Jim Kauahikaua
U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO)
Hilo, HI USA
"My heart would always beat a little faster when we’d come across some sort of lava flow."
Career Roadmap
Jim's work combines: Science, Environment & Nature, and Accomplishing Goals
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I study these volcanoes so closely that I would know if anything bad was going to happen. I'm fascinated by them.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Geology/Earth Science, General
Pomona College
Graduate Degree
Geophysics and Seismology
University of Hawaii at Hilo
Doctorate
Geophysics and Seismology
University of Hawaii at Hilo
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
In high school, he was interested in science; the “popular” field at the time was oceanography, so he decided to study that.
2.
He went to the University of Southern California, where the introductory oceanography course plan included a geography class.
3.
Right away, he was hooked on geography; he loved being able to study a rock formation and see what it’d been through.
4.
While he was in California, he realized how lucky he’d been to grow up in Hawaii, such a geographically unique spot.
5.
After interning with the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver, he returned to Hawaii.
6.
He earned his Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, then joined the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
7.
In 2004, he was named the 19th scientist-in-charge of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory—the first of Hawaiian ancestry.
8.
After serving as scientist-in-charge for ten years, he transitioned back into a research position as a geophysicist.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Why would you want to work on a volcano? Aren't you afraid of it erupting?
How I responded:
I study these volcanoes so closely that I would know if anything bad was going to happen. I'm fascinated by them.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I went away for college, but I was constantly missing Hawai'i. Studying geology actually helped me ease those feelings.