Nearly 100 undergraduate students from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Leeward Community College, as well as other universities across the nation, showcased their projects at the 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Symposium on August 2. Hosted annually by the UH Mānoa Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), the nine-week summer research and creative work program culminated with hybrid oral presentations and poster presentations at the Hawaiʻi Imin International Conference Center.
“UH Mānoa undergraduates conduct mature research and creative projects that tackle some of the most pressing issues we face in Hawaiʻi and beyond,” said UROP Program Coordinator Noah Perales-Estoesta. “The Symposium reflects the university’s commitment to advancing such research and creative work opportunities for students across all disciplines, and UROP is proud to play the role that we have in doing so.”
Sea level rise policy database
Kimberly Ortiz and Iokepa Frederick presented their project called “Sea Level Rise Policy Matrix,” which consisted of a report on a new inventory of sea level rise mitigation strategies, policies, laws, studies, tools, and documents that the state and counties of Hawaiʻi have produced in preparation for sea level rise. Their findings will be developed into a public-facing database that is user-friendly, publicly accessible, and can be used for future community education and input into sea level rise planning.
In addition to the inventory, Ortiz and Frederick reported on an initial analysis of specific actions and indicators that the state and counties have created to measure progress on sea level rise adaptation. Future research will continue with a larger gap analysis of what actions may be missing at a larger scale.
“The SURE Symposium was a wonderful experience and gave my research partner and I a platform to share what we have learned with others,” Ortiz said. “Not only educating ourselves but also having the opportunity to share our knowledge with others in terms of combating climate change, specifically sea level rise, we couldn’t have done it without SURE, UROP, ISR (UH Mānoa Institute for Sustainability and Resilience) and Dr. Ketty Loeb.”
Loeb, a faculty member with ISR, served as the team’s mentor.
Marine ecology research
MeiLin Precourt presented two research projects at the SURE Symposium, focusing on marine invasive species in the Galápagos Islands, and global fish extinction risk. Precourt’s first study modeled habitat suitability for Caulerpa algae species in the Galápagos, examining their potential to spread beyond known ranges and threaten native biodiversity. Her second project used machine learning to predict extinction risk for ray-finned fish species not yet assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The model, which shows over 85% accuracy, identifies length, trophic level, and salinity, as key predictors of extinction risk.
“While presenting two projects at the SURE Symposium was a bit nerve-wracking, I enjoyed the opportunity to share my ongoing research,” Precourt said. “I also found it exciting and inspiring to watch the other presenters in my sessions showcase their work.”
Precourt was mentored by UH Mānoa PhD candidate McLean Worsham and School of Life Sciences Professor Megan Porter (extinction risk for ray-finned fishes), and UH Mānoa PhD candidate James Fumo (Caulerpa habitat suitability).
UROP funding support
Ortiz and Frederick’s research was funded through a UROP grant to their mentor. Precourt’s extinction-prediction project was funded with UROP student project funding, and her algae-habitat assessment was funded through an National Science Foundation International Research Experience for Students grant made to UH Mānoa faculty.
Each year, UROP awards more than $500,000 in merit-based scholarships directly to students to support mentored undergraduate research and creative work projects and presentations. An additional $125,000 is awarded directly to mentors to support undergraduate research and creative work during the summer. The SURE Symposium is one of several regular on-campus presentation venues organized/co-organized by UROP. During the fall and spring semesters, UROP co-organizes the Undergraduate Showcase with the Honors Program.
