To get a unique look at how climate change is impacting marine mammals, ߣsirÊÓƵ News interviewed whale expert Lars Bejder, director of the at the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa , on how innovative technologies are helping experts monitor the health of marine mammals.

Bejder is a conservation biologist who focuses on marine mammals such as whales and dolphins in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi and internationally. He utilizes drones and specially designed sensors to gather data on cetaceans.

What species of marine mammals do you monitor?

ߣsirÊÓƵʻi has more than 20 species of whales and dolphins. We study between 8–10, and each one of those have different conservation issues and pressures.

The most iconic species we have in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi is the humpback whale that spends about three months a year here on their breeding grounds. We study the ߣsirÊÓƵian monk seals, which are only found here in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi and spinner dolphins, which is a coastal species. We also study pilot whales and false killer whales. Some generic threats for all of them are entanglements, ship strikes, noise pollution and climate change, and depending on the species, some are more or less affected by each of these.

What kind of tech are you using?

Using innovative technology such as drones and tags, we’re starting to get a good understanding of how humpback whales change from year to year based on climatic events. For example, a few years ago, when there was a large heat wave across the North Pacific, we saw significant declines in humpback whale health or body condition, which shows us how closely these animals’ health are linked to climate.

The two main new technologies that we use are calibrated drones and suction cup tags, the suction cup tags we use across species—so humpback whales, pilot whales, false killer whales and monk seals. We apply these onto those animals and acquire an incredible wealth of data. We use drones to estimate body condition and health of individuals and populations, and we use those across all of the different species that are here in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi.

How are you using tech to monitor humpback whales?

We have collected the world’s largest database on humpback whale health. And when I say health, it’s body condition which we measure through drones using calibrated lenses and custom fit altimeters. We’re able to fly these instruments repetitively over the same animals across ocean basins. So on the breeding grounds here in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi and also on the foraging grounds up in Alaska, we can really see how the body condition of these animals changes every season and every year. We have now measured 10,000 humpback whales. And when you think about it, the population estimate here in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi is between 12,000 and 14,000. So a significant amount of the animals are visiting ߣsirÊÓƵʻi. The fact that we also measure them up in Alaska allows us to see how much energy and condition they lose here in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi and vice versa.

How is climate change impacting humpback whales?

If you have a very good year, for example, the conditions are right, you’re going to have a lot of prey, and things are good for the whales up in Alaska. And a year later, you see that the animals are healthy, they’re large, and you’re getting calves. But what we’re also finding is when we have a bad year, for example, climatic events that are not good for prey items up in Alaska, the year later, we have significantly skinnier animals and less calves being born. And that’s really telling us something about the health of the oceans is portrayed through these animals. By simply flying a drone over animals, we can say something about the health of the ecosystem, and that’s really, really promising and exciting.

UnderߣsirÊÓƵuates at the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa were inspired to build a giant antenna to explore hundreds of miles above the planet. The antenna, known as an ionosonde, project began after a lecture from Professor Giuseppe Torri about phenomena that can occur in the ionosphere, one of the highest layers of the Earth’s atmosphere.

The ionosphere plays an important role in radio transmission. Any disturbance in this region, such as those caused by the Sun (solar flares, geomagnetic storms, etc.), can severely affect radio transmissions and cause blackouts. UnderߣsirÊÓƵuate ߣsirÊÓƵ Arianna Corry, Emily Harris, Kyra Dyer and Grace McCoy, in the ߣsirÊÓƵ Mānoa (SOEST), teamed up to embark on a research journey to try and better understand this region.

“Some of us are long-time sci-fi fans—especially of the amazing work of Arthur Clarke—and we wanted a name that could encapsulate the sense of adventure that we all experienced reading the books that we love so much,” said Corry, who will be ߣsirÊÓƵuating this semester with a degree in atmospheric sciences and will start a master’s degree program at SOEST in the fall. “When Giuseppe mentioned that the branch of atmospheric science that studies the upper layers of the atmosphere is called ‘aeronomy,’ we immediately thought about the name Aeronauts.”

Getting their hands dirty

Certain radio signals emitted by various sources on the planet, such as over-the-horizon radars, are reflected back to Earth’s surface by the ionosphere.

“The ionosonde is essentially a sophisticated radio that allows us to pick up these signals and, through some complicated mathematics, reconstruct the altitude at which they were reflected,” said Harris, who is an underߣsirÊÓƵuate student.

