Jennifer Kane
Program Manager, COSEE island Earth
Born and raised in Hawaii, Jen left the islands in 1990 after graduating from Punahou high school to attend the University of Oregon. Unsure of what she wanted to be when she grew up, Jen chose to study English and Environmental Studies to satiate her love of science, nature and communication. This prepared her perfectly for the next ten years of her life which she spent moving around the country as a seasonal residential science camp instructor, interpretive naturalist and finally as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines.
Upon returning home to Hawaii in 2005, Jen landed a job with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries as their Protected Resources Outreach and Education Specialist where she developed and presented education and outreach programs to a variety of target audiences and stakeholder groups relating primarily to the Hawaiian monk seal, green sea turtle and spinner dolphin. In 2014 Jen completed a master’s degree in Natural Resources with an emphasis in Environmental Education and Interpretation from the University of Wisconsin, Steven’s Point. Soon after she was hired into her current position as the Program Manager for the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Island Earth program out of the University of Hawaii. As the COSEE Island Earth program manager, Jen works closely with the Principal Investigator, Dr. Judith Lemus, and communications graduate student, Emily Gonzales, on programs geared to foster ocean literacy with the public through ocean scientist, educator and community collaborations.
Emily Gonzalez
Comminucations Graduate Assistant COSEE ISland Earth
I am a graduate student in the School of Communication at UH Manoa. My research is focused on social capital generation in socio-technical systems, specifically online social network sites. My education is graciously funded by a graduate assistantship at COSEE Island Earth where I supervise our Journalist at Sea program. Journalist at Sea seeks to form a lasting partnership between the School of Communication and the marine science research community via an intense media internship that puts communications students in direct contact with some of the worlds most preeminent marine science research and the minds driving it.
