Hawai’i
The Hawaiian Islands are one of the largest and most remote island chains on the planet. The chain continues to be created through a rich and progressive geological and volcanic activity, providing a tremendous diversity of ecological nichés for its unique flora and fauna to inhabit.
The research conducted in Hawai’i is primarily lab-based and of most interest to prospective students who wish to pursue hypothesis-driven thesis research. Scholarships are available at the East-West Center along with additional campus resources. Hawai’i also offers the ideal environment for field equipment and protocol testing with its dramatic marine and terrestrial environments.
Get Involved
To expand your skills and participate in expedition research projects please see details on expedition research here. For specific training as part of these expeditions please see the Methods in Mesophotic Series that will enable you to learn important procedures tailored to mesophotic depths.
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The remoteness of the Hawaiian archipelago limits the number of organisms that have naturally arrived here and thereafter persisted. The resilient species that have travelled great distances to the islands have evolved into a variety of forms leading to a wealth of novel biodiversity unknown anywhere else on the planet (endemism). Yet, such unique fauna and flora can and has led to high rates of species extinction in our current time.
Exploring the islands helps you see evolution and extinction first hand, and the processes by which what you see has come about.
