WHAT IS SEA GRANT

Founded in 1968, the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program (Hawai’i Sea Grant) is part of a national network of 33 programs that promote better understanding, conservation, and use of coastal resources. Hawai’i Sea Grant works in partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi’s prestigious School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to identify Hawaiʻi’s critical resource management issues and guide cutting-edge scientific research to address these challenges.

Hawai’i Sea Grant supports an innovative program of research, extension, education, and communication services directed to the improved understanding and stewardship of coastal and marine resources. Realizing the necessity of collaboration to address coastal resource issues, Hawai’i Sea Grant also provides links between academia, federal, state, and local government agencies, industries, and local community members.

Hawai’i Sea Grant has five focus areas which explore pressing issues related to the health and well-being of our coasts and coastal economies:

– Sustainable Coastal Development
– Hazard Resilience in Coastal Communities
– Sustainable Coastal Tourism
– Indigenous Cultural Heritage
– Water Resource Sustainability

Together with partnering faculty and institutions throughout the university, Hawai’i Sea Grant developed a new model for Sea Grant that is based fundamentally on enhanced collaboration – the center of excellence model. Sea Grant’s traditional excellence in marine and coastal extension, research, and education now brings the capabilities of the broader university community to the people of Hawai’i. Currently, Hawai’i Sea Grant has six centers of excellence:

– Smart Building and Community Design
– Sustainable Coastal Tourism
– Marine Science Education
– Coastal and Climate Science and Resilience
– Integrated Science, Knowledge, & Culture
– Water Resource Sustainability