{"id":237936,"date":"2026-07-24T13:31:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T23:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=237936"},"modified":"2026-07-24T13:57:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T23:57:18","slug":"kapiolani-wins-top-native-bird-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/24\/kapiolani-wins-top-native-bird-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Kapiʻolani CC<\/abbr> students win top conservation award for native bird research"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Wendy Kuntz, James Lee, Charlotte Bender, Xander Nakamura, Keala Kaaloa, Misaki Takabayashi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A decade of undergraduate research and stewardship at Kapiʻolani<\/span> Community College has earned top honors at the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Conservation Alliance Conference. Students Charlotte Bender, James Lee, Keala Kaaloa and Xander Nakamura received the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Poster Presentation Award for their research: Building Kuleana Through Environmental Research: A Decade of Manu o K\u016b Monitoring at Kapiʻolani<\/span> Community College<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Kapi\u02bbolani CC students monitoring nesting Manu o K\u016b.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The project highlights 10 years of student-led monitoring of the campus\u2019s nesting population of Manu o K\u016b (blue-billed tern).<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s an amazing privilege to study a native bird on our home campus,” said Bender. “While the technical and data-driven aspects are important, it\u2019s also an opportunity to serve as ambassadors for a native species. When we\u2019re out surveying, we\u2019re visible to the public and have a chance to answer questions, share information, and raise awareness of the Manu o K\u016b. It\u2019s easy to fall in love with these birds.”<\/p>\n

Since 2016, 34 students have participated in the project, producing 25 research posters. Their work documents nesting changes, helps guide campus tree-trimming to protect active sites, and contributes critical data to local conservation databases, broadening students’ professional pathways.<\/p>\n

Protecting Manu o K\u016b<\/h2>\n

\"Manu<\/p>\n

“The return and growth of the Manu o K\u016b population on our campus is a powerful reflection of what is possible when dedicated faculty inspire curiosity, students embrace discovery, and our entire campus fulfills its kuleana (responsibility) to care for the ʻ\u0101ina (land),” said Chancellor Misaki Takabayashi. “This recognition celebrates not only our students\u2019 outstanding research, but also a decade of stewardship that has helped to protect Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>‘s native species.”<\/p>\n

Biology Professor Wendy Kuntz has mentored dozens of students since the project\u2019s inception.<\/p>\n

“Watching this project grow over the past decade has been one of the most rewarding parts of my work at Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr>,” Kuntz said. “I am incredibly proud of the four students who presented this research and of the many students who have built on one another\u2019s work, creating a valuable long-term record of Manu-o-K\u016b nesting on our campus while developing the skills and sense of kuleana needed for conservation work in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.”<\/p>\n

—By Lisa Yamamoto<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dedicated scholars help safeguard rare native Hawaiian bird on campus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":237933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[665,63,73],"class_list":["post-237936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-conservation","tag-kapiolani-community-college","tag-sustainability","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t