The Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science (TCBES) Program proposes to establish a CREST Center in Tropical Ecology and Evolution in Marine and Terrestrial Environments at the University of Hawaii, Hilo. The goal of the TCBES Program is to become a highly collaborative research center in tropical conservation biology and environmental sciences in Hawaii. The center will facilitate three research themes: 1) The Evolutionary Genomics and Ecology of Local Adaptation and Speciation (EGES), 2) Coral Reef Ecosystem (CRE) 3) Terrestrial Ecology and Climate Change (TECC). The TCBES Program is an integral component in the transformation of the sciences at the University of Hawaii at Hilo (UH Hilo) and Hawaii Community College (HCC). The TCBES Program mission is to promote: 1) a research center of excellence of national importance in conservation biology and environmental sciences in the marine and terrestrial environments, 2) the training of graduate, undergraduate, and post-doctoral students in these fields, and 3) the further development of collaborations with federal and state agencies in Hawaii and with faculty at Ph.D.-granting institutions. The NSF CREST Program will build on the current strengths of the TCBES Program. These include a) Hawaii?s outstanding natural laboratory featuring a tremendous diversity of habitats, endemic species, and endangered species, b) an integrated research and education program that is building the STEM pipeline for students in Hawaii from K-12 through to undergraduate and graduate programs, and c) strong partnerships with federal and state agencies in Hawaii.
