The University of Hawaiʻi has become the first university to sign a memorandum of understanding to provide environmental research expertise to the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL). The NCEL serves as a non-partisan resource network of over 1,200 state legislators representing all 50 states working to protect, conserve, and improve the natural and human environment around regional and issue-specific projects.
The agreement, signed by UH President David Lassner, UH Vice President for Research and Innovation Vassilis L. Syrmos, Hawaiʻi State Sen. Chris Lee and NCEL Executive Director Dylan McDowell, provides the necessary framework for NCEL to seek out environmental expertise from UH faculty and researchers.
“Our pre-eminent capabilities in environment protection and conservation research have been built organically over many decades and are now widely recognized,” said Lassner. “This new agreement will enable us to share what we have learned with others around the country, as we do throughout Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.”
Under the agreement, NCEL may seek out expertise from UH, who will connect NCEL members to the appropriate subject matter expert(s) to discuss. If more research or reporting is required, NCEL may direct UH to available grant opportunities to assist with the additional tasks. Requests from NCEL will be processed through the recently created UH Office of Land and Ocean Conservation Futures directed by Suzanne Case.
“Natural resource management and conservation are no longer just catch phrases as Hawaiʻi and the world are facing an onslaught of environmental challenges that are threatening our well-being,” Syrmos said. “I’m pleased that NCEL has partnered with UH research to assist them with various initiatives to help preserve and maintain our natural environment.”
UH Mānoa, which serves as the flagship of the 10-campus UH System, is classified as a Research 1 institution and one of a handful of land-, sea-, space-, and sun-grant universities. Researchers at UH have world-class expertise in a wide area of environmental-related fields, such as biological control, biocultural restoration, agroforestry, natural resource management, invasive species management, oceanography, clean energy, hydrology and Indigenous knowledge.
“We are unlocking an incredible new opportunity for innovative policy solutions by connecting legislators with the research and expertise of the University of Hawaiʻi,” said NCEL Executive Director Dylan McDowell. “This partnership is an important part of NCEL’s efforts to connect our network of 1,300 lawmakers with UH experts across the globe on some of the most pressing environmental challenges.”
Lee serves as president of the NCEL board of directors. A strong advocate of clean energy and the environment, Lee felt that it was absolutely necessary to bring to bear all of UH’s world-class research expertise and resources to assist NCEL with its vision of advancing a clean and healthy environment through state leadership.
“Equipping policymakers around the country with real science and data on our biggest issues will empower state leaders to deliver more effective and successful results for communities around the country,” said Lee. “At a time when courts have begun to restrict the scope of science in decision-making by the federal government, it’s more important than ever that states take the lead.”
