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2025 News

Spring 2025 Thesis Defenses

Lauren Moe:

Lauren Moe

Title: Movement Patterns of Juvenile Blacktip Sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) within a Tropical Nursery Habitat

Abstract:
Blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) are a circumglobal species who rely on nearshore nursery habitats during their early years. Juvenile blacktip sharks (n = 29) were caught and tagged using VEMCO V-13 PPM acoustic transmitters in Hilo Bay, Hawai‘i, USA, from June 10 to July 6, 2022, and June 2 to 30, 2023. Tracking occurred every 2-5 weeks between July 20, 2022, and January 28, 2024, in which 44 stations throughout Hilo Bay were actively monitored using a VR-100 receiver and VH-165 omnidirectional hydrophone. Results showed that juvenile blacktip sharks were present in the Bay year-round with peak residency (41.3-50.0%) between March and August, and minimal residency (24.1-30.1%) between October and January. Average observed residency was 287 days, with one individual present periodically from the first to last day of sampling (598 days). Tagged sharks were detected within Hilo Bay more during the day than at night, likely due to excursions into deeper waters during heightened nocturnal foraging activity. Accordingly, C. limbatus were detected more frequently in deeper waters at night (p = 0.006). Detections were consistently higher in areas where the benthic composition was predominately mud as opposed to coral or rock (p < 0.001), but at night, stations with benthic rock composition also had greater detection frequency than coral (p = 0.007). Temperature and salinity did not significantly vary between stations, and as such, were not influential factors in C. limbatus habitat usage, though DO was a limiting factor during the day when levels were lowest. Thus, juvenile blacktip sharks appear to preferentially utilize deeper habitats with mud or rock substrates within Hilo Bay and are limited in these areas by DO. This comprehensive analysis of habitat usage and residency patterns suggests that juvenile blacktip sharks reside predominantly within Hilo Bay year-round for the first few years of their life. The results presented here are the first to delineate Hilo Bay as a C. limbatus nursery habitat in Hawaiian waters.

Olivia Jarvis:

Olivia Jarvis

Title: Evaluating high-resolution remote sensing data and machine learning for detecting strawberry guava (Psidium cattleyanum) and its biocontrol on Hawai‘i Island

Abstract:
Strawberry guava (Psidium cattleyanum), the most abundant invasive tree species across the Hawaiian Islands, can form impenetrable thickets across rugged terrain and is difficult to map. The Brazilian scale (Tectococcus ovatus), a gall forming insect, is currently being deployed as the biocontrol to reduce the spread of strawberry guava. This thesis examines using high resolution aerial imagery, lidar data, and machine learning to detect strawberry guava and biocontrol spread in ‘Ōla‘a Forest Reserve. Aerial images of strawberry guava canopies during different phenological stages and mm-resolution images of leaves with Brazilian scale galls present were annotated and used to train object detection convolutional neural network (CNN) models. Lidar data were used to derive forest structure metrics including canopy height, foliage height diversity, plant area index, and point density at four to six meter elevations and used to train a random forest classification model to identify strawberry guava trees. CNN models were able to detect strawberry guava canopies better during phenological periods of red flush, or new leaf growth, (mAP = 0.85 (SD 0.02); F1 score = 0.58 (SD 0.03)) compared to periods of green leaf canopies (mAP = 0.79 (SD 0.02); F1 score = 0.50 (SD 0.02)). The random forest model to detect strawberry guava using lidar metrics performed better in terms of precision and F1-score (mAP=0.72, F1 score=0.72). All models showed an increase in detected strawberry guava as strawberry guava density increased across three 20x20m ground truth plots. I developed another CNN model to detect biocontrol galling on strawberry guava leaves (mAP = 0.57 (SD 0.03); F1 score = 0.40 (SD 0.02)), but false positive predictions due to rain drops, discoloration, image blur, and lighting were common. These developed models can detect strawberry guava trees and Brazilian scale galls to inform where future biocontrol deployments should take place and monitor the progress of the biocontrol over time. This thesis demonstrates the potential of remote sensing and machine learning to support invasive species response efforts in Hawai‘i.

2024 News

Fall 2024 Newsletter

2024 TCBES Cohort

Check out all the accomplishments of our amazing TCBES students, faculty, and alumni in the TCBES Fall 2024 Newsletter!

Summer 2024 Newsletter

Check out all of the amazing achievements of our TCBES students, alumni, and faculty over the summer in our Summer 2024 TCBES Newsletter.

