Both Italy and Hawaiʻi are surrounded by the sea, influencing greatly their respective cultures and communities. Dr. Faucci will take us on an underwater exploration of Italy, from marine sanctuaries to dolphins, turtles, macro organisms and the UNESCO World Heritage’s Posidonia seagrass. She will present similarities and differences in marine habitats, organisms, and human impacts affecting the shores of Italy and Hawaiʻi.

Dr. Anuschka Faucci was born and raised in Switzerland, but spent most Easter holidays and Summer vacations in Italy, where her father is from. Her Italian father and grandfather instilled the passion for the ocean in her, from sailing, fishing, cooking and eating seafood to the adventurous stories of the past. She studied Biology at the University of Basel (Switzerland), completed a Masters in Marine Biology at the Universitaʻ di Lecce (Italy), and worked as a dive guide around the World, before moving to Hawai‘i in 2000 to pursue a Ph.D. in Zoology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She has explored the Pacific on research expeditions, Polynesian voyaging canoes such as the Hōkūleʻa, and taught many students and teachers about the beauty and importance of our oceans in and outside of the classroom. She currently works at the University of Hawaiʻi Leeward Community College as the place-based learning coordinator, inspiring the next generation of scientists and ocean-advocates.

Complimentary Italian wine and pupu. Bring some pupu to share, if you'd like.