Trevor Johannsen
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”- Jacques Cousteau
The ocean is an incredible thing. How can it be so beautiful, powerful, soothing, intimidating and fragile, all at once? Like many people, I love the ocean and can definitely be counted with those who are held in its net of wonder. Jacques Cousteau also said, “People protect what they love.” My broad interest and passion is in wildlife conservation and the ocean and all of its wonders needs our protection now more than ever.
For my Masters research, I am replicating a survey of the mushroom coral, Fungia scutaria, to find a long term trend in the population. Early data suggests that the population has increased significantly in the last 20 years, probably due to the decline of invasive algae. It has been a great project because I have been able to apply my experience in ecology, conservation, and resource management and it’s allowed me to spend lots of time under water, still in wonder of the sea.
Justin Han, an international student from South Korea, received his B.S. in Marine Biology in 2016 from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He worked as a laboratory technician for three years at the Coral Reef Ecology Lab at Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB). He participated in various projects and publications with different agencies and organizations, including the Division of Aquatic Resources, The Nature Conservancy, United States Geological Survey.
Erika Cabell received her MS in Biodiversity and Conservation at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland and is now working towards a PhD in Marine Biology in the Hunter Lab at UH. Her research will focus on an endemic soft coral, Sarcothelia edmondsoni, and its response to climate-induced stressors such as marine heatwaves. S.edmondsoni is interesting because it has blue and brown morphotypes so Erika will also investigate how its response varies with color, if at all.
Sami has always loved the ocean and marine life. As a kid, she never wanted to leave the beach and was always fascinated by the things she would find in the water. Not much has changed since then. Sami still loves to spend her time at the beach, diving and hanging out with friends. She has been fortunate to be able to follow this passion. In 2021, Sami graduated with her BS in Marine Biology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is now pursuing her MS in Marine Biology at UHM with the help of the SMART Scholarship. Sami's research interests are broad, spanning across coral reef ecology and conservation. Through her research, she hopes to contribute to the understanding of coral reef ecosystems and management practices to preserve ecological health.
Kat grew up in Marin County, California and got her double B.S. in environmental geology and environmental science at Tufts University. After college, she worked at the Bimini Shark Lab before returning to the Bay Area, where she worked as a geologist at an environmental consulting firm for a few years. Bringing together her interests of geology and marine biology, her research focuses on the effects of sedimentation on coral reef fish. She is co-advised by Jacob Johansen and conducts her research with the Johansen Fish Resilience Lab.
Sam was born and raised in New Orleans, LA and received her B.S. in Marine Biology at the University of Miami. She then joined the Peace Corps as a Coastal Resource Management volunteer in the Philippines, where she worked for a local environmental office to help manage the twelve marine protected areas around the island of Guimaras. Now she is a PhD student in Dr. Hunter’s lab, commonly found hanging on the beach, snorkeling, or puzzling. Sam hopes to study the effects of environmental pressures on the genetic structuring of major reef-building coral species around Oahu.
After growing up in Cartersville, Georgia, Dorian went on to earn her BS in Biology at Young Harris College in her home state. Her focus is on skeletal growth anomalies (SGAs) and she is currently conducting research on whether coral-associated microbes differ in SGAs. Specifically, her work centers on Porites evermanni on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi. To compare microbial taxa composition and abundance in healthy and diseased mucus, tissue, and skeletal microbiomes, Dorian utilizes Illumina next-generation sequencing. Her ultimate goal is to provide insight into potentially causative microbial agents and lay a foundation for future SGA etiological studies. Through her research, she aims to contribute valuable data on the nature of the Porites evermanni holobiont.
In 2014, Kyleigh relocated from Sacramento, California to Oʻahu to pursue her academic goals. She enrolled in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she obtained a BS in Biology and completed both a Marine Option and Spanish certificate. Her work in coral science and restoration led her to return to the institution to obtain a master's degree in the Marine Biology Graduate Program. Kyleigh's research interests encompass the coral tissue and gastrovascular cavity microbiome, as well as coral restoration and conservation. In her thesis research, she is focused on investigating the transfer of microbes in Montipora capitata from parent to offspring, with the aim of shedding light on the microbes that are first present in M. capitata larvae, as well as how parent gametes correlate with microbes within the offspring.
Originally from the Bay Area in California, Andrew attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and received his Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology in 2018. In 2016, he assisted with various projects at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology including a two-year study in collaboration with NOAA on the effects of ocean acidification and warming on reef recruitment using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures. Since 2018, he has been working as a lab tech in the Coral Reef Ecology Lab where he has learned valuable skills in both the lab and the field. In Fall 2022, Andrew started in the Masters program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. His project focuses on fish Flight Initiation Distances (FIDs) and coral reef rugosity at the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. He is looking at how the sudden changes in visitor population during the Covid pandemic have influenced fish behavior.
