HAPPENINGS

Last Monday, PI-CASC welcomed Dr. Kaʻuaʻoa Fraiola, our new Research Coordinator. E komo mai Kaʻuaʻoa!

He joins PI-CASC with an outstanding skillset relevant to our mission and goals, including expertise in local freshwater systems, mauka-to-makai approaches to management, low-lying island systems, and observational technologies. Kaʻuaʻoa is a natural fit, as his work has been firmly rooted in developing partnerships with communities while using science to inform the management of natural and cultural resources in Hawaiʻi.

About Dr. Fraiola:

Dr. Kaʻuaʻoa Fraiola resides on his family farm on the island of Oʻahu. His valley’s struggle to return water to its streams – which had been long diverted by sugar plantations – instilled in him a clear sense of how community and scientific research can play an important role in informing resource management. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, a Master’s degree in Ecology from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley.

He worked as a post-doctoral researcher, studying the impacts of stream diversions and invasive aquatic species in Hawai’i before taking a position as a biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Pacific Islands Refuges and Monuments Office in Honolulu. At the USFWS, he gained valuable new experiences working with managers and partners on various resource management challenges facing the Pacific Islands in regions and ecosystems. Additionally, he acquired experience forging and managing collaborative partnerships involving stakeholders from governmental and non-governmental organizations, university researchers, and the broader community. Partnerships mainly focused on creating new tools, perspectives, and science to help address specific management needs, such as monitoring invasive species and incorporating climate adaptation thinking into management plans and actions.