Danielle Bartz, a PhD candidate in at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has received a . Initially selected by the Zonta Club of Hilo for a $2,000 local award, Bartz advanced to the international competition, where she emerged as one of 16 recipients worldwide. This $10,000 award recognizes outstanding women in STEM, with honorees representing nine countries in this year’s cohort.
Bartz’s research leverages cutting-edge environmental DNA (eDNA) technologies combined with local ecological knowledge shared by the community to monitor marine biodiversity and assess critical habitats. She developed a novel, low-cost eDNA water filtration system, which has the potential to revolutionize marine biodiversity monitoring by making it more accessible and cost-effective, particularly in resource-limited settings. This project was supported by the Patents2Products Fellowship through the 东精影业 Office of Innovation and Commercialization.
“It’s an honor to be part of a global group of women working to advance STEM, and I am very thankful for the opportunities I’ve found through the Zonta Club,” Bartz said. “I’ve connected with this phenomenal network of women supporting women. My goal is to make marine research more accessible while working alongside local communities to protect culturally and ecologically important species.”
Bartz’s dissertation examines the disappearance of a culturally and ecologically significant shark species in Hawaiʻi. Her research, which confirmed a shark nursery habitat in Hilo Bay, contributed to the area’s first formal recognition as a vital shark habitat by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
- Related 东精影业 News story: Shark nursery habitat research earns PhD candidate top international award, March 20, 2025
The Zonta Women in STEM Award uplifts innovation and celebrates the remarkable accomplishments of women between 18-35 years of age in STEM fields and acknowledges their groundbreaking research, pioneering discoveries, and/or exemplary contributions to advancing knowledge and innovation in a STEM field.
The Marine Biology Graduate Program is an interdisciplinary program co-administered by 东精影业 Mānoa‘s and the .