Noelani Puniwai is passionate about cultivating the next generation of students to mālama ʻāina (care for the land). Raised by the forests and kai (ocean) of Puna on Hawaiʻi Island, dancing, and paddling canoe helped shape her perspective of science and supported her pursuit of higher education in Marine Science (BA UH Hilo), Environmental Science (MSc. Washington State Univ), and Natural Resources and Environmental Management (PhD, UH Mānoa). Her research interests include coastal ecosystems, indigenous and ethical science, knowledge co-production for an abundant future, and cultural seascapes. An associate professor at Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, Noe believes that we can use the rigor and methodologies of pono (culturally appropriate and inclusive) science, the foundational wisdom of our kūpuna (elders), and our experiential daily practice of aloha ‘āina (love and connection to land) to awaken responsible action for the future of our Hawaiʻi.

Kawika Winter is a biocultural ecologist who has focused his career on decolonizing science and conservation from multiple angles. In that regard, he wears various hats in the spheres of research, policy, and resource management. Dr. Winter is currently the Director of the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve on Oʻahu with a tenure track position at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, and a graduate faculty position in Natural Resources and Environmental Management, as well as an Affiliate Researcher position with the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Prior to that, he was the Director of Limahuli Garden and Preserve on Kauaʻi, where he led landscape-scale biocultural restoration efforts for more than a decade. He also holds seats on the State's Endangered Species Recovery Committee, NOAA's Hawaiian Humpback Whale Sanctuary Advisory Council, and the Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance's Steering Committee. Notably, Dr. Winter is one of the few people who has obtained all three higher-education degrees from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in a life science. He credits his current effectiveness to his choice of staying in Hawaiʻi for the entire course of education -- from pre-school to PhD -- and is a strong advocate for the notion that UH can provide the best pathway for many local students in their pursuit of degrees in higher education. His career stands as a testament to what "keiki o ka ʻāina" (children of the land) can accomplish if they choose to walk that path.

Rosie ʻAnolani Alegado is an Associate Professor of Oceanography and Sea Grant in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa. She serves as the director of Sea Grant Ulana ʻIke Center of Excellence and the director of the SOEST Maile Mentoring Bridge, a near-peer mentoring program for students transitioning from Hawaiʻi community colleges to UH Mānoa. A microbial oceanographer in the Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, her group uses model systems and field experiments to investigate how ecology informs evolution of microbes and their symbioses. Alegado’s work focuses on microbial interactions may have large-scale consequences for ecosystem resilience. Her research program is rooted in meaningful academic collaborations and partnerships with indigenous communities. She is committed to training the next generation of scholars to draw upon multiple knowledge systems in order to address key problems and to empower communities to understand and protect their resources. Alegado’s professional service includes serving as Vice Chair of the City and County of Honolulu Climate Change Commission, the US National Academy of Science Ocean Studies Board, and the US National Committee for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Website: alegadolab.org