The Marine Science Research Learning Center opens,  now hosting the KeaoaLoʻe REMS Lab, the Science Inquiry Experiences (SIE) Program, the Research Experiences in Marine Science (REMS) Program, and the Center for Community Education (CCE).

The inaugural Research Experiences in Marine Science Summer Program engages 20 students from seven Hawai‘i DOE high schools, with support from NSF.

Undergraduate and alumni near-peer mentors are added to the program to support the incoming students. The REMS Program receives new support from the Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation and Pacific American Foundation, extending its reach to engage students in hands-on marine science research for Hawai‘i students.

Ka Noelo Kai, a 49-passenger catamaran, is acquired by KeaoaLoʻe REMS Lab with support from the Harold K. L. Castle Foundation, serving as a learning platform while transporting visitors in Kāneʻohe Bay.

REMS adds two new modules on Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) and Coral Growth and Survival.  A REMS student project on the endemic Hawaiian seagrass, nāipoliʻiliʻihoʻokuʻiikapuʻuwai (Halophila hawaiiana), is featured in the news.

The Coral Feeding and Microplastics module, inspired by a 2017 group research project, becomes part of our curriculum and serves as one of our most popular labs. REMS mentors attend a live showing of NPR’s ‘Science Friday’ with KeaoaLo‘e PI Dr. Malia Rivera as the guest speaker.

With the launch of the first REMS Excel (REMS XL) cohort, the REMS program expands to include alumni from the previous cohort. Students in REMS XL present their research at the 2019 National Diversity in STEM (NDiSTEM) SACNAS conference in Honolulu, Hawai‘i.

REMS programming goes “virtual,” enabling remote participation for students during COVID-19 restrictions.

In-person programming resumes, with REMS piloted as a dual-credit, early-college course at Waiʻanae High School during the spring semester. At the same time, a Marine Biology graduate course (MBIO 720) introduces graduate student instructors to place-based pedagogical practices with a focus on Hawaiʻi marine science. During the summer, pairs of REMS alumni conduct 6-week-long research projects alongside research mentors as part of our second REMS XL cohort. 

The NSF-funded Research Coordination Network (RCN) incubation grant is awarded to REMS leadership to build and strengthen relationships with academic and community partners.

REMS celebrates ten years of research and mentorship with the continuation of two weeks of modules, four weeks of group research projects, and a final symposium showcasing student research. Expanding the tiered mentorship layers, graduate students primarily lead the groups.

Two new graduate courses (MBIO 695 and MBIO 795) are available to train and support graduate student instructors as emerging leaders in our science community.

Cross-disciplinary collaborations within the REMS RCN lead to knowledge and site exchanges with Indigenous STEAM network members and result in the development and delivery of a novel module on the intersection of Indigenous resource rights and ethical science.