Gandharva Mahina Hou Ross is a Hawaiian language immersion teacher for Molokaʻi High School’s O Hina I Ka Malama program. He's been selected among applicants worldwide for a month-long deep-sea exploration opportunity.
“A ua koho ʻia wau e kau ma luna o ka waʻa, moku Nautilus i kēia kauwela e hiki mai ana,” Ross said.
“I’ve been chosen as a science communications fellow by the EV [exploration vessel] Nautilus with a mission this summer," he followed up in English. "To travel from Honolulu to Pago Pago in American Samoa in July and August and we'll be stopping in the Jarvis Island area to do more research on the ocean floor and the geography and biology of that area.”
He’ll help translate the scientific discoveries into educational opportunities.
Ross teaches his own students place-based and culturally-rooted science. They’ve traveled around Molokaʻi on field trips throughout the year.
“A hele mākou i nā huakaʻi he nui ma Hālawa a me One Ali’i…” said Kaulike, a 10th-grade O Hina I Ka Malama student, as the class wrapped up a field trip at One Ali’i studying coastal vertebrates. “We've been to Hālawa, Kahina Pohaku, One Ali’i and Kaluako’i.”
Along with being an educator, Ross is also a Hōkūleʻa crewmember. He said he grew up around the ocean, but exploring the depths of the sea is new to him.
“One thing I remember when we were on Hōkūleʻa, captain was Bruce Blankenfeld," Ross said. "And one of his themes was ‘imi ‘ike, to always seek knowledge and learn new things about areas you haven't been to."
"So this is an awesome opportunity to ʻimi ʻike, and to ʻimi naʻauao, and to find out new things and be able to share those experiences with the youth, people all around the world, but especially here on Molokaʻi.”
He also hopes to inspire his students to push themselves.
“It's not all the time we get these kinds of opportunities to have Molokaʻi people go do something … usually we hear about these kinds of things on the news, but it's not us, it’s somebody [else], so it’s cool to represent Molokaʻi,” Ross said.
Megan Cook is the director of education and outreach at the Ocean Exploration Trust, the nonprofit launching the Nautilus. She said Ross’ application stood out for his dedication to his culture and community.
Ross will be part of a crew of about 50 scientists, technical experts, engineers, educators, students and other team members exploring one of the most biodiverse areas of the ocean.
“We’ll be going into the deep sea to look at ancient volcanoes, underwater ridges, and this will be the first time human eyes have ever seen them,” Cook said. “So we'll have the chance to document not only the ancient history, how this part of the Pacific was formed, but what kinds of incredible animals live there.”
She said they will be witnessing the underwater world through the eyes of robots.
“We use a team of big car-sized robots that can go down 13,000 feet or more in the ocean, and they bring with them cameras and lights, and all kinds of sensors and tools to understand the seafloor,” explained Cook. “And they share all that data up their cable, or think about a long tether, like robots on a leash — dogs on the leash — back up to us who are safely up on the ship.”
The robot's view will also be live-streamed for anyone wanting to catch the first glimpses of this ocean floor — and maybe even new species.
Thirteen science communication fellows were selected for nine expedition teams this year, and Ross is the only one from Hawaiʻi — others from the state have participated in past years.
OET's 2024 voyages will take place in Hawaiʻi, American Samoa, U.S. Pacific Remote Islands, Palau, and Canada, and will contribute to a better understanding of the ocean, gathering data that will inform future conservation and management.
Along with doing live education while on board the Nautilus, Ross will be sharing the information he learns with his own classes, others on Molokaʻi and farther afield when he returns.
Kaulike and her classmates look forward to hearing about his voyage.
“I think it's really cool, because we know that he teaches us what he knows,” Kaulike said. “So it'll be really cool for him to have that opportunity to learn and to just experience it. And then he comes back and tells us about it. And then we can learn and try and experience for ourselves.”
In addition to science, Ross hopes to teach his students an important lesson by example.
“That's one thing we try and teach them is we never stop learning,” he said. “No matter how old you get, there's always something new to learn, so always be open-minded.”
To follow along on the expedition, click here.
