Five students in the Marine Option Program at the University of Hawaii at Hilo recently participated in the annual statewide MOP Symposium held April 16 with three students receiving awards.
Top honors went to the following students:
• Olivia Jarvis: Best Research Paper on “Observing patterns in UH Hilo MOP turtle tagging data through statistical analysis”
• Lily Gavagan: Best Internship Project for “Analyzing coral reef health at the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument”
• Dylan A‘ali‘i Kelling: Sherwood Maynard Award for Ocean Stewardship for “Hoe! ‘O, ‘O, ‘O ia!: Integrating traditional Hawaiian protocols into marine field and lab courses”
Two other students, who were strong contenders with their projects, included:
• Rylee Clark for “Social media management: Development of the UH Hilo MOP YouTube Channel”
• Brooke Enright for “Analyzing water quality at Keaukaha Hawai‘i to determine major sources of pollution”
Marine Option Program students from all UH campuses participated in the symposium.
“The UH Systemwide Marine Option Program turned 50 this year, and this was the 39th annual statewide MOP Symposium,” noted Lisa Parr, UH-Hilo MOP program chair. “UH Hilo MOP students consistently bring home awards with their outstanding projects. We’re very proud of these talented and hardworking students, and their excellent representation of UH Hilo.”