Current Graduate Students
Kainoa Kaulukukui-Narikawa, PhD, MEdT
Kainoa Kaulukukui-Narikawa is a Kanaka ʻŌiwi educator. She was born and raised on the beautiful island of Oʻahu in the communities of Nānākuli, Mā’ili and Kāneʻohe. She and her family currently reside in Honolulu perched upon the Pūʻowaina hillside. She received a B.A. in Communications and a minor in Anthropology from Brigham Young University. She earned a MEdT in secondary mathematics and science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She has over a decade of experience as an educator in formal and informal environments. She honed her teaching skills at ʻEwa Makai Middle School as an 8th grade math and science teacher. After 4 years in the classroom she transitioned to NOAA as an education specialist at Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument where she was able to collaborate with government, community, and academic partners to plan, coordinate, and facilitate Hawaiian-culture and place-based educational programs, presentations, events and classroom visits across Hawaiʻi. In 2017, she started working at Kamehameha Schools as a Hawaiian Resource Coordinator creating Hawaiian culture-based STEAM curricula for community education intersession programs. She is currently working at Kamehameha Schools as a Senior Design Specialist for Hālau Kūkalaulama. She is currently working on her PhD at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa in the Education Department with a focus in curriculum and instruction. Her dissertation centers round ʻāina education and highlights Kanaka ʻŌiwi adaption and resurgence in the era of climate change.
Jonathan Fisk, PhD, NREM
jfisk@hawaii.edu
Jonathan Fisk was born and raised in Long Beach, California, where they fell in love with the oceans. He got his B.S. and M.S. at Stanford University in the Earth Systems Program, focusing on marine management and ecosystem modeling. As a pivot to bring his social justice work into his studies, he is working on his PhD at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, with his dissertation focusing on pre-colonial Taíno food systems and achieving food sovereignty in Puerto Rico. Their goal is to use their research to further push the food sovereignty movement in a culturally grounded manner in the ultimate effort towards decolonization. Outside of school, he also volunteers with Friends of Hokuleʻa & Hawaiʻiloa and on the Board of Directors for Hawaiʻi People’s Fund, and really enjoys cooking, writing, and getting in beach time whenever he can.
Claire Rossi de Leon, MEM, NREM
Claire grew up in the back of Mānoa Valley, spending time climbing trees, catching fish in Mānoa Stream and sailing on the ocean. These childhood experiences led her to care deeply about Hawaii’s ecosystem and community health. Claire received her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Yale University in 2019. She has studied and worked in New Zealand and Argentina, and worked for the National Park Service, Waimea Valley, and the Oahu Army Natural Resource Program. Her experience and education draws on many different disciplines including botany, primatology, ecology, community outreach, and Geographic Information Systems). At UH Mānoa, she is a student in the M.E.M program and plans to work in terrestrial ecosystem management and planning after graduation. Claireʻs capstone project will be focused on working with The Kohala Center to determine the appropriate management solutions for community building and environmental restoration in Niuliʻi.
Meghan Tait, PhD, NREM
Meghan’s passion for conservation and community-based management developed while growing up exploring the wetlands and coastal ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay. This led her to pursue a B.S. in Ecology at the University of Georgia where she studied the dynamics of intertidal marsh and coral reef ecosystems. Towards the end of her undergraduate program, she studied abroad for two semesters where she conducted research on coral bleaching and the impacts of tourism on the Great Barrier Reef, integration of traditional knowledge into marine management in Fiji, and the effects of climate change on a fisheries in Cambodia. Through these programs, Meghan began exploring the missing link in her previous work— human connections to and impacts on the environment. She went on to obtain her M.S. in Environment and Society at Utah State University, integrating social science research into her ecological background to study collaborative wetland management. Meghan’s PhD research focuses on developing and implementing social and cultural principles and indicators for marine planning and monitoring in collaboration with the Hawai’i Division of Aquatic Resources.
Cameron Ogden-Fung, MSc, NREM
Cameron Ogden-Fung holds a B.A. in Earth and Oceanographic Science and Environmental Studies with a minor in Chinese from Bowdoin College, and is currently pursuing a M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Management at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She recently worked in communications and conservation science for the Coral Triangle Center, a non-profit foundation in Bali, Indonesia, that promotes the conservation of marine biodiversity and the sustainable management of marine resources across the Coral Triangle. At UH Mānoa, her thesis work focuses on enhancing the role of surfing in biodiversity conservation and community development in Indonesia. After completing her degree, she plans to follow a path of entrepreneurship and focus on her company, Groove with Gaia LLC — empowering humanity’s reconnection to nature as part of our sacred journey of healing.
