{"id":159324,"date":"2022-05-17T14:59:05","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T00:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=159324"},"modified":"2025-02-12T15:49:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T01:49:14","slug":"doctoral-degree-diamond-tachera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2022\/05\/17\/doctoral-degree-diamond-tachera\/","title":{"rendered":"Love of \u02bb\u0101ina, community motivated grad student through doctoral degree"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Tachera sampling a rain collector on Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island. (Photo credit: Kiana Frank)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Diamond Tachera<\/strong>, a life-long student in Mānoa Valley, joined the spring 2022 commencement celebration after completing a doctoral degree in Earth sciences<\/a> at the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology<\/a> (SOEST<\/abbr>).<\/p>\n

Though she grew up in Kalama Valley, Oʻahu,<\/span> Tachera considers Mānoa as part of her home—having attended University Laboratory School from kindergarten through high school. In her senior year, Tachera\u2019s science teacher Lauren Kaupp<\/strong>, who received her master\u2019s degree in oceanography from SOEST<\/abbr> and a doctoral degree in education at 东精影业<\/abbr> Mānoa, invited Tachera to walk around campus during the 2009 biennial SOEST<\/abbr> open house event.<\/p>\n

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Tachera after her dissertation defense.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“We accidentally opened the door on Gerard Fryer, who was practicing his presentation for later that day,” said Tachera. “He invited us in for a private lecture on tsunamis and earthquakes in Hawaiʻi.<\/span> At that time, I wanted to be a geophysicist and study earthquakes, so it was a truly magical experience! I will never forget the kindness that Gerard shared in that moment, and how warm and comforting it felt to be in that space.”<\/p>\n

Tachera attended Kapiʻolani<\/span> Community College<\/a> for two years, worked in the Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr> STEM<\/abbr> Center with Keolani Noa<\/strong>, and was recruited into the first cohort of the SOEST<\/abbr> Maile Mentoring Bridge Program. Once she transferred to 东精影业<\/abbr> Mānoa, Tachera pursued an undergraduate degree in the Department of Earth Sciences (formerly Geology and Geophysics), where she immersed herself in learning about Earth system processes, engaged with mentors and found additional inspiration for her pursuits.<\/p>\n

Mentors encourage graduate school<\/h2>\n

More highlights from the commencement ceremonies and our amazing graduates<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Through the internships and research experience, her passion for Earth science continued to grow and she completed her bachelor\u2019s degree in geology and geophysics in 2016. But she was unsure about enrolling in the graduate program.<\/p>\n

“I doubted myself but with encouragement from some of my mentors, such as Barb Bruno<\/strong> and Tiffany Anderson<\/strong>, I applied to graduate school,” she said.<\/p>\n

For her doctoral research, Tachera focused on understanding the geochemical changes of water as it moves through the water cycle of West Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island with SOEST<\/abbr> researcher Nicole Lautze<\/strong> as her advisor. She collected more than two years of data on rainfall and groundwater to better understand vital freshwater resources in the area.<\/p>\n

“I really wanted to do research that was focused in Hawaiʻi.<\/span> I am truly grateful for this opportunity, because the research was more than a job to me,” said Tachera. “It was a powerful experience to work on a project that would hopefully benefit the Native Hawaiian community especially as we continue to face climate change impacts more and more each year.”<\/p>\n

Representation and Indigenous knowledge in science<\/h2>\n
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Tachera collecting rain samples on Mauna Kea. (Photo credit: Kiana Frank)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Growing up, being Hawaiian was just a part of everyday life,” said Tachera. “When I became a student at 东精影业<\/abbr>, I really felt a sense of Hawaiian pride. My academic and personal journey over the past 12 years has led me to focus my energy and research on issues that are important to our local community and also motivated me to work toward making geoscience more inclusive and equitable.”<\/p>\n

Tachera published an article in Eos<\/em><\/a> outlining a powerful approach to increase equity and inclusion of Indigenous knowledge and communities in science—reframing funding strategies.<\/p>\n