI facility were brought in for a number of reasons including malnourishment, entanglement, and deviation from habitat. Upon arrival, the patient’s condition and vitals were logged to use as a reference and track progress. Another aspect of Fritch’s duties was to educate beach goers and ensure their safety when responding to a call about a pinniped in need of help. To ensure the safety of the pinnipeds and the beach goers, barriers were set in place to maintain distance as pinnipeds often become aggressive when stressed. Once at CIMWI facilities, pinnipeds were assigned numbers and provided with care with the goal of release. Patients were assigned numbers rather than names to avoid conditioning patients to humans. If a patient became conditioned to humans, they would be transferred to an organization such as a zoo for continued care and research. In the event of a patient passing in CIMWI care, a necroscopy was performed to determine cause of death. Once patients received adequate care and were deemed fit for release, they were tagged with a complete account of care provided, inspected, and their vitals were logged. Finally, rehabilitated pinnipeds were released. It’s important to note that during release, an aggressive pinniped is a good sign as an aggressive pinniped is a confident pinniped. The more aggressive the pinniped, the more they want to return to habitat, and the better the chance of survival.

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I AT HILO SEAWORDS LIASON- Best Internship Paper

Chloe Molou, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo– Internship

Chloe Molou shared her experience developing and carrying out her position as the UH Hilo liaison for Seawords. Chloe noticed the lack of representation of indigenous communities and traditional ecological knowledge in science communication which inspired her work to increase indigenous representation and communication skills in STEM. Her objectives as liaison included promoting Seawords on the UH Hilo campus, writing monthly assigned articles for the magazine, creating an original miniseries highlighting young indigenous marine scientists at UH Hilo, increasing UH Hilo MOP representation in the magazine and creating a monthly calendar for each issue by collecting activity dates hosted by each of the MOP campuses. Chloe has been successful in writing 24 articles during her two years of working in this position. Chloe’s time as UHH Seawords Liaison has increased writing opportunities for UH Hilo MOP students as well as indigenous STEM students. Her miniseries especially, provided a platform for indigenous marine scientists to share their stories with a broader audience, highlighting their contributions to science. While graduating this May, Chloe hopes someone else will take up the vital position and continue the work she started.

DEVELOPING THEODOLITE WORKSHOPS FOR MOP AND SECONDARY STUDENTS- PACON Award

Madisen Coelho, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo– Internship

For her MOP Skill Project, Madisen Coelho developed workshops on theodolite use for MOP and secondary students to track the movement patterns and habitat use of whales and dolphins. Her project aimed to create a resource that would be accessible to undergraduate students who wish to research cetaceans without engaging in the traditional methods of tagging and vessel surveys which are invasive and expensive. Madisen explained that using a theodolite is a great alternative approach to cetacean research. Theodolites can be used from a hilltop to triangulate where a whale is out at sea. It displays a vertical and a horizontal angle, enabling students and researchers to track the movements of cetaceans from land. Madisen created a theodolite manual, training resources, as well as interactive workshops for students at different grade levels. The result of Madisen’s project is a valuable resource that can teach students how to research cetaceans in a non-invasive and cost-effective way.

HAWAI‘I ISLAND FISHING LINE RECYCLING & PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAM- Sherwood Maynard Award; Anna Toy Ng Memorial Scholarship

Sydney Lewis, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo– Internship

For the past three years, Sydney Lewis worked to establish and expand the fishing line recycling program on Hawai‘i Island. Sydney’s inspiration for the project came from a turtle tagging event where she saw the harm caused to a sea turtle by fishing line entanglement. She then decided to focus on prevention rather than intervention by becoming involved in the fishing line recycling program. The fishing line recycling program was started in 2019 by Maui Ocean Center and a former UH Hilo student, Alyssa Martin, who put up three fishing line recycling bins. Sydney’s first objective for expanding the program was to maintain these bins and expand the program’s reach by putting up more bins on Hawai‘i Island. Excitingly, she was able to secure authorization from the Department of Parks and Recreation on Hawai‘i Island to install fishing line recycling bins on any existing county pole. The recycling bins are made of PVC pipes with a curve at the top to prevent fishing lines from flying out. They are put up with zip ties and have stickers and signage to educate people about the resource and how to use it. Sydney’s second objective was establishing a citizen science program to help maintain the recycling bins. She worked with students across the island, educating them about the resource and getting them involved. Sydney’s work with the fishing line recycling program is a significant step in protecting Hawai‘i’s marine environment and is set to continue to grow and expand its reach.