Alumni
Graduate Students
Samantha Alvarado, MSc, NREM
ska8@hawaii.edu
Kawela Farrant, MEM, NREM
nfarrant@hawaii.edu
Nick Kawelakai Farrant was raised in Paumalū, a rural area on the north shore of Oʻahu. Concerned by the changes to his home community apparent even in his short lifetime, Kawela began volunteering with the North Shore Community Land Trust (NSCLT) in early 2013. In 2014, he was offered a part-time position with NSCLT that he holds to this day. Kawela began this community work while also an undergraduate at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. In December 2016, Kawela graduated from UHM with dual bachelor’s degrees in Community Planning and Hawaiian Language. Kawela is currently a Master’s student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management at UHM where he is funded as a Hauʻoli Mau Loa Foundation fellow. His ongoing capstone project focuses on understanding the historic loʻi kalo (wetland taro patches) and loko wai (freshwater fishponds) of Waialeʻe, Oʻahu, and the potential restoration of these systems. After graduating, Kawela plans to pursue a full-time career in mālama ʻāina (reciprocal stewardship of resources) in Hawaiʻi. In his free time, Kawela enjoys drawing, surfing, and playing guitar.
Georgia Hart, PhD, Botany
gmhart@hawaii.edu
Georgia is from Corvallis, Oregon. She is an ethnobotanist, population ecologist, and science educator interested in supporting community well-being with emphasis on the conservation of plants and cultural practices involving plants. Her doctoral dissertation work in Oregon explores cultural, educational and ecological aspects of the biocultural conservation of an understory herb called beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax Melanthiaceae), which is utilized by tribes across the Pacific Northwest in basket making. Her M.S. work, also at UH, explored the gathering and antioxidant benefit of edible Hawaiian macroalgae (limu) on O‘ahu.
Cole Hendrickson, MS, NREM
colehen@hawaii.edu
Cole Hendrickson grew up in Seattle, WA and is a Master’s Plan A student in the NREM department. Cole attended Oregon State University and received a B.S. in Fisheries Biology and a minor in Natural Resources, Environmental Law, and Policy, specializing in Fisheries Ecology, Environmental Law, and Conservation. After five seasons with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Cole joined the Peace Corps where he served as a Coastal Resource Volunteer in the Philippines focusing on projects with local artisanal fishing communities. Cole is pursuing research on the enforcement effectiveness of the Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement for near-shore fisheries on Oahu, Hawaii. Cole also serves as a Research Assistant for the Hawaii Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Commission through the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative and the Department of Land and Natural Resources Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands.
Billy Kinney, MS, Urban and Regional Planning
kinneyw@hawaii.edu
Billy Kinney grew up in the coastal communities of north Kauaʻi. Raised in a fishing and paniolo (cowboy) family, he spent most of his early years on the shoreline and at family functions with the elders of Hanalei and Hāʻena — either, fishing or quietly listening to their stories. Billy is currently an undergraduate in the English department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa; with a special interest in creative writing / poetry, histories, and storytelling. He is interested in contemporary stories and storytelling as it pertains to connection to people / place / resources (community) and how stories enrich or inspire advocacy.
Kanoe Morishige, PhD, Marine Biology
kimmhkm@hawaii.edu
Kanoeʻulalani Morishige was born and raised in Kapahulu on Oʻahu. She is a Marine Biology Ph.D. candidate who focuses on intertidal ecology and spatial and seasonal reproductive patterns of ʻopihi and hāʻukeʻuke. As part of her work with the non-profit organization, Nā Maka o Papahānaumokuākea, she works alongside local communities to integrate traditional knowledge systems and western science into developing sustainable harvesting in the intertidal zone. Her passion and commitment are rooted in building capacity for local communities to implement community-based biocultural monitoring based on their inter-generational vision of ʻāina momona, healthy relationships between people and place.
Kalani Quiocho, MS, NREM
vernonq@hawaii.edu
Kalani Quiocho was born in Hilo, Hawaiʻi and raised in part by his great-grandparents who were Hawaiian medicinal healers. He has an academic background in Hawaiian studies and marine science from the University of Hawaiʻi and he has worked for a number of Hawaiian-serving organizations, Hawaiian education institutions, conservation organizations institutions and environmental management agencies. In 2010, he became a NOAA Longline Fishery Observer working on swordfish and tuna fishing vessels for three years. This was a culminating experience for Kalani and it urged him in his pursuit to elevate the profile of traditional and indigenous knowledge systems in parity with conventional science, conservation and environmental management. His current research focuses on the development of an evaluation method based on Native Hawaiian principles and standards for natural and cultural resources management within Papahānaumokuākea, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Kalani works for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and serves as the Native Hawaiian Program Specialist for Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
Siena Schaar, MEM, NREM
schaar@hawaii.edu
Siena was born and raised in San Pedro, a small harbor town in the southbay of California, where she grew up with Catalina Island and the expansive Pacific Ocean in her backyard. She earned her BA in Biology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in Spring 2016 and returned in Fall 2018 to pursue her Master of Environmental Management in the NREM Department. She is interested in fisheries management and the complex regulatory domain that surrounds Hawaii’s marine aquarium fishery. Siena’s proposed Master’s capstone research aims to analyze and explore to what the extent the regulatory measures that surround Hawaii’s marine aquarium fishery are effective, efficient and ethical through the means of a critical policy analysis. Through her pending research and career, she hopes to develop practical policy solutions to environmental challenges, like those surrounding the marine aquarium fish trade and beyond.
