The thriving of our communities and ecosystems in Hawai‘i is intricately linked to our connection to, knowledge of, and care for the natural world. The world-class research and innovation at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) is intended to be informed by people and place, and accessible and beneficial to all. To honor those who reach beyond academia, we are highlighting members of SOEST who are committed to connecting and engaging with communities and students of all ages in Hawai‘i.

Throughout fall 2024, eight SOEST graduate students participated in an outreach training and development program with a focus on advancing access to and awareness of geoscience research and academic pathways. 

With support from the Catalyst Awards for Science Advancement, an innovative mini-grants program, a SOEST staff member and two oceanography graduate students, Aaron Judah and Blake Stoner-Osborne, co-led the program. They developed a training workshop to share best practices for science communication and hosted work sessions during which participating graduate students planned and developed their outreach presentations, demonstration, and activities.   

“It was such a special opportunity to get to brainstorm new outreach activities with dedicated graduate students!” said Stoner-Osborne. “We’re very fortunate to have such passionate and creative graduate students here in SOEST who are able to connect and share their passions with community members, teachers, and students of all ages.”

Students from SOEST graduate programs in atmospheric sciences, marine biology, and oceanography, including Carla Baizeau, Harold Carlson, Alexus Cazares, Dianne Deauna, Kuʻi Keliipuleole, Emma Layton, Naomi Rohrbaugh, and Chutimon Singhakarn, developed outreach modules and shared them with a range of audiences. This motivated group of students created presentations and hands-on activities for high school students visiting the UH Mānoa campus and elementary, middle, and high schools at their home campuses; a workshop to demystify academic pathways to graduate school; social media videos about the deep sea; and presentations and activities for community members of all ages at public events and a public library. 

Their collective efforts resulted in thousands of ‘likes’ on social media and connections with 100 elementary students, hundreds of middle and high school students, and dozens of community members. Through this, the graduate student participants enhanced their communication skills and shared their research and passion with local K-12 students and community members.

“Marcie [Grabowski, SOEST outreach specialist], Blake, and Aaron helped me create a fun sea level rise activity which enabled me to actually connect with high school and middle school students on a topic I am really passionate about,” said Baizeau. “The sessions were so enjoyable and enriching. I am excited to do it again!”

Funding for the this program was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF/GEO #2022937) through a Catalyst Award for Science Advancement.

Kanesa Duncan Seraphin, professor and director of the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program Center for Marine Science Education was unanimously selected to the 2024 Hawaiʻi Waterman Hall of Fame for her contributions as a paddleboarder, educator and advocate for marine sciences.

Seraphin has dedicated her career to furthering the understanding of ocean and coastal ecosystems and the importance of marine conservation. Through her lifelong commitment to both formal and informal education she has become a beacon of education and environmental stewardship in Hawaiʻi and beyond.

“I am so grateful to the Duke Foundation not only for this award but also for the initial athletic scholarship that allowed me to paddleboard my first Molokaʻi channel, which opened the door both to a sport that I love and to an amazing club of waterman, who took me in like family,” said Seraphin. “Paddlers, surfers, all-round waterpeople like Mike Takahashi, Dennis Pang, Clark Abbey, Buddy Sheppard, and George Ramos. These ambassadors of Hawaiian watersports are the reason I am here today—and my greatest wish is that I can also inspire the next generation.”

Sharing ocean stories

Seraphin’s influence extends outside the classroom as the producer and host of the award-winning television series Voice of the Sea, Hawaiʻi Sea Grant’s weekly television series. The series brings viewers throughout Hawaiʻi and the Pacific to share stories of diverse scientists and cultural practitioners making a positive impact in their community.

Seraphin is an eight-time world champion of the grueling Molokaʻi to Oʻahu Paddleboard Championships. She has held the women’s stock board record for 15 years, inspiring countless athletes through her determination and excellence.

The Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation and Melin hosted the 14th annual Hawaiʻi Waterman Hall of Fame induction ceremony in November. Established in 2010, this event honors and celebrates Hawaiʻi’s greatest watermen and water women whose lives have been dedicated to inspiring a profound connection between kamaʻāina and the ocean.

“I am so incredibly honored to receive this award, to be surrounded by my heroes and to have a place in the Hawaiʻi Waterman Hall of Fame dedicated to the sport of paddleboarding,” Seraphin said. “To be recognized also for marine science education—this is truly an award of a lifetime, and I am humbled to represent my sport.”

Read more on UH News and Hawaiʻi Sea Grant’s website.

Researchers at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa recently discovered that a virus, FloV-SA2, encodes one of the proteins needed to make ribosomes, the central engines in all cells that translate genetic information into proteins, the building blocks of life. This is the first eukaryotic virus (a virus that infects eukaryotes, such as plants, animals, fungi) found to encode such a protein. 

Viruses are packets of genetic material surrounded by a protein coating. They replicate by getting inside of a cell where they take over the cell’s replication machinery and direct it to make more viruses. Simple viruses depend almost exclusively on material and machinery provided by the host cell, but larger, more complex viruses code for numerous proteins to aid in their own replication. 

“We were excited to discover that this virus encodes a ribosomal protein called eL40,” said Julie Thomy, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher in the Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) and Department of Oceanography in the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST). “It makes sense that a virus could benefit from altering this critical piece of cell machinery, but there was just no evidence for it in any eukaryotic virus.” 

The virus was discovered as part of a larger effort by members of the Marine Viral Ecology Laboratories (MarVEL) in SOEST to isolate and characterize new viruses that live in the ocean. A former Oceanography graduate student, Christopher Schvarcz, sampled water from Station ALOHA 60 miles north of O’ahu, Hawai‘i, and subsequently isolated dozens of viruses. Among them was FloV-SA2, which infects a species of phytoplankton called Florenciella. 

“Chris was so productive at isolating viruses, he could not analyze them all before he left,” said Grieg Steward, Oceanography faculty member overseeing the project. “Detailed analysis of this virus had to wait until Dr. Thomy joined the lab, but it was worth the wait!”

Preferential production of virus proteins?

Previous discoveries have shown that, like FloV-SA2, other so-called ‘giant’ viruses code for proteins involved in a wide range of metabolic processes. Some, such as those involved in fermentation or sensing light, seem like surprising functions to find in a virus. These genes must help the virus replicate, but, as is the case with the ribosomal protein, it is not always clear how. The researchers are now focused on figuring out the details of how and when this protein is used by the virus.  

“Our working hypothesis is that by inserting one of its own proteins into the ribosome, the virus alters this key piece of machinery to favor the production of virus proteins, over the usual cell proteins,” said Thomy.

“Viruses are integral to the functioning of ocean ecosystems, influencing biological productivity, shifting community interactions, and driving evolutionary change,” said Steward. “This discovery reveals new details about the complex ways viruses in the ocean interact with phytoplankton, which are the foundation of ocean ecosystems, but it also opens new avenues in our understanding of the fundamentals of viral biology.”

The scientists expect that FloV-SA2 will be a valuable model system for investigating new mechanisms by which viruses manipulate cell metabolism and redirect host resources and energy.

Read also on Mirage News, Phys.org, and Eurekalert.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology biologists used drone imagery to understand how nursing humpback whale mothers and their calves fare as they cross the Pacific Ocean. Recent declines in North Pacific humpback whale reproduction and survival of calves highlight the need to understand how mother-calf pairs expend energy across their migratory cycle. The study was published in The Journal of Physiology.

The team used drone cameras to measure calf growth and maternal body condition days after calf birth in Hawaiʻi, and then compared these measurements to the body conditions of humpback females in Alaska feeding grounds, measuring pregnant and lactating (producing milk for nursing) females as well as humpback females whose reproductive status was unknown.

“A total of 2,410 measurements were taken from 1,659 individuals, with 405 repeat measurements from 137 lactating females used to track changes in maternal body volume over migration,” said Martin van Aswegen, Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) PhD candidate and lead author of the study.

