Lauryn Hansen is a 2024 E. Gordon Grau Fellow with the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program, where she will focus on developing a risk assessment framework for contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Her work will involve identifying current knowledge gaps related to CECs in Hawaiʻi and the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands while reviewing global research and management strategies to create best practices tailored to the Pacific. In partnership with local agencies, Lauryn will help improve protection of ecosystems and coastal communities from the impacts of pollution, as well as contribute to efforts that safeguard food and water security in the region. She is excited to support public outreach and community-based education on CECs, as well as develop strategies for future monitoring and management.

Lauryn grew up on the West Coast with a lifelong connection to coastal environments, from tide-pooling in Seattle as a child to surfing and diving as a teenager. In 2022, she earned a B.S. in the Global Environmental Science program at UH Mānoa, and in 2023 finished a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) with a focus on epidemiology. Lauryn’s past work spans environmental and public health contexts, including the impacts of chemical exposure on coral reefs, community relationships with ocean spaces, and the history of contamination in Puʻuloa. In her free time, Lauryn is an educator and volunteer with Sustainable Coastlines Hawaiʻi, where she has learned the incredible value of community engagement and knowledge sharing. She is eager to collaborate with diverse agencies and communities as a Grau Fellow to develop innovative strategies for environmental health challenges in the Pacific.