Deardorff will present “Microbes as Human Indicators of Human Health Risk after the Lahaina Wildfires” to an audience of biomedical professionals at the 2024 National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence (NISBRE) Conference in June.
Bolstered by a $200,000 National Science Foundation rapid-response grant, a team of UH researchers is gearing up to sample the coral reefs near Lahaina to assess the impact of toxic ash from the fire.
The goal of the research is to determine if any contaminants from the devastating and deadly Lāhainā Fire will alter the ecosystem and affect its resilience in the future.