Size matters

The research shows that larger females produced larger, faster-growing calves. Over a 6-month period, lactating females decreased in body volume by an average of about 17%, whereas the calves’ body volume increased by nearly 395% and their length increased by almost 60%. In Hawaiʻi, humpback whale mothers lose nearly 214 pounds of blubber per day. Over a 60-day period, this is equivalent to losing roughly 50 tons of krill. Mother humpbacks in Hawaiʻi lost 20% of their body volume over 60 days of lactation, and the energy they used lactating surpassed the total energetic cost of their year-long pregnancies.

In Southeast Alaskan feeding grounds, lactating humpback mothers were found to have the slowest rates of weight gain compared to non-lactating females, gaining about 32 pounds each day. Comparatively, pregnant and nonpregnant females gained weight at six and two times the rate of the lactating females, respectively.

“The surprising part of this study was our ability to find the same individual mothers and calves over great distances and time periods,” said van Aswegen. “To measure the same whales over 3,000 miles apart over a period of roughly 200 days is truly remarkable and provides such valuable data for the questions we were asking.”

Birth rates decline

Studies document a 76.5% decline in mother-calf encounter rates in Hawaiʻi between 2013 and 2018, with birth rates declining by 80% from 2015 to 2016. In Southeast Alaskan feeding grounds, research reveals total reproductive failure in 2018, with calf survival decreasing tenfold from 2014 to 2019. These observations coincided with the longest lasting global marine heatwave, which shifted food webs and reduced availability of prey throughout the North Pacific. It is believed that humpback whales were unable to acquire sufficient food, resulting in nutritional stress and declines in reproduction.

“This work forms the basis for future studies investigating the energetic demands on humpback whales,” said Lars Bejder, MMRP director and co-author of the study. “Our humpback whale health database, comprising 11,000 measurements of 8,500 individual whales in the North Pacific, is being used across several projects within the Marine Mammal Research Program and abroad. These studies will be used to better predict the resilience of large baleen whale species in the face of threats, including disturbance, entanglement, vessel collision, and climate change.”

“This study showcases how teamwork across disciplines and institutions helps us uncover the intricate relationships between maternal health, calf growth, and environmental stressors,” said Jens Currie, MMRP PhD candidate, chief scientist at Pacific Whale Foundation and co-author of the study.

This work was done in partnership with Alaska Whale Foundation, Pacific Whale Foundation and other partners.

Read also on Maui Now, Science Daily, HIMB News, UH News, and Eurekalert.

Writing is a fundamental part of academic life, yet few spaces within the university setting are specifically dedicated to writing. Katherine (Katie) Ackerman, a fifth-year PhD candidate in Atmospheric Science, is working to change that.

This past fall, Ackerman launched a bi-weekly co-writing group within the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) aimed at both fostering community and addressing academic inequities for women in STEM. The group brought together graduate students, post-docs, staff, and researchers to create a dedicated space for focused writing and professional growth. Support was provided by the Catalyst Awards for Science Advancement (CASA2, NSF/GEO #2304691) SOEST Wāhine initiative.

Each session began with a “talk-story,” or informal catch-up, followed by a targeted discussion on a specific writing-related topic. Topics ranged from how to set SMART goals, to discussing issues like gendered writing in letters of recommendation for women. This was then followed by the core of the session, which was one to two hours of quiet, collaborative writing time. Participants were encouraged to set semester, weekly, and daily writing goals to help establish productive habits in an area of academia that often lacks structure. The goal was to approach writing like a scientist—gather data on writing habits and assess what works best for your personal writing productivity. Coffee, tea, and snacks were provided as incentives to encourage attendance and to celebrate participants’ commitment to building community.

“Starting grad school during the COVID-19 pandemic really impacted my ability to connect with others,” said Ackerman. “My goal is to create a space for women and non-gender-conforming individuals that will continue beyond my time here at UH. Community is crucial, especially for underrepresented groups in STEM.”

