Spring 2025 graduates of the Global Environmental Science (GES) undergraduate program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa took with them a bachelor’s degree and real-world, hands-on experiences with research that benefits communities and ecosystems in Hawaiʻi and beyond. Through the GES program in the Department of Oceanography at the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), students including Tyra Arends, a class of 2025 graduate, engage in original research, write a senior thesis, and present their findings at a research symposium.
Connecting passion and purpose
Arends moved to Hawaiʻi in 2018 and attended Kalaheo High School in Kailua. She always felt a deep connection to the ocean and spent much of her time freediving, scuba diving, open water swimming, tidepooling, surfing and studying marine life. When looking at undergraduate programs, Arends was drawn to the GES program because of its broad and interdisciplinary scope, with courses in oceanography, atmospheric science and geology.
“I also admired the program’s rigor, especially the requirement to complete an undergraduate senior thesis, which I saw as an opportunity to grow as an independent scientist and gain meaningful experience in environmental research,” Arends said.
Cutting-edge coral research
For her GES senior thesis research, Arends worked with Rob Toonen at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology in SOEST, who she had connected with through a “Learning through internships” course at Kalaheo High School years prior. Her GES thesis research aimed to better understand the evolutionary history of a thermally resilient coral, Leptastrea purpurea and improve the use of this coral in place-based restoration efforts in Hawaiʻi.
“One of the most enjoyable parts of this research project was the fieldwork freediving in Kāneʻohe Bay to collect Leptastrea colonies,” Arends said. “It was also very rewarding to see the project through from hands-on collection of these corals to DNA extraction and bioinformatics analysis.”
Arends presented findings from this work at Reef Futures 2024, an international conference for reef restoration, in Cancun, Mexico.
“Being part of cutting-edge research and a supportive scientific community has been the most meaningful aspect of my time at SOEST,” Arends said. “Through my senior thesis, I’ve had the opportunity to present at conferences and gain valuable fieldwork and independent research experience, all of which helped me grow as a young scientist. Participating in research cruises with the Hawaiʻi Ocean Time-Series Program and Hadal Water Column Profiler group aboard the R/V Kilo Moana has been especially memorable.”
While living at sea for weeks with classmates, professors, and professionals, Arends built lasting relationships and was inspired to pursue a graduate degree. She will continue her journey in academia next year with SOEST, pursuing a master’s degree in the Department of Oceanography with the Deep Sea Ecology Lab.
“I congratulate Tyra for accomplishing so much as an undergraduate student,” said Michael Guidry, chair of the GES Program. “She exemplifies the proactive approach students can take at UH Mānoa in shaping their futures and having an immediate, positive impact on Hawaiʻi’s environment through their degree-required thesis experience. Additionally, she always found the time to assist and mentor other GES students in whatever way she could. Her graduating class was another in a long line of many strong cohorts that over time has helped shepherd and propagate the GES Program’s strong, supportive student-driven culture.”
—By Marcie Grabowski
