News and Announcements
Upcoming Events
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2021 News
Fall 2021 Graduates
Congratulations to all of our recent graduates!
Nola Keilani Bonis-Ericksen
Sydney Gamiao
Dawn McSwain
Kaikea Nakachi
Michael Stone
Amanda Navine
Erica Ta
Fall 2021 Newsletter {Fall2021Newsletter}
Fall 2021 brought us a new set of TCBES graduates, a student-led outplanting, and exciting new research and publications, including research on mapping sea level rise and coastal erosion that was highlighted at the UN Global Climate Chance Conference, COP26. Read all about it in our TCBES Fall 2021 Newsletter!
Summer Graduation News
Thathmini Kularatna finished her Master's this summer and is on to an exciting job as a horticulturist with Amazon!
Summer 2021 Newsletter
Summer 2021 brought us publications from UH faculty and alumni, impressive research projects, endangered bird findings, and a new TCBES cohort! Read all about it in our TCBES Summer 2021 Newsletter.
Spring 2021 Success!
The end of this spring semester concluded several journeys for our students - MS thesis defenses, final professional internship presentations, and graduation! The TCBES graduate program accomplished so much this semester that we had to compile it into a newsletter! Read all about it
2021 TCBES Symposium Now Available on YouTube
Aloha TCBES 'Ohana! Were you unable to attend this year's symposium featuring the groundbreaking research being conducted within the TCBES community? If so, today is your lucky day! The 2021 TCBES Symposium is available to watch on the official TCBES YouTube page.
Spring 2021 TCBES Virtual Graduation Ceremony
We would like to invite you to attend the TCBES virtual graduation ceremony, Friday, May 14th, as a special guest. The ceremony will start at 3:00 PM HST. If you would like to attend, you will need to register for the meeting. Register in advance for this meeting by clicking here:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
We will also be livestreaming the graduation to the TCBES YouTube Channel for people to watch as well. All are welcome to attend or watch on YouTube. Students who will be participating are: Hilary Street Scott, Kawehi Lopez, Sebastian Ma`a, Sabena Siddiqui, Laura Knight, Sarah Norrbom, Geoffry Grimmett, Koa Matsuoka, and Bryan Tonga (posthumously). The official graduation program is also available, and includes information on our graduate's thesis/professional internships.
Spring 2021 Professional Internship Presentation Day
It is my honor to announce the Spring 2021 University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Master of Science in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Professional Internship Presentation Day event. In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Professional Internship Track, six UH Hilo TCBES graduate students will showcase their professional internship projects.
Please join us via the UH Hilo TCBES Graduate Program's YouTube channel for a Livestream of the day's presentations or please register to attend the Zoom meeting if you would like to ask a presenter a question via the Zoom chat feature. Our presentation event will begin at 8:30 AM with an Oli, Land Acknowledgement, and a short address by the UH Hilo TCBES Director and Associate Director, Drs. Wiegner and Ostertag, respectively.
WHERE: Livestream UH Hilo TCBES Graduate Program's YouTube channel or, if you would like to ask a presenter a question via the Zoom chat feature, Zoom meeting (registration required; after registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting). Please note that the Zoom meeting capacity is 300 participants, and, if you join us via Zoom, please double-check that your Zoom microphone is muted. We will also record the presentations for later viewing at the UH Hilo TCBES Graduate Program's YouTube Channel for those with scheduling conflicts.
Check out the event program here: Spring 2021 Professional Internship Presentation Day
THIS WEEK: 2021 TCBES Symposium
This Thursday and Friday (April 15 and 16) is the TCBES Symposium! This year's theme is "Kincentric Stewardship". The conference will be an incredible opportunity to learn about the groundbreaking research being conducted within the TCBES community. Click this 2021 TCBES Symposium Program to view the TCBES Symposium Program. We hope to see you there!
Kelsey May Meagher's Professional Internship Presentation
Recent TCBES Graduate, Kelsey May Meagher's Professional Internship Presentation entitled: "Monitoring of the Critically Endangered, Hawai'i Island Hawksbill (Honu'ea)" has been uploaded to the TCBES YouTube page! In addition to Kelsey's Zoom presentation you will find many of our graduate's thesis and professional internship presentations, where you will learn about all of the wonderful projects our students have been engaged in here at UH Hilo.
Congratulations Karen Gallardo Cruz and Kylle Roy for their recent scientific publications!
TCBES Graduates, Karen Gallardo-Cruz and Kylle Roy, have published scientific articles based on their MS thesis research! We are ecstatic with what our TCBES 'Ohana can achieve post-graduation :) Check out Karen's article titled, "Temporal changes in songbird vocalizations associated with helicopter noise in Hawai’i’s protected natural areas" and follow this link for Kylle's paper titled, "Diet Analysis of Hawai‘i Island’s Blackburnia hawaiiensis (Coleoptera: Carabidae) using Stable Isotopes and High-Throughput Sequencing")
11th Annual TCBES Symposium
Aloha TCBES 'Ohana! On behalf of the TCBES Marine and Terrestrial Environmental Researchers (TCBES MATERs) Club, it is with great pleasure that I announce abstracts are now being accepted for the 11th Annual Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Symposium! This conference will be an incredible opportunity to learn about the groundbreaking research being conducted within the TCBES community. This event will be held virtually on April 15 and 16. If you plan to attend or present, please register using the following link: https://forms.gle/kXC9r5G76hGrwdL49
Stay tuned for more information!