With funding from the ߣsirÊÓƵ Mānoa and Torri as their mentor, the ߣsirÊÓƵ developed a project to build an ionosonde modeled from a design implemented and tested by Jens Floberg of UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

“It’s been a lot of fun learning about topics of the ionosphere, radio propagation, and GPS applications in class and on our own digging through academic literature and scientific forums,” said Dyer, who ߣsirÊÓƵuated in spring 2024 with a bachelor’s degree. “But to actually get our hands dirty and ‘see’ the ionosphere was a completely different experience that brought our appreciation for science to a completely different level.”

“Each of these extraordinary ߣsirÊÓƵ has different skills that they bring to the table, and over the months they have been really great at interacting and leveraging each other’s skills in a collaborative and extremely productive way,” said Torri.

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–By Marcie Grabowski

A research professor in the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa , has been selected as a 2024–2025 Fulbright U.S. Scholar by the U.S. Department of State and the .

Bruce Howe will be stationed in Portugal to continue his efforts to advance the installation of a Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications (SMART) seafloor cable system between Portugal and the Madeira and Azores archipelagoes from March to June 2025.

“It is a great honor and provides recognition of hard work over the years developing SMART Cables,” said Howe. “The Fulbright will give me the opportunity to sit back, look at the big picture, and develop strategic directions.”

This opportunity will enable Howe to address in-depth issues related to the Portuguese Atlantic CAM SMART Cable system, the French funded New-Caledonia-Vanuatu Tamtam SMART cable system, and to work with sponsoring United Nations agencies in Europe. He will also be working with other countries and organizations to advance prospective systems around Europe and globally.

SMART cable systems integrate environmental sensors, such as temperature, pressure and seismic motion to monitor climate change including ocean heat content, circulation and sea-level rise, provide early warning for earthquakes and tsunamis, and to monitor seismic activity for earth structure and related hazards.

“All of this relates to disaster risk reduction and the informed sustainable development of coastal and offshore infrastructure, including the cables themselves and their mission of global connectivity,” said Howe. “The goal is to save lives.”

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–By Marcie Grabowski

The Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research is awarded by the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi Board of Regents in recognition of scholarly contributions that expand the boundaries of knowledge and enrich the lives of ߣsirÊÓƵ and the community.

Benjamin Shappee

Benjamin Shappee is an astronomer at the Institute for Astronomy. He specializes in transients and time-domain astronomy. Shappee is a founding member of one of the most successful time-domain projects, the All-Sky Automated Survey for Super-Novae (ASAS–SN), which uses telescopes around the globe to survey the entire sky daily.

The ASAS–SN survey paper (Shappee et al. 2014) is the 50th most-cited paper in astronomy in the past decade. Shappee is co-principal investigator of the largest near-infrared supernova survey to date, the ߣsirÊÓƵʻi Supernova Flows, using the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope on Maunakea.

He and his group have made important contributions to our understanding of the origins of supernovae (exploding stars), stellar flares with potential impact on the habitability of nearby planets, and outbursts from supermassive black holes. ASAS–SN found the most luminous supernova yet discovered (ASASSN-15lh). Shappee was also part of the team that discovered the first and only counterpart to gravitational wave source from the merger of two neutron stars. He has authored 275 publications and has 20,000 citations.

Malte Stuecker

Malte Stuecker is an assistant professor in oceanography at the International Pacific Research Center in the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. Stuecker’s research is on climate variability and climate change in the past, present and future.

Much of his work is centered on the Pacific Ocean and phenomena such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. Stuecker earned a PhD in meteorology from ߣsirÊÓƵ Mānoa in 2015. He returned to ߣsirÊÓƵ as faculty in 2020, and was previously an assistant project leader/research professor at the IBS Center for Climate Physics in South Korea.

Stuecker received the IAPSO Early Career Scientist Medal in Physical Oceanography in 2023, the Kamide Lecture Award from the AOGS Atmospheric Sciences section in 2020, and the Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the EGU Climate: Past, Present & Future division in 2016. In 2018, he was a Future Leaders Program Fellow of the Science and Technology in Society forum in Kyoto (Japan), and in 2022 he received an NSF CAREER Award.

Donald Womack

Donald Reid Womack is a professor of music in the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa College of Arts, Languages & Letters. A faculty member at ߣsirÊÓƵ since 1994, Womack chairs the music department, and is faculty in Japanese and Korean Studies.

