$5M to support Hawaiian, Pacific Island students in marine, environmental science

Photo retrieved from hawaii.edu

The University ofHawaiʻiat Mānoa is leading a team of higher-education institutions across the Pacific with a $5-million grant that aims to support Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders pursue degrees in marine and environmental sciences. These groups are highly underrepresented in STEM disciplines. Over the five-year grant period, institutions expect to help approximately 250 scholars and culturally connected students, allowing them to serve their local communities.

The grant was awarded from the U.S. National Science Foundation to a consortium of Pacific Island institutions of higher education. The grant will buoy students attending UH Mānoa, Palau Community College (PCC), American Samoa Community College, the College of Micronesia – FSM, the College of the Marshall Islands and Northern Marianas College.

“The project addresses a primary cause of low enrollment of island-based students in STEM: financial challenges and the associated need to work while also attending classes,” said Bob Richmond, director of the UH Mānoa Kewalo Marine Laboratory (KML) in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. “Removing this barrier is a way to support the recruitment and retention of talented students with bright minds, cultural connections and passion into these fields who might otherwise not have access to higher education opportunities.”