Monica Montgomery, MS, NREM, mongomer@hawaii.edu
Monica grew up around the Puget Sound area of Washington state. With an interest in human health and well-being, she earned her Bachelor of Science in MCD Biology and a Minor in Human Rights at the University of Washington. As a WorldTeach volunteer, experiencing life on a small atoll island and the subsistence lifeways of Marshallese communities, she learned that taking care of people and taking care of the environment are one in the same. Monica is interested in collaborative and community-based management of coastal and cultural resources. Her thesis work is focused on the windward community of Kahana, O‘ahu, documenting oral histories and community caretaking of the area, particularly the nearshore fishery, and exploring opportunities for collaborative management. Thesis (Plan A): “Ma Kahana ka ‘Ike, Lessons from Kahana, O‘ahu: Building Community Capacity to Manage Coastal Resources”.
Amy Markel, MS, NREM
amarkel@hawaii.edu
Amy was born in Eugene, Oregon, where she grew up exploring the tidepools of the Pacific Northwest coast. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at UH Hilo in Marine Science and Biology, then moved to both the islands of Kaua‘i and Maui for work opportunities. Amy now lives on the island of O‘ahu, where she worked and completed her Master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Management. She is interested in the relationships between ocean health, land-use, freshwater, and people. Her thesis (Plan A) was: “A Mixed-Methods Approach for Identifying Land-based Sources of Nitrogen Pollution”. More recently, Amy is an E. Gordon Grau Fellow with the UH Sea Grant College Program, placed at host office Division of Aquatic Resources, State of Hawai‘i, where she is assisting with the following projects: the nearshore management areas planning process, an action plan for the state on ocean acidification, and continues her work using seaweed (limu) to identify land-based pollution along the nearshore areas.
Natalie Andreyka, MEM, NREM , 2018, na2012@hawaii.edu
Natalie is from Kailua, Koʻolaupoko. She is currently in her first semester of graduate studies. Her research interests include the integration of Hawaiian knowledge systems and contemporary NREM practices, restoration of cultural landscapes and indigenous sense of place, archival land research, participatory mapping and GIS, and biocultural conservation, all in the context of the land, waters, and community of Kawainui. With the progression of her graduate studies and capstone development, Natalie hopes to engage in meaningful research, cultivate relationships with people and place, and continue to learn what it means to truly aloha ʻāina. Thesis (MEM): “Ehu ka Wai Loa o Kailua: Reemerging Genealogy Place and Reconnecting the Landscape in Kailua, Koʻolaupoko”.
Rachel Dacks, PhD, Biology, 2018, rdacks@hawaii.edu
Broadly, I am interested in coral reef ecology and the relationships between humans and natural resources. My research focuses on drivers that affect social-ecological resilience in coastal communities in Fiji. I am specifically interested in the role of livelihoods, markets, social networks, and traditional ecological knowledge in building social-ecological resilience in a rapidly changing world.
Blaire Langston, MEM, NREM, 2018, blairej@hawaii.edu
Blaire grew up in New Jersey exploring the deciduous forests, streams and Appalachian Mountains. Ms. Langston spent much time camping, running, mountain biking, and hiking which led to her interest in science and nature. As an undergraduate, Blaire studied environmental science and marine biology. As a professional, Blaire spent time in project management, education, outreach, water monitoring, ecological restoration and stormwater permitting work before she began her studies at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Blaire began studying for a Master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Management under the advisement of Dr. Mehana Vaughan to continue learning and working in the field of natural resources. Thesis (MEM): “Evaluating Human Behavior and Marine Debris on O’ahu, Hawai’i”.