He is the composer of more than 100 original works, which have been performed and broadcast in 25 countries and recorded on more than a dozen releases in the U.S., Korea and Japan. Ensembles around the globe have performed his works, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, Russia Ulan Ude Symphony, ߣsirÊÓƵi Symphony, National Orchestra of Korea, among many others.

Womack is the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, two Fulbright Fellowships, two Artist Fellowships from the State of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi, and won numerous other national and international competitions. Widely recognized as a leader in intercultural composition, he integrates East Asian and western instruments. He has lectured on his work in Korea, Taiwan and Japan, and taught as visiting faculty at Seoul National University.

University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa student Anamaria Navarrete has always been fascinated by severe weather. As she ߣsirÊÓƵuates this spring with a degree in , Navarrete is proud to have persisted on the journey as a first-generation college student and looks ahead to ߣsirÊÓƵuate school.

Navarrete was reluctant to pursue a STEM field that has a reputation for being academically challenging. She began her academic journey as a political science major and intended to pursue law school. By spring 2021, she realized that law was not the career pathway for her. She switched to atmospheric sciences in the ߣsirÊÓƵ Mānoa (SOEST) and continued to pursue a minor in political science.

“I knew it would be difficult but I was willing to work hard,” said Navarrete. “Now that I am almost done with my degree, I am so incredibly happy that I made the switch, as I cannot see myself studying anything else. Not only do I love the subject, but the department professors, staff, and my fellow peers made this experience very memorable by being so supportive of one another.”

Gaining research experience, skills

While meeting with her academic advisor and atmospheric sciences department chair Jennifer Small Griswold, Navarrete shared her interest in pursuing ߣsirÊÓƵuate school. Griswold offered her an opportunity to work on a senior thesis project. Although not required to complete the underߣsirÊÓƵuate degree, Navarrete started the research project to learn new skills, such as computer coding, and gain experience to prepare her to complete a master’s thesis.

Check out more stories of our ߣsirÊÓƵ spring ߣsirÊÓƵuates

“Anamaria was a perfect candidate for a senior thesis,” said Griswold. “Her innate curiosity flourished doing independent research and allowed her to pursue her own scientific question and decide on the tools she needed to answer it. She became a competent programmer during her research because she needed to learn how to code to answer her question and reach her goal.”

Navarrete’s research over the past year has focused on understanding how various atmospheric and oceanic systems, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation and the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool, affect tropical cyclone creation and progression. She has analyzed satellite data from three tropical cyclones that impacted Fiji during the 2020–21 tropical cyclone season.

“Local-scale studies like this are essential,” said Navarrete. “Improving our understanding of microclimates on each island of Fiji can improve the accuracy of weather forecasts, validate climate model output, and even be useful in climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.”

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–By Marcie Grabowski

A high school student conducted award-winning research on marine sponges at the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa (HIMB). That research is now taking University Laboratory School junior Kian Sanchez to two high-caliber competitions on the U.S. continent.

Mentored by Jan Vicente, coral reef biodiversity researcher at HIMB in ߣsirÊÓƵ ²Ñā²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s (SOEST), Sanchez assessed the importance of marine sponges in the reef ecosystem. Specifically, he was interested in how sponges, which are filter-feeders and critical to the nutrient cycling on a coral reef, may be impacted by pollution and climate change.

Placing third in the and third at the , Sanchez qualified to compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s largest pre-college STEM competition, in in New Mexico.

“Since the first day I met Kian, I was inspired to teach him what I know about marine sponges because his curiosity and relentless motivation to do science at such a young age was absolutely stunning and foreign to me,” said Vicente.

Preparing young scientists

Sanchez has always had an intrinsic curiosity about the world around him and with the ocean in particular. His love for science and the ocean culminated into a passion for the aquarium hobby, which was his gateway into marine biology.

During the summer of 2023, Sanchez met Vicente during his participation in the (REMS) program at HIMB. The six-week summer course offers a rigorous, place-based, early-college marine science experience for ߣsirÊÓƵʻi high school ߣsirÊÓƵ.

“As the purpose of REMS is to prepare young scientists to tackle marine science issues in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi, it is incredibly rewarding to watch alumni, like Kian, expand the limits of our understanding of the ocean and the complex life within it,” said Christine Ambrosino Carrier, a discipline-based education researcher in the KeaoaLoʻe REMS Lab who helps coordinate the experience.

