General blog

A group of about 30 pose together

A journey from Brazil to DC, via Hawaiʻi: My experience as a Knauss Fellow

by Mariana Rocha de SouzaFor me, growing up in a small town in Brazil, the idea of working for the U.S. federal government in DC seemed far-fetched. But as the first person in my family to learn multiple languages, apply ...
Close-up photo of two bright yellow creatures curled toward each other, like commas, each with a pointed dart out one end

Bohemian Behemoths: Kinks in the Animal Kingdom

by Paolo Marra-Biggs (He/Him)The ocean is a wondrous place, where body forms are not as confined as they are on land. The ocean’s dense medium creates a relative weightlessness and gives animals the freedom in a three-dimensional space to evolve ...
Eco friendly cups

“Can I Get a Straw?”

by Frankki Ramirez Like most other broke college kids, I work a part time job in between my studies. I have been working as a server for a little over a year and typically interact with visitors from out-of-state throughout ...
Colorful, free-standing letters and numbers spell out COP27, in a desert setting

Finding inspiration in the desert: Personal reflections from COP

by Mariana Rocha de Souza Sharm El Sheikh, in Egypt, the host city for COP27 sits on the edge of the Sinai Peninsula, surrounded by amazing coral reefs and red mountains. In the shadows of these mountains, the United Nations ...
A line of wooden posts extends back from shallow waters onto a sandy beach, each post with a bird perched on it

Resilience reports are for the birds: How the seabirds of Lalo are inspiring holistic decision-making

by Kilo Kaʻawa-Gonzales It was almost prehistoric. The whirling sky around me was full of feathers and wings as we plowed through breaking waves on an old metal landing craft that was likened, on more than one occasion, to the ...
Redefining “success”: The importance of socio-cultural indicators in marine management

Redefining “success”: The importance of socio-cultural indicators in marine management

by Anita TsangPicture this: You are snorkeling in a nearshore coral reef five years after it was declared a marine management area (MMA). The water is crystal clear, the corals are vibrant and healthy, and there are huge, diverse schools ...
Rootlets abound in a brown chunk of mud held for the camera

Sneaking up on mud

by Becca Lensing In between mud sample collections, Uncle Clay Ching, of Hallelujah Hou fishing on Molokaʻi, gave us a crash course on throw net fishing on one of the largest fringing reef flats in the world. He taught us ...
Bacteroides: The clingy bacteria that mammals just can’t shake

Bacteroides: The clingy bacteria that mammals just can’t shake

by Nicolas VanderzylEvery parent knows the feeling: sneaking away to the restroom, yearning for a few minutes to yourself, only to be interrupted in seconds by light knocks and fifty questions. But alas, even if you aren’t a parent, you ...
Student with a concentrated look bites on her tongue as she works on an object with a screwdriver

Treating climate anxiety with action

by Devynn Wulstein (she/her)Imagine flipping to the back synopsis of a random book in the bookstore and reading this: "The year is 2021. A pandemic has swept across the globe, leaving a tidal wave of scientific denial, and fueling greater ...
Close up of small round baby fish with large eyes

Feed me! How examining larval diets could be a game-changer for aquaculture

by Cassie Kaʻapu-LyonsNext time you visit your local pet store, take a look at the fishes. Many of the freshwater fishes available to you have been bred and raised in captivity, but most marine fishes have been harvested from the ...