UH Mānoa’s C-MORE Hale marks 15 years of world-class ocean science

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***SUGGESTED VOSOT SCRIPT BELOW***

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) Hale celebrated its 15th anniversary on October 25, marking a decade and a half of cutting-edge discovery and sustainable design.

Opened in 2010, the 26,997-square-foot facility has become a hub for groundbreaking research on marine microbes-organisms that play a vital role in the health of the planet's oceans and climate. The state-of-the-art building houses laboratories, offices and a conference center designed to foster collaboration among scientists across disciplines and time zones. Its 50-seat auditorium supports video conferencing and live webcasting, connecting researchers around the world.

In 2012, C-MORE Hale was the first research laboratory building in Hawaiʻi to achieve LEED Platinum certification for environmental design. The facility incorporates energy-efficient systems and low-flow plumbing. It also features smart lighting controls and water recycling technologies that reduce potable water use by nearly half. The building's innovative design earned multiple awards, including the Kukulu Hale Award for new commercial projects in 2011.

Leading research in microbial oceanography

David M. Karl, C-MORE's founding director, member of the National Academy of Sciences and a professor of oceanography at UH Mānoa, was instrumental in securing the 10-year, $36.8 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant in 2006 that led to its establishment as an NSF Science and Technology Center.

The center unites specialists in biology, chemistry, oceanography and engineering from six partner institutions. Together, these teams investigate the structure, diversity and metabolic function of marine microbes-from those that use sunlight to generate energy to others that recycle organic matter and drive global nutrient cycles.

Beyond the facility itself, Karl and C-MORE have positioned UH Mānoa as a global leader in microbial oceanography by successfully establishing a link between molecular-level biology and large-scale ocean processes. His pioneering research on marine microbes and their role in global biogeochemical cycles has shaped modern understanding of how ocean life regulates Earth's climate. Today, Karl continues to play a key role in advancing microbial oceanography worldwide.

"The opportunities that have been sustained by the investment in C-MORE Hale have put Hawaiʻi on the map of ocean research," Karl said. "UH is now recognized as one of the top institutions in the world to study microbial oceanography, and we are also training the next generation of leaders. The future is today."

Modeling the future of Earth's oceans

C-MORE's integrated research program is organized around four themes: microbial biodiversity, metabolism and nutrient flow, remote and continuous sensing of ocean processes, and ecosystem modeling and prediction. This approach allows scientists to explore how marine microorganisms influence climate, carbon storage and energy transfer within ocean ecosystems. The center's work has advanced predictive models of how marine environments respond to environmental change, establishing UH Mānoa as a key contributor to global ocean science.

"C-MORE Hale encompasses all the success in microbial oceanography and David Karl is the founder for microbial oceanography," UH Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos said. "He has brought funding-tens of millions of dollars to support this from the National Science Foundation, from the Moore Foundation, so private, public, federal, state, you name it. It is an unbelievable project. He has created a program that is second to none, not only here in Hawaiʻi and in the continent, but in the world."

Karl was instrumental in the establishment of an open ocean time-series, called the Hawaiʻi Ocean Time-Series, as a sentinel for observing the effects of climate on the structure and function of microbial communities. C-MORE's long-term research station, Station ALOHA, located about 60 miles north of Oʻahu, was designated a Milestones in Microbiology Site by the American Society for Microbiology in 2015. The recognition honored UH's historic contributions to understanding marine microbial life and its role in maintaining planetary habitability.

Building Hawaiʻi's future in ocean science

In addition to its research mission, C-MORE supports education and outreach programs that inspire future ocean scientists and engage the public in microbial ecology. These efforts span from pre-college curricula and teacher training to graduate and postdoctoral research opportunities, helping to strengthen the next generation of oceanographers.

C-MORE Hale's naming under the Daniel K. Inouye Legacy Program honors the late senator's lifelong commitment to advancing science and education in Hawaiʻi.

During C-MORE Hale's 15th anniversary, many students and staff are aboard the R/V Kilo Moana, a 186-foot UH Mānoa research vessel that supports the center's oceanographic missions by serving as a mobile platform for sampling, experiments and data collection at sea. Karl said a formal celebration to mark the milestone is planned for later this fall.

Link to video and sound (details below): https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/RGIudoHJlj

VIDEO:

BROLL: (1:39)

0:00-1:39 - C-MORE Hale and research

SOUNDBITES:

David M. Karl, C-MORE's founding director and UH Mānoa Professor of Oceanography

(0:11)

"We have these strong connections. We built a worldwide network of scientists, practitioners of microbial oceanography and we feel we really made a difference and impact in the field."

(0:14)

"We hope that the foundation we built here with C-MORE will serve to help scientists in the future to attack new problems, make new discoveries, and create and disseminate new knowledge about the sea around us."

Vassilis L. Syrmos, UH Mānoa Interim Provost

(0:19)

"David Karl is the founder for microbial oceanography. He has brought funding-tens of millions of dollars to support this from the National Science Foundation, from the Moore Foundation, so private, public, federal, state, you name it, it is an unbelievable project."

VOSOT SCRIPT

INTRO:

UH Mānoa is marking 15 years of world-class ocean science at C-MORE Hale (HAH-leh) - the home of the Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography.

VO:

The facility opened in 2010.

It has brought together scientists from around the world to study tiny ocean microbes that have a big impact on Earth's climate.

C-MORE Hale was Hawaiʻi's first research lab to earn LEED Platinum for environmental design.

It's also home to groundbreaking work led by UH oceanographer David Karl.

His team's research has made Hawaiʻi a global leader in microbial oceanography.

SOT:

David M. Karl, C-MORE's founding director and UH Mānoa Professor of Oceanography

"We have these strong connections. We built a worldwide network of scientists, practitioners of microbial oceanography and we feel we really made a difference and impact in the field."

Vassilis L. Syrmos, UH Mānoa Interim Provost

"David Karl is the founder for microbial oceanography. He has brought funding-tens of millions of dollars to support this from the National Science Foundation, from the Moore Foundation, so private, public, federal, state, you name it, it is an unbelievable project."

VO:

C-MORE continues to train future scientists and expand our understanding of how the ocean supports life on Earth.