College students win grants to pursue isle conservation

The Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation has pledged $324,560 to support University of Hawaii students committed to careers in conservation in Hawaii.

Six students pursuing master’s degrees at the UH-Manoa Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Management (NREM) and UH-Hilo Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science (TCBES) Program have been selected to receive these new graduate assistantships.

The six inaugural recipients are Jon Lance, Alex Lau, Nicholas Ray Wilhoite, Asa J. Aue, Karma R. Kissinger and Corie Yanger.

This award, which includes a tuition exemption, regular stipend and funds for professional development, will help increase the number of qualified Hawaii students/professionals pursuing environmental resource management careers.

Through this investment in UH’s students, coupled with their support of Lyon Arboretum’s micro-propagation lab a year ago, Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation has committed nearly $1 million toward supporting conservation efforts at UH that directly impacts students, research and isle communities, said CTAHR Interim Dean Sylvia Yuen. “We are grateful to the Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation for this generous gift, which will provide Hawaii students with the education they need for professional careers in fields focused on protecting and sustaining our environment. The assistantships are an investment in our future.”

Biology Professor Donald Price, director of the UH-Hilo program, commented, “A primary goal of the TCBES Graduate Program is to train students for conservation biology and environmental science positions in Hawaii and the Pacific Region. This partnership between Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation and the TCBES program is providing wonderful opportunities for students to obtain advanced training and conduct graduate research on topics related to Hawaii Island’s extraordinary biological, physical and cultural diversity.”

Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation Executive Director Janis Reischmann said, “We believe that these six students have the potential to become future leaders in the environmental sector in Hawaii.”