Hawai‘i Sea Grant fellows team up with local offices to strengthen resilience

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Four postgraduate fellows from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa were selected to work directly with Hawai'i-based organizations through the UH Sea Grant College Program (Hawai'i Sea Grant) E. Gordon Grau Coastal and Marine Resource Management and Policy Fellowship Program (Grau Fellowship).

"We're thrilled to mark the sixth year of the Grau Fellowship, which has grown to include 18 Grau Fellows in this newest cohort," said Maya Walton, Hawai'i Sea Grant assistant director for research and fellowships. "The host offices, dedicated mentors, and Hawaiʻi Sea Grant staff and faculty are all collaborating to provide the practical training and experience necessary to prepare the next generation of professionals working at the interface of science, policy and resource management."

Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR)

Olivia Boucher will focus on DAR's Holomua Marine Initiative, building and expanding on the work of past fellows who designed island-based management strategies and community-based monitoring plans for this initiative. Boucher will focus her efforts on community engagement, policy research, and cross-sector collaboration that will help bridge science, the public and decision-making. Boucher holds a master of environmental management from UH Mānoa's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM).

Department of Land and Natural Resources Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands

Leigh Engel will be supporting the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands in managing and protecting Hawai'i's shoreline resources. She will be implementing place-based approaches that mirror natural systems to address coastal erosion and hazard mitigation, while advancing long-term goals of conserving beaches, dunes, estuaries and other vital ecosystems. Engel earned a master of science in NREM from UH Mānoa, where she was also a Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center Scholar.

City and County of Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resilience

Maddy McKenna will be working with the Coastal and Water Program team to implement the city's adaptation strategy, honoring both Western science and Indigenous ecological knowledge in developing people-centered solutions for Oʻahu's threatened coastlines. McKenna earned a master of arts in climate and society from Columbia University, and a PhD in atmospheric science from UH Mānoa.

Matt Miller will work on cutting-edge climate mitigation strategies such as managed retreat and to support and enhance the city's partnerships with community-based organizations. His goal is to use his experience researching severe and shifting weather in the tropics to help build a resilient Oʻahu through planning and outreach measures. Miller earned a master of science in atmospheric science from UH Mānoa.

The paid fellowship, named in honor of Emeritus Professor E. Gordon Grau, Hawai'i Sea Grant's visionary former director, provides early career professionals the opportunity to obtain relevant resource management and policy experience in Hawai'i and, for many, to pursue career opportunities in their home state.

For more information see Hawaiʻi Sea Grant's website.

For more information, visit: https://seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/news-and-events/in-the-news/