Aissa Yazzie, MS, NREM, 2018, ayazzie@hawaii.edu
Aissa, a Diné (Navajo) Tribal member, was raised on the Navajo Reservation in Northeastern Arizona. Her experiences at Northwest Indian College, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Native Environmental Science, ignited a passion for tribal issues, especially tribal water security, Indigenous knowledge systems and methodologies, and the traditional management of natural resources. Currently, Aissa is developing a Diné methodology to assess the water quality of regulated and unregulated water sources with in her home community on the Navajo Reservation in St. Michaels, AZ. Tó éí’iiná até, water is life. Thesis (Plan A): “Tó bé ííńá át’é: Development and Implementation of a Diné Methodology to Assess Past, Present, and Future Water Sources of Cho’ho’tsoi Valley”.
Jade Delevaux, PhD, NREM, 2017, jademd@hawaii.edu
Jade has been practicing environmental science since 2008 and her career has primarily focused on integrating land and sea processes to improve water quality and coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs, in Australia, New Caledonia, and Hawaii. Jade obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Geographical Sciences from the University of Queensland (Australia), her Master’s in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and is currently completing her PhD in Natural Resources and Environmental Management at the University of Hawaiʻi. Her research focuses on modeling and integrating land and sea dynamics into coastal planning to sustain nearshore fisheries and foster resilience of coastal communities in Hawaiʻi and Fiji. In addition to her academic and research pursuits, Jade also works in the private sector as a mid-level environmental scientist, where she explores and recommends best management practices to reduce non-point source pollution and ensure compliance with local water quality standards.
Cheryl Geslani-Scarton, PhD, NREM, 2017, geslani@hawaii.edu
Dissertation: “Tracing Social Ecological Relationships: Hā‘ena, Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i”.
Frankie Koethe, MS, NREM, 2017, fskoethe@hawaii.edu
Frankie Koethe is from Mililani, O’ahu and in her final semester of her graduate studies in NREM. Frankie is a Plan A student and focused her thesis studies on sustainable perceptions and priorities in the rural community of Anini, Kaua’i. Her skills include community engagement, outreach, and economic/social research. Additionally, she is a newly hired Conservation Assistant with O’ahu Resource Conservation & Development Council and works with farmers island wide to improve natural environments. Thesis (Plan A): “The Community Perceptions and Priorities for the Sustainability of Anini, Kaua‘i”.
Emily Cadiz, MS, NREM, 2017, emilyac@hawaii.edu
Thesis (Plan A): “Pilina — Mālama — ʻĀina Momona, A Community-Driven Monitoring Program to Understand Health and Well-being of People and Place in Hāʻena, Kauaʻi”.
Jordan Muratsuchi, MS, NREM, 2017, jmurat@hawaii.edu
Adam Ayers, PhD, Urban and Regional Planning, 2016, alayers@hawaii.edu
Adam was born in upstate NY and grew up fishing on the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario with his father and grandfather. When he was 12, Adam moved to Wilmington, NC with his family, which deepened his love and appreciation for the ocean. Adam graduated in December 2016 with a Ph.D. in Urban & Regional Planning from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. His dissertation research focused on collaborations between Hawaii communities and the State of Hawai‘i to co-manage coral reef fisheries. He previously earned a Master degree in Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, with a focus on Marine Policy and Public Management. His undergraduate degree was in Computer Science, also from UNC-Wilmington. Adam currently works as a Social Scientist with the Joint Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Research as contractor staff in the Socioeconomics Program at the NOAA NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center in Honolulu. His current projects include fieldwork with fishing communities in the Marianas Archipelago, an oral history project with Hawai‘i bottomfishermen, and research into the differential socioeconomic impacts of regulatory closures on Hawai‘i longline fishermen. Dissertation: “From Planning to Practice: Toward Co-Management of Hawai‘i Coral Reef Fisheries”.
Eva Schemmel, PhD, Biology, 2016
Sean Cozo, MS, NREM, 2015, Thesis (Plan B): “Wetlands Curriculum for Waipahu High School, Natural Resources Management Academy”.
Molly Mamaril, MS, NREM, 2015, Thesis (Plan B): “Evaluation of the Mai uka a i kai ʻĀina-based Summer Program at Waipā”.
Puaʻala Pascua, MS, NREM, 2015, Thesis (Plan A): “I ola ka ʻāina, i ola nō kākou: Place-based and Indigenous Perspectives on Cultural Ecosystem Services in Hawaiʻi”.
Undergraduate Students
Melissa Mau, BS,NREM
maumelis@hawaii.edu
Melissa Mau is currently an undergraduate in NREM with a focus on coastal management. Growing up in Hawaiʻi, much of her time was spent hiking in the mountains, climbing lychee trees, and surfing in the ocean. Now as a mother of three, she enjoys hiking the mountains, climbing lychee trees and surfing the ocean with her three children. She also enjoys dancing hula where she has been a dancer for Halau Hula O Maiki for the past 14 years.
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