The University of Hawaii at Mānoa has launched a new research, training, and outreach initiative focused on Palolo, Mānoa, Makiki streams, the Ala Wai Canal, and nearshore Waikiki. The SMART Ala Wai project (Strategic Monitoring And Resilience Training) focuses on aquatic environmental science and provides support to bring together a diverse group of faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students, and community stakeholders to establish a comprehensive monitoring and sampling network and a public data dissemination and outreach plan. Characterizing the chemical, physical, and biological parameters of our water from mauka to makai is paramount to understanding environmental degradation and strategically targeting restoration and resilience efforts.

This first in a series of workshops is primarily meant for secondary educators (grades 6-12) in the Ala Wai Watershed, however applicants from other groups may also be considered. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor to participate first-hand throughout the project with undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff for research experiences coupled to meaningful, applied outcomes relevant to the local community.