Meet the 2025 UH Mānoa Tyler Fellows: Undergraduates Set to Embark on Global Research and Creative Projects This Summer
UROP is thrilled to announce the inaugural cohort of Tyler Fellows—a select group of six UH Mānoa undergraduate students who have been awarded funding to pursue research or creative work abroad during Summer 2025.
These exceptional students were selected through a competitive campus-wide application process and will each receive up to $5,000 in individual funding to support their international academic endeavors. This new initiative is made possible by the generous support of the Tyler Center for Global Studies, which aims to enrich student learning through global experiences.
Across Asia, Australia, and Europe, the 2025 Tyler Fellows will be engaging with complex, real-world questions in diverse international settings. These immersive projects reflect a deep commitment to scholarly excellence, cultural exchange, and global citizenship:
| Tyler Fellow Name | Tyler Fellow Major | Project Title | Country | Mentor Name | Mentor Title | Mentor Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landon Schumaker | Marine Biology | Biodiversity and Sampling Strategies Across Depths in the Nova Canton Trough | Australia | Jeffrey Drazen | Professor | Oceanography |
| Courtney Tagay | Political Science | Enlivening Indigenous Voices in an Indonesian National Park: Recentering Forest Conservation Priorities through Oral Histories | Indonesia | Micah Fisher | Assistant Professor | Matsunaga Institute for Peace |
| Matthew Rummel | Political Science | Enlivening Indigenous Voices in an Indonesian National Park: Recentering Forest Conservation Priorities through Oral Histories | Indonesia | Micah Fisher | Assistant Professor | Matsunaga Institute for Peace |
| Gabrielle Kics | Global Environmental Science | Enlivening Indigenous Voices in an Indonesian National Park: Recentering Forest Conservation Priorities through Oral Histories | Indonesia | Micah Fisher | Assistant Professor | Matsunaga Institute for Peace |
| Nikhil Stewart | Religions & Ancient Civilizations | Social Media’s Impact on Tibetan Buddhism in Kathmandu, Nepal | Nepal | Gregg Kinkley | Lecturer | Religions & Ancient Civilizations |
| Reagan Claggett | Biology | Community Response to Climate Change in Seville: Exploring Local Community Initiatives for Climate Action | Spain | Micah Fisher | Assistant Professor | Matsunaga Institute for Peace |
Dr. Micah Fisher (Assistant Professor in the Matsunaga Institute for Peace) will be mentoring four Tyler Fellows traveling to Indonesia and Spain. He stated, “It’s amazing that undergraduate students have the opportunity to dream up an idea and get the skills and experience doing research. I have truly been impressed by the leadership and innovation that they have shown in putting together this initiative…It’s forcing me in the classroom to rethink how we approach pedagogy, curriculum, and community engagement.”
Gabrielle Kics, who will be traveling to Indonesia as part of a group studying indigenous forest conservation, shared, “I’m very excited to learn from people in Cenranna Baru about their experiences, opinions, beliefs, etc. Human connection is one of the most powerful ways to generate change, so I am honored to build these relationships and support movements toward a more just and sustainable future.”
Kics’ teammate, Courtney Tagay, concurred: “I am more than excited to have the opportunity to document the indigenous voices of Lima Poccoe, a village located in South Sulawesi that is rich in tropical farm and forest land. My goal from this project is to learn from indigenous experiences as stewards of the land and apply their knowledge to future community planning and conservation efforts.”
Landon Schumaker, who will be traveling to Australia for his marine biology work, stated, “I’m blessed to have the opportunity to study biodiversity in the Hadal zone, the deepest parts of our planet, and to learn from the world-class researchers at the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre. Thanks to the support of the Tyler Fellowship and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, I’m excited to explore this extreme and extraordinary environment, and to contribute to our understanding of life in the deep ocean.”
The 2025 Tyler Fellowship program received a strong pool of applications from across campus, highlighting the growing interest among UH Mānoa students to engage in meaningful global experiences. After a competitive review process, UROP selected projects that not only demonstrated academic merit and feasibility but also aligned with the Tyler Center’s mission to foster global awareness and intercultural understanding.
“UROP is very excited to bring this new funding opportunity to our campus. With increasing numbers of UH Mānoa undergraduates requesting funding from a fixed pool of available scholarship funds that our office manages, any new funding opportunity is a plus for our students and our campus. This opportunity is particularly exciting in that it will provide the opportunity for our students across all disciplines to conduct international scholarship,” said Dr. Creighton Litton, Director of UROP. “We are very grateful to the Tyler Center for supporting our undergraduate students’ research and creative work in such a meaningful way,” added Tim Dolan, CEO of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation (UHF).
Beyond funding, Fellows will receive comprehensive pre-departure training through the UH Mānoa Study Abroad Center, covering cross-cultural communication, health and safety, and risk management protocols. This preparation ensures students are well-equipped to navigate both the academic and cultural dimensions of their work.
Congratulations to our 2025 Tyler Fellows. We can’t wait to see where your curiosity takes you next!
This new funding opportunity is possible via a collaboration between UROP, UH Foundation and the Study Abroad Center that provides a funding mechanism and student/mentor international travel training.