Award-winning TV Series Explores Ocean Issues in Hawai‘i

Courtesy image.

The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program’s educational television series Voice of the Sea has received two 2018 Telly Awards for its coverage of sea-level rise and coastal erosion in Hawai‘i.

The episode “Sea Level Rise and the Ala Wai Canal”  was awarded a silver Telly in the educational series explored the predicted impacts of sea-level rise on Waikīkī and how critical resources and infrastructure could be affected in years to come. The episode also highlighted Sea Grant’s citizen science program the Hawai‘i and Pacific Islands King Tides Project.

The program also won a bronze Telly for “Coastal Erosion on Maui,” which explored West Maui’s eroding beaches where condominiums are being threatened. The episode features interviews with Hawai‘i Sea Grant faculty who are partnering with the community to develop working solutions.

Voice of the Sea is a project of the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant Center for Marine Science Education, produced in collaboration with the UH Mānoa College of Education’s Curriculum Research & Development Group and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“This award-winning television show, now in its fifth season, has been engaging and inspiring viewers of all ages throughout the Pacific since it began,” said Darren T. Lerner, Hawai‘i Sea Grant director. “I am so proud of all of the recognition the show is receiving and, as importantly, am thrilled that it is such an effective way for many organizations to share with the community the fascinating work that is occurring each and every day.”

The STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) program features scientific and cultural work in the Pacific by recognized experts in half-hour episodes aired on Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at 5:30 p.m. on K5 The Home Team (KFVE). The series aims to engage viewers of all ages with STEM careers while increasing awareness, interest and knowledge in marine science. Since 2014, Voice of the Sea has won 16 Telly Awards.