Biennial Report 2020-2021
University of Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program
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A Message from the Director
As I pause and reflect on the unprecedented times we faced collectively in 2020 and 2021 I am both humbled and amazed by the way our faculty and staff anticipated the changing needs of our communities, and quickly adapted and responded to these challenges. The strength of Hawai‘i and the Pacific region lies within the strong, resilient, close-knit communities, and even though many facets of the economy were severely impacted by the pandemic, our faculty found creative, ingenious ways to provide much needed assistance. While there is not enough space to credit all of these efforts, a few stand out, and most importantly, the beneficial impacts will continue for many years to come.
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As an example, Hawai‘i Sea Grant faculty:
- Partnered with the He‘eia National Estuarine Research Reserve System and non-profit organization Paepae o He‘eia to offer a professional development course focusing on Indigenous foods for food service workers facing unemployment or reduced income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthening partnerships among local restaurants and Native Hawaiian agriculture and aquaculture practitioners.
- Helped to establish the first diagnostic lab providing COVID-19 testing services for underserved, uninsured, and front-line workers, yielding long-term benefits for community resilience by responding to infectious disease threats projected to worsen with climate change.
- Distributed food to thousands of families on Kaua‘i affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by coordinating the distribution of nearly 2,000 produce boxes per week, and was nominated to be a "Hometown Hero" for these efforts.
I invite you to browse the pages of this 2020-2021 Biennial Report to learn more about our work in research, extension, engagement, and communications, and the unwavering dedication of our faculty as we navigated through these challenging times.
Darren T. Lerner, Director, Hawai‘i Sea Grant
Building Strong Partnerships
By partnering with diverse schools and colleges via joint faculty positions and other synergistic relationships, Hawai‘i Sea Grant brings the full capacity of the University of Hawai‘i’s knowledge and human resources to serve citizens throughout the insular Pacific to a far greater degree than our federal funding alone can support.
As shown in more detail on the following pages, Hawai‘i Sea Grant’s Centers of Excellence are interdisciplinary and build connections throughout the university by engaging the best and brightest minds to address the region’s critical issues. The centers also play a vital role in defining our research agenda by working with communities to identify knowledge gaps that directly impact the well-being of coastal communities. In a complementary and synergistic fashion, the centers are highly effective at linking research results to community needs, challenges, and opportunities.
Advancing Coastal and Climate Science and Resilience
Promoting trans-disciplinary collaboration among university, community, and government partners across the Pacific to address critical issues of coastal and climate science and management. The Center for Coastal and Climate Science and Resilience emphasizes collaboration among multi-disciplinary faculty and their engagement with a broad range of regional stakeholders to help communities and decision-makers understand and address impacts of coastal hazards, climate change, and sea-level rise.
Hawai‘i Sea Grant provided guidance to the state of Hawai‘i on laws that require state agencies to begin assessing and planning for sea-level rise. Based on this guidance, in 2021 Hawai‘i became the first state in the U.S. to pass a law requiring sea-level rise disclosures in real estate transactions. The law, SB474, specifies that mandatory disclosures in real estate transactions must include identification of properties lying within a sea-level rise exposure area. To ensure realtors were informed of the new requirements, Sea Grant extension faculty worked with a statewide realtor association to improve understanding of the scientific and policy justifications for this state legislation, and as a result the new law is supported by the Hawai‘i Association of Realtors.
Promoting Marine Science Education
Supporting formal and informal education; connecting scientists, professionals, teachers, and the public; and sharing wisdom to support sustainable stewardship of coastal and ocean resources. As both a repository and a catalyst for practices and projects that span daily life, culture, and the ocean, the Center for Marine Science Education facilitates partnerships that enhance and foster understanding, literacy, and appreciation of marine and coastal environments. Learn more: https://seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/marine-science-education/
Honu Hospital-English Subtitles - VOS8-6
Voice of the Sea, Hawai‘i Sea Grant’s award-winning weekly television series, profiles researchers, community leaders, federal agencies, local partners, and cultural practitioners, sharing stories of remarkable individuals making a positive impact on the future of Hawai‘i and the insular Pacific. Each week, approximately 25,000 viewers tune in to watch Voice of the Sea on television in Hawaiʻi, and the series is also broadcast in American Samoa, Guam, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia. In 2020 and 2021, Voice of the Sea received seven Telly Awards including one silver, the top honor. The Telly Awards were established in 1979 to honor excellence and support creativity in local, regional, and cable TV programming.
Creating Smart Buildings and Community Design
Long term solutions are being implemented in Waikīkī
Developing and supporting economically, socially, and culturally inclusive communities to exist sustainably within their environmental footprint. Through a unique partnership of natural science with planning and architecture, the Center for Smart Building and Community Design addresses issues of urbanization and its impact on the natural environment to assist stakeholders in developing and implementing long- term solutions in the built environment.
Model Home on Oahu. Rendering by Jeff Brink.
To support Hawai‘i’s 100 percent renewable energy goal by 2045 and address the potential impact of new residential construction, Hawai’i Sea Grant faculty, their colleagues, and seven student researchers conducted field studies and developed whole-building energy models of detached houses in Hawai‘i. The team published a peer-reviewed paper, brochure, and created a video to demonstrate how house design and construction practices can be modified to meet the newly adopted, more restrictive energy codes and renewable energy goals. The research was conducted through a collaboration between the University of Hawai’i’s Hawai’i Natural Energy Institute’s energy efficiency program, School of Architecture’s Environmental Research and Design Lab, and Hawai‘i Sea Grant.
Encouraging Sustainable Aquaculture and Coastal Resources
The Pacific Region Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Hub builds strategic partnerships that revitalize and expand aquaculture development in the region. It seeks to improve and support aquaculture practices, restoration, and success of traditional Hawaiian fishponds, management of coastal resources, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, and the economic condition of the state. The Hub aims to be a major source for aquaculture and coastal resource-related research and products, and link the aquaculture industry with the sustainability of natural resources, promotion of healthy coastal ecosystems, and respect for indigenous people and the unique multicultural fabric of society.
As part of a broader effort to catalyze a cross-Pacific regional collaborative hub integrating research, outreach, and education to advance sustainable Indigenous Aquaculture practices, Ulana ʻIke partnered with Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa, Washington Sea Grant, and Alaska Sea Grant to convene a cross-regional summit bringing together diverse experts, knowledge holders, practitioners, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Northwest tribal leaders, senior and youth community members and Sea Grant outreach staff to learn about local and regional examples of traditional Indigenous Aquaculture systems. Over 125 Indigenous aquaculture practitioners came together representing a dozen tribal nations from the Pacific Northwest as well as Indigenous communities in Alaska, California, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Hawaiʻi, and Aotearoa. The gathering fostered relationship building and space to share knowledge and advance Indigenous aquaculture practice and methodologies.
Special Program Resources
Ka Pili Kai
Hawai‘i Sea Grant’s award-winning free biannual magazine celebrates the people and places across the Pacific region and our deep connection to all things related to the sea through vivid photographs and inspiring stories.
Useful Websites
University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program www.HawaiiSeaGrant.org
NOAA National Sea Grant www.seagrant.noaa.gov
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology www.soest.hawaii.edu
Social Media Channels
Contact
University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program 2525 Correa Road, HIG #238 Honolulu HI 96822 (808) 956-7031 seagrant@hawaii.edu