2023 News

Fall 2023 Newsletter

TCBES 2023 cohort. Pictured (left to right) first row: Lauren Moe, Gabriela Benito, Lauren Smith, Ariel Patterson, Nikki Henry, Mishell Vasquez Morales, Christine Tominiko, River Thomas; second row:Nathan Breindel, Kelli Elliot, Ian O`Holleran, Randall Thomas, Liz Lough, Mina Jensen, Annie Larson, Andrew Tabaque, Tui Puletiuatoa Check out all the accomplishments of our amazing TCBES students, faculty, and alumni in the TCBES Fall 2023 Newsletter!

Summer 2023 Newsletter

Check out all of the amazing achievements of our TCBES students, alumni, and faculty over the summer in our Summer 2023 TCBES Newsletter. They are awesome!

Spring 2023 Newsletter

Spring semester saw the completion of several impactful projects, a number of new graduates, and collaborative program events. Learn more about this eventful semester in the Spring 2023 TCBES Newsletter.

Hoʻomaikaʻi to our Spring 2023 Graduates!

Thesis Track:

Stephanie Mladinich- Pockets and pathways to invasion: Developing improved mosquitomonitoring methods in high elevation forests on Hawaiʻi Island

Casey Anuhea Robins- ‘O Ke Kahua Ma Mua, Ma Hope Ke Kūkulu: Investigating the relationship between the functional traitsof leaf litter and litter-dwelling arthropods

Internship Track:

Mikayla Barnwell- Developing place-based coral restoration in West Hawai‘i: A guide toplanning and implementation

Alejandro Caamaño Barrientos- Implementing sustainable methods for seafood production with BlueOcean Mariculture

Lucy Chalgren- Place-based science communication methods in Hawai‘i: Social media tostudent curriculum

Cienna-Lei Ku‘ulileialohaiwili‘ia Daog- Evaluating the native fish species of Āhole (Kuhlia xenura) as a substitutefor introduced species in aquaculture

Hannah Hartmann- Aligning with fungi to heal the ‘āina and huli the system

David Girbino- As above, so below: Envisioning food forestry and indigenousmicroorganism networks as foundations of Hawaiian food sovereignty

Avalon Dawn Paradea- Nā Pilina ‘Āina: Relationships between the communities and environmentsof Kohala Hema, Kona ‘Akau, and beyond

David Mark Kahopeloaonapua Russell- Understanding plants of the past to inform community reforestation efforts in the future: A place-based approach for promoting resilience in the Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a community-based subsistence forestarea, North Kona, Hawaiʻi

2022 News

Fall 2022 Newsletter

We had quite the eventful fall semester! Read all about it in the Fall 2022 TCBES Newsletter

Summer 2022 Newsletter

Read all about summer happenings and TCBES updates in the Summer 2022 TCBES Newsletter

Summer 2022 Graduates

Congratulations to our Summer 2022 TCBES Graduates!

Spring 2022 Newsletter

It has been a semester of groundbreaking research, impressive student and faculty achievements, and exceptional collaborations. Read all about it in the Spring 2022 TCBES Newsletter!

Spring 2022 Graduates

Congratulations to all of our recent graduates!

UH Hilo alumna nominated for 2022 National Teacher of the Year

TCBES alumna Whitney Aragaki was recently nominated for 2022 National Teacher of the Year for her exceptional teaching at Waiākea High School. Congratulations Whitney on this incredible accomplishment! Read all about it here.

2021 News

Fall 2021 Graduates

Congratulations to all of our recent graduates!

Fall 2021 Newsletter

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. 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 Maʻa, 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: Spring 2021 Professional Internship Presentation Day

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. View the 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, Hawaiʻi Island Hawksbill (Honuʻea)" has been uploaded to the TCBES YouTube channel! 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 Hawaiʻi Island’s Blackburnia hawaiiensis (Coleoptera: Carabidae) using Stable Isotopes and High-Throughput Sequencing")

11th Annual TCBES Symposium

Aloha TCBES ʻOhana! 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.

2020 News

TCBES Fall 2020 Newsletter

The TCBES Graduate Program has released their Fall 2020 Newsletter! Read about TCBES’ accomplishments during the previous semester.

Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation Graduate Fellowship Opportunity

Hauʻoli Mau Loa Graduate Fellowship recipients The Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation and the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science (TCBES) Graduate Program at the University of Hawaiʻi 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 Hawaiʻi. 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 Hawaiʻi at Hilo joins the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)

You could quality for in-state tuition in fifteen states:

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 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!

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?

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.

Announcement Archives

Older news announcements can be found in our Archived Announcements section