Understanding and exploring our intricate connections to coral reefs and climate change takes the knowledge of many people. That is why the Pacific Island Network Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service spearheaded a special partnership with their Network resource managers and interpretation staff, students, educators, science communicators, and cultural experts. This partnership supported a fellowship team that synthesized park science and integrated cultural knowledge to produce the content presented in this module. The team consisted of a high school science teacher from Kahuku High and Intermediate School, a graduate student from the University of Hawaii at Hilo, and two undergraduate students at the university participating in the Pacific Islands Partnerships for Exploring Science program. With the help of science communicators from the Integration and Application Network, and the National Park Service, team members explored coral ecosystems, interviewed park staff, talked with local teachers, created synthetic visuals, and designed classroom and online activities focused on communicating the importance of corals in the Pacific Islands and how their future will be impacted by climate change.
Charlene Elizabeth Afu hails from the beautiful paradise of American Samoa. She graduated from the American Samoa Community College in 2009 with an AA in Pre-Law and Liberal Arts. She then transferred to the University of Hawaii at Hilo to pursue her Bachelors in Political Science with a minor in Communication. She is also an intern for PIPES (Pacific Island Programs for Exploring Science). She hopes to become an ambassador/congresswoman for American Samoa.
Trisann Bambico is a recent graduate of the University of Hawaii at Hilo. She has a B.A. in Marine Science with minors in both Biology and Hawaiian Studies. She is currently doing research with Dr. Jason Turner and Dr. Karla McDermid on the foraging ecology of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) at Punalu‘u, Hawai‘i.
Rebecca Most is currently a master's student at University of Hawaii at Hilo, in the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science program. Her research is focusing on nutrients and algae on coral reefs in Hawai‘i. She also works for the Integration and Application Network at the University of Maryland, to develop a Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Kaloko-HonokÅhau National Historical Park. 
Corrbett Nash is in his seventh year with the National Park Service in Hawaii as a CESU Science Communications Coordinator. From his humble beginnings in small-town Ohio, Cory's life has been punctuated with movement. He attended three high schools, one of them in France. Hespent a semester in Luxembourg City while studying Political Science, International Studies, and French. He married a lovely woman, Sarah, with whom he passed 2.5 years on the side of a mountain in Morocco while in the U.S. Peace Corps. They later had the good fortune of attending graduate school in England where Cory received an MSc. in Environment and Development. From there, the 7,300 mile migration to Hawaii seemed almost natural. Although only intending to stay in Hawaii for six months, Cory and Sarah have found it extraordinarily difficult to leave such an amazing place. So, they bought a house and had a couple of energetic kids.
Amber O’Reilly is a science teacher at Kahuku High and Intermediate School on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. She was born and raised in KÄne‘ohe Hawai‘i. She graduated from Punahou High School and received a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources from Cornell University and her teaching certification from University of Hawaii, MÄnoa. She has taught in Ohio, Rhode Island, and Hawai‘i at the Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i and the Hawai‘i Nature Center.
Joanna Woerner is a Science Communicator with the Integration and Application Network, a collection of scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science interested in solving, not just studying, environmental problems. Four the last four years, she has been developing and evaluating interactive web modules for middle and high school students. Joanna has received a B.S. in Marine Science from The Richard Stockton College and a M.A. in Technical and Scientific Communication from Miami University.