Hawaii and Pacific Islands

Nākoa is determined to address Hawaiʻi’s food insecurity and perpetuate Hawaiian knowledge to restore a state of ʻāina momona (abundance). He investigates how former sugarcane fields in Hawaiʻi could be managed to meet local sustainability goals.

Leke (Kānaka ʻŌiwi, Native Hawaiian) studies Indigenous food and data sovereignty and conservation in Hawaiʻi. He hopes to create pathways for more Kānaka ʻŌiwi farmers to access land, expand Indigenous agroecosystems, and support insect biodiversity.

Aja finds joy in building reciprocal relationships between people and land. She was born and raised on the island of Oʻahu in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. She is a Ph.D. candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the department...

Aaron Maruzzo is a MPH graduate from the Environmental Health Sciences department at UC Berkeley School of Public Health. He joined UC Berkeley after three years of working as the Water Lab Analyst for the municipal water company in the U.S...

Noa Kekuewa Lincoln exhibits a passion for life that keeps him energetically engaged in a broad range of communities. Born and raised in Hawaii he connects strongly with the Hawaiian culture, which places environment at the core of human...

Mehana Blaich Vaughan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and U.H. Sea Grant. Mehana studies interactions between people and the environment...

Jonathan currently continues his career work on the resolution and management of conflict over natural resources as a private consultant, advising private and public clients on conservation and Native Hawaiian policy and strategy...