 In 2018 she won the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award for her work, which focuses on how human activity, such as fishing and plastic pollution, shapes deep ocean food webs.She also led a team that designed a remote-operated device that was released in Monterey Bay to track pollution of microplastics.A native Hawaiian, she is a member of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and vocal advocate for women in science.