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–By Marcie Grabowski

In an effort to advance a sustainable blue economy in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi, the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi (CliRAIM) and , the world’s first aquaculture accelerator, hosted the AquaHack workshop in Kona, ߣsirÊÓƵʻi on April 18. The blue economy refers to coastal- and ocean-based industries such as aquaculture, biotechnology or blue carbon, in which carbon dioxide is sequestered from the atmosphere to mitigate climate change.

CliRAIM, and Hatch Blue welcomed ocean stewards, technology trailblazers, entrepreneurs, engineers, innovators and scientists who seek to create positive social, environmental and economic change in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi.

“We are particularly focused on advancing innovations for the blue economy in ways that are sustainable and culturally informed—a major goal is to identify strategies to generate more food locally and create livelihoods that improve our societal resilience,” said Erik Franklin, CliRAIM director and associate research professor at the in the ߣsirÊÓƵ Mānoa (SOEST). “For the AquaHack event, the participants generated exciting potential solutions to current challenges in aquaculture for both traditional Native ߣsirÊÓƵian fishponds as well as modern aquaculture approaches.”

Taking talent to the next level

“We hope that the AquaHack eliminates barriers to progressing sustainable ocean-related food or business ideas,” said Dylan Howell, Hatch Blue Operations Manager, Americas. “The impetus for organizing the workshop was to help bring ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s talent to their next level—we’ve now connected a solid network of innovators that will lead the charge.”

AquaHack was focused on acquainting people with varying and complementary skill sets. Whether attendees were innovators with a great idea who needed to network with talented, successful industry leaders, or entrepreneurs with technology in-hand who could benefit from expertise in sales and marketing, the event aimed to connect the dots. It provided an opportunity to engage, consult and form business relationships with industry experts from all over the blue economy supply chain.

CliRAIM is a program of a National Science Foundation-funded Development Engine led by ߣsirÊÓƵ that advances an equitable and inclusive regional innovation ecosystem for climate resilience, food security and renewable energy in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands.

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–By Marcie Grabowski

A new opportunity to support professional development opportunities and foster diversity and inclusion was launched within the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa (SOEST). A total of 16 projects were awarded funding for spring and summer 2024.

Catalyst Awards for Science Advancement (CASA) are small grants, up to $3,000, in three focus areas: technical training and holistic career development of female ߣsirÊÓƵuate ߣsirÊÓƵ, staff, and faculty who are a part of ; advancing diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) and/or fostering a Native ߣsirÊÓƵian place of learning in SOEST; and attracting and training the next generation of planetary explorer-scientists.

“It was amazing to see such innovative and impactful activities proposed,” said Barbara Bruno, CASA program director. “Many were collaborative, bringing together faculty, staff and ߣsirÊÓƵ from across SOEST. It’s exciting to support such great projects.”

Supporting professional development

Women-in-SOEST members received support to conduct fieldwork and laboratory experiments, purchase equipment, attend workshops, present at national and international conferences, and develop new research collaborations. Fernanda Henderikx-Freitas traveled to University of California, Santa Barbara to learn a state-of-the-art technique to characterize oceanic particles, Emily Costello will present an invited talk at an upcoming astrobiology conference, and Juliana Peckenpaugh and Meryem Berrada enrolled in an online data science course.

“I’m incredibly thankful that the CASA funding will allow me to take a prestigious course in data science offered by Harvard University to boost my skills in this field and provide workshops to Women-in-SOEST members to ensure nobody gets left behind when it comes to programming and data science,” said Peckenpaugh, a SOEST ߣsirÊÓƵuate student.

Community, student outreach

All SOEST ߣsirÊÓƵuate ߣsirÊÓƵ, faculty or staff members were eligible to apply for a grant to further DEI or conduct outreach to train the next generation of planetary science explorers. Funded projects also included outreach to community members and K-12 ߣsirÊÓƵ in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi.

“I was so thankful for the CASA grant funding that allowed me to bring Graduate Women in Science volunteers to four high schools around the state of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi, as well as fund a visit from female ߣsirÊÓƵ at Maryknoll High School to come and visit labs at ߣsirÊÓƵ Mānoa,” said Linnea Wolniewicz, a ߣsirÊÓƵ Mānoa computer and information sciences ߣsirÊÓƵuate student. “It was very special to be able to educate ߣsirÊÓƵ on discovering exoplanets from a completely female cohort of scientists, and inspire young girls to attend college and study science.”