COLLABORATING WITH WAIKŌLOA ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL TO BRING MARINE SCIENCE EXPERIENCES TO STUDENTS

Miranda Maassen, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo– Internship During her internship at Waikōloa Elementary and Middle School, Miranda Maassen aimed to strengthen the marine science learning aspect of the primary and secondary school curriculum. Maassen explained that marine science education is often overlooked, much to the detriment of students. Maassen asserts that the integration of marine science education into grade school as well as a strong marine science foundation will result in scientifically literate citizens of the future. Her methods for implementing love for marine science education included hands-on learning, participation in citizen science, and listening to guest speakers which provided insight into future career routes. In addition to the incorporation of the above methods into the curriculum, Maassen personally created several lesson plans from her own experience as a marine science student. These lesson plans were then shared with teachers at Waikōloa to be taught or were taught by Maassen personally. From her experience working with Waikōloa School many students and teachers alike gained knowledge and better understanding of marine science.

HIGH ELEVATION SURVEYS FOR ‘UA‘U BURROWS ON MAUNA KEA- Best Research Paper

Caden Christensen, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo– Research

Caden Christiensen relayed his involvement in the surveying of ‘Ua‘u burrows on Mauna Kea. The ‘Ua‘u, or Hawaiian Petrel, named for its unique song, is endemic to Hawai’i and spends much of its life at sea only returning to land to breed in burrows. For the first time in 50 years, signs of an ‘Ua‘u colony on Mauna Kea were observed. Christiensen’s objective was to confirm such signs and study any ‘Ua‘u using the mauna to burrow. ‘Ua‘u burrow in lava rock, returning to the very burrow each year for each breeding cycle. The endangered ‘Ua‘u only produce one chick per year and are vulnerable to further population decline due the following factors: egg predation by rats, cats, and mongooses as well as urbanization. Because the ‘Ua‘u use the stars to navigate, urbanization and light pollution inhibit their ability to accurately navigate. Christensen conducted day surveys on Mauna Kea carefully looking for any signs of ‘Ua‘u burrows such as feathers and droppings. At night, he used forward looking infrared technology to confirm suspected burrows. Once evidence of ‘Ua‘u presence on the mauna was confirmed, he petitioned there be a predator proof fence constructed to ensure the ‘Ua‘u chicks be given the best chance of survival. This discovery of ‘Ua‘u on Mauna Kea is particularly exciting as they are sure to return due to their tendency to return the same burrow every year.

OKINAWA INTERNSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE RYUKYUS

Samantha Diaz, Honolulu Community College– Internship

Samantha Diaz shared the MOP skill project she completed at the University of the Ryukyus via zoom. While working as an intern at Okinawa’s University of the Ryukyus, Samantha gained valuable experience conducting field surveys, collecting samples, and more. As a student of Ryukyus Molecular Invertebrate Systematics and Ecology or MISE lab, Diaz acquired a wide range of biological knowledge. She studied the field of ecology, biodiversity, and taxonomy focusing on benthic fauna such as corals. Diaz learned how to properly preserve and study specimens and observed the presence of gametes while performing coral histology. Using her diving abilities, Diaz conducted field surveys, and observed bleaching events in Okinawa. Samantha also investigated reefs and how they change, making note of the specimens that resided within reefs. Diaz reflected on the partnerships she created with other students through the MISE lab. Many of Diaz’s colleagues in the MISE lab were also international students. Diaz emphasized the great sense of community she felt amongst her MISE lab peers.