NEWS

Our fifth, successful summer of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) finished in August at the SURF Final Symposium, where students shared results from the projects that they worked on for ten weeks.

It was impressive to see the accumulated new knowledge of the students across a variety of topics. The presentations demonstrated that they all threw themselves into the experience over the summer, learning about their individual fields and how to conduct science. Student feedback on the program also illustrated the important lessons learned from the SURF program.

“It helped me realize how much hard work and dedication [science] involves.” Maria Pla Prahl shared. “Working as a team and good communication are key aspects to consider when conducting an experiment.”

Rylee Larsen enjoyed the close association during her project with a community group. “[It was] great to be able to work in the lab on the scientific side, and then also out at ʻAhahui, getting the Indigenous agroforestry side, and finding the middle between the two.”

Others commented on the importance of having made connections through the program within the scientific communities they hope to be a part of, ultimately.

“The research contributed valuable knowledge to my major as a marine biologist and ecologist,” said Andres Jojoa. “This fellowship helped me create that bridge to connect with people who are already working in the field that I want to be a part of someday.”

Similarly, Jaslyn Miura said, “I also feel that I have been introduced to a community that I could come back to, to collaborate and work with. This fellowship helped solidify what I’d like to pursue for my master’s, which is environmental data science.”

Looking to the future, these students all expressed a renewed commitment to pursuing higher degrees in the topics on which they worked, some in the actual labs where they served. Maria plans to pursue her Senior Thesis in coral restoration with her mentor Dr. Steve Doo, continuing and expanding on her SURF project, while Andres hopes to return to the Madin lab studying fish behavior for his Master’s or PhD degree in the future.

Critical to the success of our SURF program is the willingness of the mentors to participate; the importance of their role can’t be overstated. They opened their labs, gave of their time and expertise, introduced the students to new experiences and networks of important future connections, all of which gives these students a real step up on their paths to becoming successful climate scientists. Mahalo to all the mentors and students for a great summer of SURF!