More than 100 students gathered at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ for the 2026 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Symposium, showcasing research and creative work projects that addressed some of today’s most pressing challenges, from preserving Â鶹´«Ã½‘s history to restoring fragile ecosystems.
Hosted by the (UROP), the annual symposium provides students with an opportunity to present mentored research and creative work while sharing their discoveries with the UH community. This year’s event featured 96 projects presented by undergraduate students from UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹, local high schools and universities across the country.
“The SURE Symposium gives students the opportunity to share months of dedicated work while building confidence as scholars and communicators,” said Creighton Litton, director of UROP. “It’s always exciting and rewarding to see their initial curiosity develop into mentored projects that can make a meaningful impact in Â鶹´«Ã½ and beyond.”
Research begins with questions
During her keynote address, UH President Wendy Hensel encouraged students to embrace curiosity and see research as a way to serve their communities.
“One of the greatest misconceptions about research is that it begins with answers,” Hensel said. “In reality, research begins with questions. Questions like: What if? Why? How can we do better?”
She emphasized that the university’s role extends beyond creating new knowledge. Through undergraduate research and creative work, students learn to think critically, solve complex problems and contribute to Â鶹´«Ã½ and beyond.
Preserving Â鶹´«Ã½‘s history
Among the presenters was Amy Li, a rising junior at Kalani High School, whose project explored mold identification in library environments.
Li’s research focuses on identifying specific mold contaminants that threaten historical collections, allowing preservation professionals to develop more targeted mitigation strategies. The work could help protect irreplaceable documents, including plantation-era records that tell Â鶹´«Ã½‘s story.
“In a sense, this is keeping Â鶹´«Ã½‘s historical narrative alive,” Li said.
She added that the research is especially relevant in Â鶹´«Ã½, where the humid climate creates ideal conditions for mold growth and increases the importance of preserving archival collections.
Restoring island ecosystems
UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ student Lina Claire Reyes, a rising junior majoring in natural resources and environmental management (NREM), studied the recovery of native cactus populations on an uninhabited island in the Gal¨¢pagos after years of damage caused by invasive feral goats. Her research provides new insights into how native plants regenerate over time following disturbances, and highlights how those findings could help guide restoration efforts in Â鶹´«Ã½ and on islands globally.
“I think it’s really important to be looking at invasive species… in hopes of restoring these amazing landscapes to what they once were,“ Reyes said. “That can be applied in the Gal¨¢pagos and also in Â鶹´«Ã½.”
Discovery with impact
Throughout the symposium, students presented projects spanning environmental science, healthcare, artificial intelligence, Hawaiian history and cultural preservation. While the topics varied, they shared a common goal: using curiosity to better understand the world and improve their communities.
For more information on SURE Symposium and other undergraduate research and creative work opportunities at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹, visit the or reach out to urop@hawaii.edu.