Meet Orlo Steele, Associate Professor at Hawai‘i Community College
Introduce yourself with your degree information and tell us what you do now.
Aloha, my name is Orlo Steele and I received my MS in Botany degree from UH Manoa Botany Department in 1998 and then PhD in Botany from the same institution in 2006. Since January 2007, I have been teaching botany, geography and forestry courses at Hawai`i Community College.
Why did you become a professor and what’s your favorite part about teaching?
I never intended to be a professor while I was in graduate school, as I was involved with forestry and botany projects on several Pacific Islands and really enjoyed the field work and research. However, after getting married and becoming a parent, being a professor became much more practical. My favorite aspect of teaching is being able to share the amazing natural wonders of Hawaii island with students. Whether it is teaching them about our native plants in a laboratory or taking them on a field trip to a rainforest, it is always a joy. Another aspect that I enjoy, is watching them graduate from our programs and go on to make their careers in conservation and natural resource management.
Can you tell us about a Hawai‘i Community College Program you are proud to be part of?
I am most proud the Tropical Forest Ecosystem and Agroforestry Management (TEAM) Program which I inherited from Fred Stone who developed it in 2000. This program is designed to train local students to become forestry and conservation technicians. The curriculum covers basic biology, environmental science, and the natural history of the Hawaiian Islands. It then covers some more technical subjects such as field mapping and forest inventory, GIS, pest management and silviculture. More recently we have added an unmanned aerial flight remote sensing course to the program which is very much in demand by employers. Approximately half of the students go directly into the field as technicians and the other half transfers to a 4 year Institution, usually at UH Hilo.
As a PhD student at UH Mānoa, what did you research?
My doctorate dissertation is titled “Ecological and Cultural Relationships of Mangroves in the Southwest Pacific” In this study, I looked at natural and anthropogenic influences on the biogeography of 8 mangrove species found in Tonga and Fiji and tried to answer why only 3 of these species made it to Samoa. Natural dispersal ability was compared with cultural importance of each species and genetic variation among the islands and with South America. My conclusions were that one species had excellent dispersal capabilities and low cultural importance and probably arrived in western Polynesia naturally on ocean currents. Another, had poor dispersibility but was a preferred species for several important uses and was likely intentionally introduced to western Polynesia.
What was your favorite spot on campus to study or hang out?
Aside from the botany lab at St. John Hall, my favorite spot was Mānoa Gardens on Friday afternoons in the company of interesting professors, visiting scholars and other graduate students.
What’s one thing you miss most about being a student?
I miss the social life at UHM and having more freedom to go surfing or hiking up in the Ko`olaus. Being a professor is a lot of work!
Why do you think it’s important to stay connected to the UH community?
As a professor in the UH system, it is very important to keep up with UH connections so that our students will be able to contact them when they transfer to other campuses. It also is invaluable for building programs, articulation agreements and collaboration of shared grants and projects. Finally, the UH system really is a special in that it encompasses so many levels of academia, from R-1 research at UHM to the technology extension of CTAHR and the local CTE programs found at the CCs. It really is an amazing University!