The ocean was part of Yuzuki Ogawa’s everyday life growing up in Japan. Watching marine life in the water, at aquariums, and even at the dinner table sparked her curiosity about how animals live in the wild—and how global warming and pollution affect them.
At Hollins, as an environmental science and public health major with a minor in gender and women’s studies, Ogawa focuses on how the environment affects humans. “In public health, I learned how people suffer from diseases like malaria and Ebola, especially in places where climate change is making things worse,” explains Ogawa. “Seeing these connections between climate, marine environments, and human health inspired me to study both environmental science and public health.”
Still, Ogawa never forgot her first love: the ocean and its creatures. With no prior classroom or field experience in marine biology, Ogawa contacted the marine biology department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to inquire about summer 2025 research opportunities with sea turtles.
“I wanted to experience the ocean and nature directly, not just following textbooks,” she says of her month in Hawai‘i, where she researched sea turtles and took a public health course at the University of Hawaii.
Her decision meant postponing her summer trip home to Japan after her first year at Hollins, where she had struggled with homesickness. “I realized that summer in the U.S. provides valuable opportunities to grow both academically and personally, so I challenged myself to stay and pursue research.” (Following her time in Hawai‘I, she returned to Japan for a short visit with family.)
Ogawa’s initial plan was to study the connection between sea turtle nesting and ocean acidification. From her independent readings, Ogawa knew that higher temperatures could cause more female turtles to hatch, but she was curious about how today’s high CO₂ levels might affect the turtles’ lives.
However, because of Hawai‘i’s highly protected sea turtle nests, her initial request was rejected. “Sea turtles, called Honu in Hawaiian, are not only endangered animals but also a cultural heritage,” Ogawa explains. “The species are sensitive to humans. If turtles notice people, they might stop nesting and go back to the ocean.”
Ogawa shifted her focus to studying how seawater pH affects sea turtle activity at several beaches in Hawai‘i. Through fixed-point observations, she recorded turtle sightings and collected water samples to compare acidity levels with turtle behavior. Her month-long study revealed that turtles appeared less frequently in areas with lower pH levels, suggesting a link between ocean acidification and their presence.
“I know other factors such as tides, tourism, and human activity can also play a role,” she says. “I hope to continue my research to confirm whether there is a true connection between turtle appearance and ocean pH.”
This January Term (J-Term), Ogawa will travel to Kenya with a public health class, and in Spring 2026, she’ll study abroad in Turks and Caicos, researching sea turtles and stingrays while exploring the effects of ocean acidification.
Her time in Hawai‘i deepened her passion for marine conservation. “I became more aware of how human activities and climate change affect ecosystems,” she says. “Even small actions, like touching turtles or using harmful sunscreen, can have lasting impacts. It showed me how much more education and protection marine environments need.”
The lessons from her independent summer research are lasting. “This summer gave me academic knowledge and emotional and ethical awareness, as science needs objectivity and empathy, cultural understanding, and care,” adds Ogawa.
“I sometimes see STEM researchers focusing only on objectivity, treating animals just as test subjects,” she reflects. “But we are studying living beings — our peers on the same planet. This was especially clear when my request to study turtle nesting was rejected. I realized how hard and important it is to balance science with cultural and ethical understanding.”
Ogawa is considering medical school in Japan after Hollins, with plans to work on global public health challenges such as malaria and Ebola in developing countries.
