Earth science student unveils treasure trove of Pacific Island climate stories

Ken Husty Tungpalan on Kilauea during the 2018 eruption

Originally from Dingras, Ilocos Norte in the Philippines, Ken Husty Tungpalan’s family came to Honolulu, Hawai‘i for a better life and better opportunities. While at Waipahu High School, and now an University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa undergraduate student, Tungpalan has pursued and created opportunities to advance his knowledge and academic career.    

Tungpalan is majoring in Earth Sciences and minoring in Atmospheric Sciences at the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST). He was selected for the NOAA Hollings Preparation Program (HPP), a program that guided talented undergraduate freshmen through a research project, which prepared him to be successful in his application for the 2025-2027 NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship. For Tungpalan’s HPP project in the summer of 2024, he helped kickstart the NOAA Pacific Islands Climate Regional Team’s mission of compiling a digital inventory of Pacific Island climate-related stories. 

“Sea level rise, warming ocean temperatures, ocean acidification, and extreme weather threaten the destruction of properties and habitats across the Pacific region, including my island home of Oahu, Hawaiʻi,” said Tungpalan. “I still remember typhoons ravaging my family’s farmlands in my home country, the Philippines. After witnessing the damages caused by climate change, I felt compelled to advocate for climate solutions by sharing stories of the Pacific region.”

Through the summer project, Tungpalan gathered more than 700 stories and resources—such as articles, case studies, videos, and factsheets—that speak to the resilience of the people of the Pacific.

“This inventory of stories will be a resource for communities as examples of best practices and case studies that can be used to strengthen applications for climate-related funding opportunities,” Tungpalan said. “This project showed me how many climate-related resources are out there. But, we do need more public awareness about this so that citizens can utilize these resources to help battle climate change.”

After the summer, Tungpalan continued to work with Knapman on the project and created two stories of climate resiliency across the Pacific Islands, one on the American Samoa Sea Level Rise Viewer and the other on the world’s first youth-led lawsuit that addressed climate pollution from the transportation sector. The articles will be published in the U.S Climate Resilience ToolKit showcasing the resilience of the communities in Hawai‘i and the Pacific.

“This experience was important for me because these stories of innovation and resiliency can provide hope, knowledge, and resources throughout the region,” Tungpalan. “It feels amazing that I am contributing to help protect my community.”

Pursuing long-held curiosity

As a young child, Tungpalan was always fascinated by the world around him and he wondered how the planet formed and has transformed over time. 

“However, living in the rural areas of the Philippines, I didn’t have an opportunity to expand my knowledge due to the lack of resources,” he said. “After immigrating, I had the opportunity to follow this passion of mine.”

When Tungpalan was in middle school, the television series “How the Earth Was Made” sparked his curiosity for geology and the world of STEM, and in high school, he joined Science Olympiad, a state and national science competition, and competed in Earth science events. Before graduating as a valedictorian with honors, he participated in Waipahu High School’s Early College program where he earned numerous college credits while still in high school. 

“Geology is a very diverse major and every aspect of it fascinates me,” Tungpalan said. “That’s why I choose to continue expanding my love and knowledge of the Earth Sciences at the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.”

Connecting with Earth scientists near and far

Once he arrived at SOEST, Tungpalan established a chapter with Sigma Gamma Epsilon, a national honor society for Earth Science majors, to cultivate skills, partake in scientific research, and build professional networks. Tungpalan was one of the representatives who represented Hawai‘i and UH Mānoa at the biennial Sigma Gamma Epsilon National Convention in Illinois, April 11-13. 

Tungpalan has also participated in the SOEST Maile Mentoring Bridge program, which helps undergraduates from Hawaiʻi thrive through individualized mentoring and peer support.

“Maile Mentoring helped me learn the value of networking,” Tungpalan said. “I was able to expand my network and build connections with university faculty and staff, especially with my mentor Justin Higa, an NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow with the Department of Earth Science.”     

Tungpalan anticipates graduating in 2027 and hopes to pursue graduate school and research past climate and ecology of our planet, ultimately aiming to work for the United States Geological Survey or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a research scientist. 

“I believe that learning about the past can teach us many things about the future, which can help us find solutions for modern problems including climate change,” he added.

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