The main motivator for most of what I do in life is beauty. In my opinion, the beauty of a coral reef--gorgeous colors, teeming life, exotic and strange creatures--exceeds all other things and places. Thus it is not surprising to me that after a career in fashion design in New York City and in Italy, I changed my goals and aspirations to help save these amazing, threatened ecosystems.
I have been in love with the ocean for as long as I can remember. It began with family trips to the New Jersey shore when I was a small child and was expanded by tales of the golden age of piracy. This passion would morph into a love of marine science. My first exposure to coral was in the Florida Keys and that experience helped push me towards the field of tropical marine ecology. I see my graduate work at UH Manoa as the next logical step in a life dedicated to studying and protecting our planet’s oceans.
I have always wanted to be a marine biologist. I have a fascination for coral reefs and a strong desire to learn how such an intricate and sensitive ecosystem functions as a whole. At Castle High School, I developed a seagrass trampling project with Dr. Mark Heckman and Dr. Kimberly Peyton. I then went to the University of Hawaii at Manoa to study marine biology and get involved in many diving activities such as the Quantitative Underwater Ecological Surveying Techniques (QUEST) course that the Marine Option Program offers. I've had the privilege of going on NOAA Research Cruises with the Maritime Archaeology and Fish Teams to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the Main Hawaiian Islands.
Stops at the national aquarium and visits to my grandparents on Cape Cod were what sparked my passion for the ocean. Studying at Dickinson College gave me the chance to travel to Australia and learn directly from scientists conducting research at Heron Island, Moreton Bay, and in the Whitsundays, which only increased my passion and desire to study marine science. After graduating, I moved to Massachusetts to work for the Center for Coastal Studies, looking at marine systems impacted by Hurricane Sandy. 
I grew up in Southwest Washington, and can't remember a time that I didn't want to work on conserving our wildlife and oceans. I went to undergrad at Washington State University, and fell in love with invertebrates while working on a project with a species of Pacific octopus. Recently I got to spend six months volunteering on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, helping with habitat restoration and gathering seabird population data. Being on a remote island for so long got me interested in the ecology of marine protected areas and coral reef restoration, especially in Hawai'i, where the ecosystems are affected greatly by invasive species.
Growing up in rural Idaho, I knew very little, if anything, about sea turtles. What I did know after a visit to the Oregon coast was that I had a desire to work within and around the ocean. I applied for the opportunity to do a Student Exchange with the University of Hawaii at Manoa as an undergrad that led me to Hawaii without looking back. As an undergrad, I started volunteering with NOAA's Marine Turtle Research Program, particularly with strandings, necropsies, and rehabilitative care. Continuing with my work and experience in the program, I became the Sea Turtle Stranding Coordinator for Hawaii and the Pacific Island Region in what is now the NOAA Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program (MTBAP). Wanting to further my skill set and knowledge in research, I decided to return to academics and the University of Hawaii to pursue my Masters in Zoology, with a particular focus on sea turtle foraging ecology.
Maya completed her MS in Zoology in the Hunter Lab at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa where she researched coral reef ecosystem health and Marine Protected Areas in Oahu. She examined differences in coral disease prevalence across protective boundaries of Oahu’s Marine Life Conservation Districts and utilized statistical models to investigate whether disease levels were linked to biological and environmental parameters, and protection status. Her graduate research was supported through funding from the University of Hawai’i Sea Grant College Program.
Although a UK citizen, Josh’s quest for a career in marine biology led him halfway across the globe. Since immigrating to the US at the age of 13, his home base has been New York, and his education and career have taken him to Florida, Maine, Iceland, Portugal, Brazil, and South Africa. Although he has been involved in projects across several fields within marine science, his general research interests involve coral reef ecology, and the dynamic relationship between coral and their biotic and abiotic environment.
Growing up in South Florida, I was exposed to coral reefs from a young age and have since been fascinated with the rich biodiversity that make up these ecosystems. It wasn't really until I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Fiji, where I lived in a village in which people lived subsistence lifestyles, completely dependent on natural resources, that I started thinking of coral reefs as complex social-ecological systems.
My introduction to the ocean came from annual trips to the coast with my family in Texas. There, a fear of fish turned into a love for the ocean, which grew stronger once I discovered coral reefs in the Cayman Islands. I decided then I wanted to learn everything I could about these mesmerizing environments. I am interested in coral reef ecology, the relationships between corals and the surrounding reef environment, and how those relationships contribute to overall reef health and resilience to future stressors.
As a little girl on the Jersey shore, I was the only kid in the boat that wanted to hold a tarantula-like spider crab. Not only did I want to hold it, but was so curious about its every part and alien-like movements. Since then that curiosity has driven my exploration of marine biology and has led me to study several aspects of marine ecology and the management of natural resources. I have recently worked as a NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program fellow with the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources focusing on curriculum development, management planning, and responding to damaging coral reef events including disease and bleaching.