Hulahula and learn something: Expressing culture and science

March 8, 12:00pm - 1:15pm
Mānoa Campus, Kuykendall 409A

I weave stories from traditional and contemporary scientific observations to explain the world around me 芒鈧 from micro to macro scales 芒鈧 advancing our understanding of how we fit into and influence our place.

The expression of these stories through movement, as was done traditionally in Hawai脢禄i through the art of hula (dance), enables the expression of emotion and spirituality that is vital to perpetuating indigenous science and increasing comprehension, engagement, and enthusiasm of science in our communities.

Expressing science in a cultural context through dance, not only connects us to a concept or a place, but also engages the imagination by developing connections to that which we cannot see 芒鈧 the multiple layers of meaning and levels of knowledge left to us by our audience of ancestors.

Kiana Frank 芒鈧 born and raised in Kailua O脢禄ahu 芒鈧 is an assistant professor in the Pacific Biosciences Research Center at the University of Hawai脢禄i, M脛聛noa. She studies the microbial dynamics of Hawaiian ecosystems as a mechanism to better understand the connectivity between land and sea, and to perpetuate place-based knowledge and ecological-based studies that foster values and concepts of traditional management. Her work integrates biology, geochemistry, and 脢禄ike kupuna (traditional knowledge) to address novel hypothesis and showcase connections between contemporary western science and Native Hawaiian Science.


Event Sponsor
Center for Biographical Research, Mānoa Campus

More Information
(808) 956-3774, biograph@hawaii.edu,

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