Research Infrastructure: Increasing productivity and access for local and visiting researchers at the Hakalau Forest Biological Field Station.

An award is made to the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo to improve the capacity of itʻs Hakalau Forest Biological Field Station to deliver services to the research community. Improvements to the off-grid electrical power system, internet connectivity, and access to the field station will contribute to important advances in forest and forest bird conservation and management in Hawaiʻi. Potential impacts beyond the research community include increased capacity to provide education, training, and outreach to K-12 students and the broader American public in conservation science. This project will facilitate bird population monitoring, improved avian disease response strategies, and habitat restoration for a community of endangered Hawaiian forest birds. It will build national capacity for basic biological research by increasing productivity, safety, and access for a large number of professional and student scientists who depend on the Hakalau Field Station as a base to conduct research in the Hakalau Refuge. The anticipated impact on the research community is that safer and more productive researchers will generate more scientific knowledge that will lead to better management of Hawaiiʻs natural resources. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.