2020 News
TCBES Fall 2020 Newsletter
The TCBES Graduate Program has released their Fall 2020 Newsletter! Click the image above to read about TCBES' accomplishments during the previous semester.
Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation Graduate Fellowship Opportunity
The Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation http://www.hauolimauloa.org/ and the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science (TCBES) Graduate Program http://tcbes.uhh.hawaii.edu/ at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo are pleased to announce the availability of three graduate assistantships for students dedicated to careers in conservation biology and environmental science in the state of Hawai‘i. Each assistantship comes with generous support for two years (2nd year pending satisfactory academic performance), including a Graduate Assistantship (stipend plus fringe benefits), a full tuition remission, and additional funds to be used for attendance costs (e.g., books, fees, professional development, including travel to local and national conferences, and supplies).
Visit Funding Opportunities for more information.
The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo joins the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)
You could quality for in-state tuition in fifteen states:
The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) allows master’s, graduate certificate, and doctoral students who are residents of WICHE member states to enroll in 900+ graduate programs at 60 public institutions outside of their home state and pay up to 150 percent of resident tuition. In fall 2019, 1,907 students enrolled through WRGP and saved $27.9 million in tuition.
Click this link to learn more about WRGP
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) no longer required
The TCBES graduate program will no longer require the GRE test requirement as part of the program's application materials. We are diminishing reliance on the test and looking at alternate markers of success, such as skills, testimonials, and character attributes that better predict future success in the life sciences.
Farewell to Spring 2020
The end of this spring semester concluded several journeys for our students - MS thesis defenses, final professional internship presentations, and graduation! If you were unable to attend these events, you can click here to check them out on the TCBES YouTube channel!
The TCBES graduate program accomplished so much this semester that we had to compile it into a newsletter! Click here to read all about it!
The Spring 2020 graduation list is out!
Congratulations to Devon Aguiar, Alex Bischer, Keith Burnett, Talavi Cook, Samantha DeVivo, Ryan Domingo, Melanie Leilā Dudley, John Flint, Stephanie Gayle, Maya Goodoni, Amanda Irish, Kelsey Keister, Angalee Kirby, Kristina Montoya-Aiona, Emma Delia Sinclair, and Leah Sherwood -- our new M.S. degree recipients! A record 16 graduates, including 10 from our first cohort of students from the Professional Internship Track! Congratulations to all!
TCBES Internship Presentations
Want a detailed look into what our Professional Internship students have accomplished during their journey in the TCBES graduate program? Click here to watch the TCBES Professional Internship Presentations on our YouTube page!.
Published in the journal Science: Study headed by UH Hilo evolutionary ecologist shows surprising findings about diversity and extinction
Matthew Knope, Assistant Professor of Biology at the UHH, publishes in the journal Science on "Ecologically diverse clades dominate the oceans via extinction resistance". Read Susan Enright's article coverage on this wonderful feat! Congratulations Dr. Knope!
TCBES Graduate Students Help Judge the 2020 Hawaii District Science and Engineering Fair!
Our very own TCBES graduate students Lisa Mason and Carmelita Villalobos served as judges at the 2020 Hawaii District Science and Engineering Fair! This event is presented by UH at Hilo Sigma Xi Chapter and represents and supports Big Island schools and the community. Students conduct scientific research and disseminate this information to scientists and community groups. Pictured: Lisa Mason, Ernie Kho (Director), Carmelita Villalobos.
## 2019 News
The Fall 2019 graduation list is out!
Congratulations to Karen Gallardo, Erin Netoskie, Ashley Pugh, Gary Sur, Ricky Tabandera, and Vanessa Zepeda -- our new M.S. degree recipients!
UH Hilo graduate student, Vanessa Zepeda, completes two internships with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
UH Hilo graduate students in the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental program have the opportunity to gain valuable work experience with impactful employers. One of our students, Vanessa Zepeda has recently completed two internships with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech. Read more about her experience.
UH Hilo graduate student, Alex Bischer, works to save critically endangered palila on Maunakea
Alex Bischer is in the professional master’s internship track of the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Graduate Program and is collaborating with researchers from a state agency and a private organization to save the palila (Loxioides bailleui), a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. Read more about his internship experience.
The Summer 2019 graduation list is out!
A big congratulations to Angela Beck, Maya Munstermann, Jared Nishimoto, and Corinna Pinzari -- our M.S. degree recipients! Way to go!
Older news announcements can be found in our Archived Announcements section