Ackerman, who served on the executive council for Graduate Women in Science Hawai‘i for three years, has been a vocal advocate for addressing inequities in STEM and academia. Initially aiming to gather a few participants, the group attracted 20 members, including graduate students, post-docs, and staff—most of whom were women. Participants worked on a wide range of writing tasks, from Master’s theses and PhD papers to NSF grants and job application materials. Many members expressed their gratitude for the support and camaraderie provided by the group, noting that they would not have achieved as much of their writing goals without it.

“I’ve had folks reach out about continuing the group in future semesters,” Ackerman said. “I feel strongly about creating spaces like this, and while I plan to apply for another round of CASA funding, I believe I will continue the group regardless of the funding outcome.”

The co-writing group’s success has inspired plans for a Spring 2025 session. Those interested in participating can join the email list here.

Proper intake of food is essential for pregnant humpback whales to pull off the extreme physical feat of annual migration between Hawaiʻi and Alaska. Researchers at the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) at SOEST’s Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) revealed the energetic cost and vulnerabilities of migratory humpback mothers-to-be in a study published in The Journal of Physiology.

Humpbacks feed in polar waters and then must fast and migrate up to 5,000 km to the tropical waters where they breed and give birth. Humpback whale mothers spend about 10 months in pregnancy, averaging about 100 days a trimester. Using a variety of new and historical records of measurement on the whales they were able to determine their findings. They found that the size of mothers directly correlated to the size of the fetus—the larger the mother the larger the fetus and the larger the growth rate.

The team determined that the energy cost of the first two thirds of the pregnancy were negligible, comprising .01–1.08% of the energy used. The majority of the energy needs came in the final third of the pregnancy, when requirements ticked up to 98.2%.

Crucial 100 days of pregnancy

“It was surprising to see how the peak of energy requirements coincided with the onset of fasting in pregnant females, ultimately highlighting how crucial those final 100 days of pregnancy are for this migratory species,” said Martin van Aswegen, PhD candidate and lead author of the study. “Females that are late in the pregnancy are therefore particularly vulnerable to disruptions in energy balance, given periods of greatest energetic stress coincide with fasting and migration to sub-tropical breeding grounds. Our study highlights a particularly vulnerable period for pregnant humpback whales. This is important, because once these whales leave their high-latitude feeding grounds, they have a finite amount of energy available to invest in their offspring over a 3–5 month fasting period, with energy requirements being even higher after calf birth.”

A 75.6% decline in the number of humpback whale mothers with calves was seen and documented off Hawaiʻi between 2013 and 2018. In Southeast Alaska, a recent study shows calf production was approximately six times lower between 2015 and 2019 compared to pre-2015 years, with mid-summer calf mortality increasing tenfold from 2014 to 2019. Studies have reported significant and prolonged shifts in the distribution of the marine food web, resulting in poor feeding conditions for humpback whales.

“This research underpins future studies on humpback whale energy demands,” said Lars Bejder, co-author of the study and director of MMRP. “Our drone-collected whale health database, developed in partnership with the Alaska Whale Foundation, includes over 11,000 measurements from 8,500 individual North Pacific whales. Its extensive temporal and spatial scale offers invaluable insights into the effects of large-scale climatic events on this iconic sentinel species. Sustaining such long-term, wide-scale studies is crucial for understanding these impacts within the context of natural variability in whale health.”

“This research underscores the value of collaboration in tackling complex questions about the lives of humpback whales,” said Jens Currie, co-author and chief scientist at Pacific Whale Foundation. “Through large-scale collaborations, we’re able to gain critical insights into the challenges migratory whales face during pregnancy to better inform conservation strategies. Together, we can address large-scale ecological challenges that no single institution could achieve alone.”

The research was done in partnership with Alaska Whale Foundation, Pacific Whale Foundation and others, and highlights key factors that will help inform future conservation.

Read more on Phys.org, Eurekalert and UH News.