Center for Community Education Staff

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Mark is a faculty specialist who directs the HIMB Center for Community Education. Mark heads development of the Community Education Program which provide access, appreciation and understanding of HIMB’s research to thousands of visitors, as well as teaching science research methodology to a broad range of students, from grade school to college age. 

Mark Heckman 

Education Specialist 

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Leon Weaver has been an integral part of the Center for Community Education since arriving as an AmeriCorp Intern in 2012. From Colorado, his initial qualifications included a S-212 chainsaw certification, to which he has added Open Water Lifeguard Certification, AAUS Scientific Diver Certification, Boating certifications, Internships with the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Co-Instructor for NOAA Office of Exploration and Research Teacher Professional Development Workshops at HIMB, and CCE collaborator with the Pacific American Foundation for online, field and tech-ed program development. Leon is a student mentor/instructor for our H.S. Science Club, teaches STEAM as well as STEM (he has a fine arts background as well), leads labs, programs, and overnights for a wide range of students and public groups that visit HIMB and is our most requested instructor. He is currently pursuing a degree from the NREMS and honing his skills on ROV piloting to try and create viable integration of ROV’s into CCE programs.

Leon Weaver

CCE Instructor

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Mike Henley is a PhD candidate with the marine biology program at UH, and he is a co-founder of the marine science club with the Community Education Program. They've transitioned to online meetings, and Mike has converted the labs they would have done in person to at-home projects. His high school students read and analyzed scientific papers and wrote National Science Foundation style project proposals. Mike is also set to defend his dissertation in the coming months after studying the reproduction of the common rice coral and the blue rice coral after a bleaching event. From his research, we are getting greater insight into how we can conserve coral reefs. 

Mike Henley
Smithsonian Fellow & PhD Candidate in the Hagedorn Lab 

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Gagan Lally is a recent grad from UH Mānoa in Natural Resource and Environmental Management's marine coastal ecology program. She served as an Americorps Intern. She facilitates running different programs, tours, labs, overnights, and events. Her qualifications include AAUS/DAR Scientific Diver, Rescue Diver, Lifeguard, as well as undergoing boating training. Her background involves invasive species introduction assessments on Oahu, and coral reef monitoring and control on Maui island with Department of Land and Natural Resources. She hopes to pursue a career in coral reef ecology and indigenous science. 

Gagandeep Lally
CCE Instructor