We dedicate this article to the life and legacy of our friend, Dr. Ruth Gates. We thank Dr. Gates for providing access to laboratory facilities for students involved in the research experience. We gratefully acknowledge the Coral Resilience Lab (legacy of Ruth Gates) for assisting students with their research projects and providing opportunities for students to learn and interact with scientists at the HIMB. We appreciate the assistance of community college advisors and course instructors for assisting with student recruitment for this study. Finally, thank you to the five community college students for participating in the research experience and sharing their perspectives. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under grant no. DGE1329626 awarded to A.S.H. and the HIMB Colonel Willys E. Lord, DVM and Sandina L. Lord Scholarship Fund awarded to A.S.H. This is HIMB contribution no. 1905 and University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology contribution no. 11577.
