The Office of Maunakea Management, in collaboration with ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center and the University of Hawaii at Hilo Department of Physics and Astronomy, is launching a new monthly lecture series giving community members unprecedented access to scholars and their knowledge-based
The Office of Maunakea Management, in collaboration with ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center and the University of Hawaii at Hilo Department of Physics and Astronomy, is launching a new monthly lecture series giving community members unprecedented access to scholars and their knowledge-based work.
The Maunakea Speakers Series brings scholars to Hilo to present information about diverse subjects including fauna, biodiversity, climate change, botany, geophysics and other topics; all components of the immense resource diversity found on Mauna Kea.
“Our intent is to provide thought-provoking lectures and presentations while deepening our collective knowledge and understanding of the resources on Mauna Kea and strengthening educational opportunities —goals we all share,” said OMKM Director Stephanie Nagata.
The first lecture in the series kicks off a 7 p.m. Thursday at the UH-Hilo Science and Technology Building auditorium (Room 108) with a one-hour presentation, “Birds of Paradise Lost: Evolution, Extinction and Conservation of Hawaii’s Birds” by Rob Fleischer, senior scientist, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park.
Fleischer will discuss Hawaii’s native birds and how he and his colleagues use DNA methods to study evolutionary relationships, population genetics, diet and the impacts and mitigation of introduced disease.
Fleischer’s Smithsonian research involves application of DNA and genetic analyses to studies in conservation, evolution and animal behavior. His research often focuses on the use of DNA and genetics to document changes in genetic variation and to study the evolutionary interactions between hosts, vectors and infectious disease organisms (such as introduced avian malaria in native Hawaiian birds).
The presentation is free and open to interested community members. On-campus parking is available without charge.
For more information, visit malamamaunakea.org or call 933-0734.
