{"id":218269,"date":"2025-07-03T11:48:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T21:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=218269"},"modified":"2025-07-03T16:25:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T02:25:12","slug":"federal-cuts-uh-hilo-stem-support-program-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/07\/03\/federal-cuts-uh-hilo-stem-support-program-ends\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal funding shift brings UH<\/abbr> Hilo STEM<\/abbr> support program to a close"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Students
North Kohala service project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo<\/a>\u2019s nearly 20-year involvement in a national effort to support underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has come to an end, following the termination of federal funding for the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP<\/abbr>) program.<\/p>\n

\"Students
Oral history project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since 2006, UH<\/abbr> Hilo has led the Islands of Opportunity Alliance, using LSAMP<\/abbr> support to provide mentorship, research stipends and academic pathways for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and first-generation college students.<\/p>\n

Over the years, LSAMP<\/abbr> empowered nearly 400 UH<\/abbr> Hilo students\u2014and more than 1,300 across the region\u2014through transformative experiences that propelled many into graduate programs and leadership positions in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>‘s STEM workforce. Until its recent termination, the grant also supported students at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, UH<\/abbr> West Oʻahu<\/span>, Chaminade, Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Pacific University, the University of Guam and numerous community colleges throughout the Pacific.<\/p>\n

\"Students
North Kohala service project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“LSAMP<\/abbr> helped me connect my cultural identity to scientific research,” said Shania Tamagyongfal, a Yapese student who earned both her undergraduate degree in anthropology and master\u2019s in heritage management at UH<\/abbr> Hilo. “It gave me the confidence to lead, collaborate, and pursue work that matters to my community. Losing this program is a real setback for students like me.”<\/p>\n

Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin noted that LSAMP<\/abbr> “embodied our commitment to creating pathways for historically underserved students in higher education. It not only supported academic success but also helped our students see themselves as scientists, researchers and leaders. Its legacy will remain part of how we move forward.”<\/p>\n

Keaholoa STEM Scholars Program also impacted<\/h2>\n

The termination also affects the Keaholoa STEM Scholars Program, a UH<\/abbr> Hilo initiative that blends Hawaiian values with scientific education, offering students a culturally grounded space to explore STEM.<\/p>\n

“Programs like Keaholoa and LSAMP<\/abbr> help our students see that science can reflect their culture, language and values,” said Keaholoa Program Manager Keala Campbell. “That connection empowers them, not just to succeed academically, but to lead in ways that honor who they are. We\u2019re committed to finding ways to keep that momentum going.”<\/p>\n

Next steps<\/h2>\n
\"Students
Oral history project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

UH<\/abbr> Hilo leadership remains committed to building on the foundation LSAMP<\/abbr> and Keaholoa established\u2014finding new ways to support students, advance equity in STEM, and honor the programs\u2019 enduring impact.<\/p>\n

“The community we\u2019ve built around these programs is strong,” said LSAMP<\/abbr> Program Director Joseph Genz, “and we\u2019re doing everything we can to keep that momentum going.”<\/p>\n

‘Not in alignment with current NSF<\/abbr> Priorities’<\/h2>\n

On May 2, 2025, UH<\/abbr> Hilo received official notice from the National Science Foundation (NSF<\/abbr>) that LSAMP<\/abbr> funding would be terminated, effective immediately, representing a loss of nearly $2.3 million in support over the next five years. The NSF<\/abbr> offered the following justification for its decision: “termination of certain awards is necessary because they are not in alignment with current NSF<\/abbr> Priorities.”<\/p>\n

LSAMP<\/abbr> joins a growing list of federally funded programs across the UH<\/abbr> system affected by evolving national grant priorities—more than 80 programs have been impacted to date.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Islands of Opportunity Alliance provided mentorship, research stipends and academic pathways for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and first-generation college students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1674,1698,33,470,313,73,14],"class_list":["post-218269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-executive-orders","tag-grant-termination","tag-hawaiian","tag-pacific-islands","tag-stem","tag-sustainability","tag-uh-hilo","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218269"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":218347,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218269\/revisions\/218347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}