Students Launch Coral Research Partnership with Maui Ocean Center

This collaboration will see students undertake a significant research project focused on investigating specific Maui reefs and developing innovative artificial reef models. The goal of these models is to demonstrate acquired knowledge in designing structures that can benefit long-term reef sustainability. Students will then formally share their findings with the Marine Institute.

To kick off the collaboration, MOCMI researchers will host Maui Prep students for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of their coral research facility. This visit will provide foundational knowledge and context for the students' final projects.

MOCMI is a leader in world-class coral restoration, operating a sophisticated land-based coral nursery in Māʻalaea and actively working to restore damaged sites like Honolua Bay and Olowalu Reef. A key part of their mission, in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, is cultivating and outplanting thermally tolerant corals to build more resilient reefs.

The students’ challenge will be to act as MOCMI's partners in design: they must develop a formal proposal, including design, placement, and budget, for a new artificial reef structure in Maui waters. Their design must be optimized to host MOCMI's nursery-grown corals, accelerate reef recovery in a high-need area, and learn from the successes and failures of previous local projects (such as Mala Wharf and the Keawakapu Artificial Reef).

This project exemplifies Maui Prep's mission to foster deep learning and engagement in relevant educational activities, truly "making the world our classroom" while deepening students' understanding of the local ocean ecosystem.