Impact On Hawaiʻi
Hawaiʻi EPSCoR by the Numbers
22
Years as Catalyst for Research
$88.8M+
EPSCoR Funding to the Hawaiʻi
590+
Peer-Reviewed Publications
170+
NSF Awards Won by EPSCoR supported faculty
$92.4M+
National Science Foundation Funding
23
Faculty Hires
EPSCoR Track 1 Participants
840+
Total Participants
140
Faculty Participants
23
Postdoctoral Researchers
60
Graduate Students
97
Undergraduate Students
Change Hawaiʻi Project Highlights
Climate Resilience and Public Safety
We are providing the high-resolution tools necessary to protect Hawaiʻi’s communities from environmental hazards.
Advanced Wildfire Readiness: Our team developed daily Ignition Probability Maps and high-resolution drought indices available through the Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal (HCDP). These tools help the Honolulu Fire Department and DOFAW monitor fuel dryness and assess fire risk in near-real-time.
Custom Climate Portfolios: We launched the Climate Portfolio Tool, which generates detailed reports on climate and drought for any specific area in the state—from a 100-acre parcel to an entire island. This supports ranchers and planners in making data-driven land management decisions.
Smarter Water Management: By pinpointing specific soil moisture “tipping points,” our research helps improve flood warnings and water resource management during extreme weather.
Economic and Workforce Development
We are training the next generation of data-skilled leaders to ensure Hawaiʻi’s economic future stays in local hands.
Local Talent Pipeline: Through the Data Science Fellows and CORE programs, we are addressing STEM shortages by recruiting and mentoring local students.
Bridge to Employment: Partnerships with the U.S. Army Pacific Command and the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office have placed dozens of students in paid internships, creating direct pathways to high-wage, local careers.
Innovation & Startups: We are fueling the “Blue Economy” by supporting ventures like Nimbus.ai—an AI weather forecasting startup—and public-private partnerships like the UH Hilo MEGA Lab.
Community Integration
Our work is grounded in the belief that data science must be ethical and community-led.
Respecting Indigenous Knowledge: We prioritize the Kūlana Noiʻi model, ensuring that ancestral Indigenous science informs our research rather than just being a subject of study.
Community Data Hubs: With new hubs at Leeward and Kauaʻi Community Colleges, we empower local communities to co-produce their own data visualizations to reflect their unique values and needs.
Data for Equity: The Community Census and Spatial Visualization Index (CCSVI) combines demographic data with hazard maps to help state planners protect socially vulnerable populations during disasters
Direct Support for Key State Sectors
We are providing the data backbone for the state’s most critical sectors
Support for Ranchers: Working with the Hawaiʻi Cattlemen’s Council, our high-quality data is helping create the state’s first-ever drought insurance products for local ranchers.
Powering Clean Energy: In collaboration with the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office, we use AI-enhanced visualization to model how environmental changes will affect Hawaiʻi’s 2045 goal of 100% renewable energy.
Research Infrastructure
One of the main goals of Hawaiʻi EPSCoR is to support research infrastructure through shared-use equipment. Several higher education institutions across the state benefit from state-of-the-art equipment purchases using Hawaiʻi EPSCoR funding, including Koa, a High Performance Computing cluster. These equipment purchases will remain available for faculty and students at their home universities and will support their research projects for years to come.