When: Mon. April 22, 2019, 5 p.m.
Where: NELHA Gateway Center
Presenters: Dr. Steven Colbert, Billy Middleton, Chuck Shaver
The 2018 Kilauea Eruption produced a plume of hydrothermal water as lava poured into the ocean. Liquid Robotics Wave Gliders were deployed for three weeks to study the dynamics of this plume of hot water. With continuous remote operations and real-time data access, the Wave Glider provided a safe way to study water quality offshore from the lava flow and how it changed with time.
Dr. Steven Colbert is a coastal hydrologist in the Marine Science Department at UH Hilo. His research focuses on quantifying the impact of groundwater on biogeochemical cycles. This includes working with managers to understand how climate change may impact primary productivity in groundwater-fed native Hawaiian fishponds, and how groundwater increases ocean acidification in nearshore ecosystems.
Billy Middleton is the manager of the Liquid Robotics Hawaii Test & Evaluation Facility in Kawaihae Harbor, responsible for engineering field testing, customer training, and Wave Glider repair work. He has been working with Wave Gliders for 6 years, with a research background in AUVs, mechanical engineering, and scientific diving. For this project, Billy assisted Chuck with some of the 3rd party sensor add-ons and field work.
Chuck Shaver is a Liquid Robotics Hawaii Wave Glider technician and operator. He started working with the original group of engineers that invented the Wave Glider and founded the company in 2007. He has been involved in community outreach projects since the Wave Glider became a reliable platform in 2012. He has most recently worked as the Platform Engineering lead for Hawaii testing in developing the latest version of the Wave Glider and associated applications.
Agenda:
5:00-5:15 p.m. Gather and Networking
5:15-6:15 p.m. Presentation and Q&A
6:15-7:30 p.m. More Networking, pupus