In addition, the CASA program requires funded projects to disseminate what they did or learned, creating a positive ripple effect wherein others can benefit from their experiences and knowledge gained.

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–By Marcie Grabowski

Gov. Josh Green marked Earth Day 2024 by announcing the appointment of University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa Charles “Chip” Fletcher, as special advisor for Climate and Resilience and David Karl, as chair of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Marine Affairs. These appointments signify Green’s commitment to addressing critical environmental challenges and advancing initiatives for sustainable development in the state.

“Amid the challenges of climate change, Earth Day reminds us of the importance of proactive environmental action,” said Green. “With the appointments of Dr. Chip Fletcher and Dr. David Karl, we’re reinforcing our commitment to sustainability and resilience in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi. Their expertise will drive initiatives to protect our communities and natural resources for generations to come. Together, we’re shaping a brighter, more sustainable future for our keiki.”

Fletcher, currently serving as the interim dean of the (SOEST), brings extensive expertise in climate change, coastal community resiliency, and natural coastal systems.

Fletcher will play a pivotal role in advising the Governor on issues related to climate adaptation, drawing upon his years of experience and dedication to environmental stewardship.

“I am honored to serve as Special Advisor for Climate and Resilience and look forward to working closely with Gov. Green to address the urgent challenges posed by climate change,” Fletcher said. “Together, we will strive to ensure that ߣsirÊÓƵʻi remains at the forefront of climate resilience efforts, protecting our communities and natural resources for future generations.”

Karl, a distinguished professor of and director of the Daniel K. Inouye , will lead efforts to consolidate planning and execution on the blue economy, fostering collaboration among stakeholders and developing actionable recommendations to support sustainable ocean-related policies and initiatives.

“I am deeply honored to accept the role of chair of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Marine Affairs,” said Karl. “Together, we will harness the expertise and resources available to us to advance the new blue economy, promoting economic diversification and environmental stewardship.”

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While pursuing an underߣsirÊÓƵuate degree in at the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa, Casey Wandasan had experiences that shaped the trajectory of his academic journey. Ongoing research on the inner workings of two volcanoes in Alaska and an open ocean research cruise solidified his plans to pursue geophysics in ߣsirÊÓƵuate school after he ߣsirÊÓƵuates in May 2024.

“The cruise and my research experiences have been transformative, exposing me to marine geophysics, emphasizing the unity of science and community, and honing my adaptability in research, significantly amplifying my skills for future endeavors,” said Wandasan.

Wandasan works with Earth sciences assistant professor Helen Janiszewski in the ߣsirÊÓƵ Mānoa (SOEST) to help with her efforts to understand magma storage depths and seismic characteristics at two volcanoes in the Aleutian islands of Alaska. Supported by a , they analyze seismic information to determine the structures and layers beneath the subsurface of the volcanoes.

In fall 2023, Wandasan participated in a 10-day, open ocean research cruise aboard the ߣsirÊÓƵ research vessel Kilo Moana. He sailed on a (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Student Experiences Aboard Ships) research cruise to map the Molokaʻi Fracture Zone, gather bathymetric, gravity and magnetic data, and attempt remotely-operated vehicle dives at the undersea volcano Kamaʻehuakanaloa.

Check out more stories of our ߣsirÊÓƵ spring ߣsirÊÓƵuates

“I embraced this unique experience that not many underߣsirÊÓƵuates get to have,” said Wandasan. “Throughout the cruise, I had a variety of opportunities to delve deeper into geophysical research.”

The path to pursuing geoscience

At Waiʻanae High School, Wandasan participated in the early college program. He then completed an associate’s degree in natural sciences from , where he was also a tutor for math and the ߣsirÊÓƵʻi Pre-Engineering Education Collaborative, which aims to build capacity at Native ߣsirÊÓƵian-serving institutions and prepare ߣsirÊÓƵ for STEM degree completion and careers.

“Casey has a rare, genuine curiosity about the world that pushes him well beyond assigned tasks and minimum requirements,” said Janiszewski. “This is matched by his willingness to challenge himself by pursuing new and unfamiliar experiences. It has been a privilege to watch him develop independence in his research over the past two years, and I am excited to follow his career as it progresses.”

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–By Marcie Grabowski