Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the protection of US food,…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the protection of US food, agricultural, and wilderness resources against invasive pathogens and pests is crucial. Indigenous communities are especially vulnerable to these threats, and IT's important to involve them in efforts to build a strong biosecurity system. The covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to train a new generation of scientists with the skills and knowledge necessary to address these challenges. In pacific island communities, including hawaii and other areas, biosecurity and climate change are the significant threats to their way of life. Individuals from pacific island and trabal native american communities often lack access to the education required for biosecurity positions. To directly address the critical need for cultivating diverse cohorts of biosecurity professionals, we propose to initiate pacon, a pacific continental network dedicated to biosecurity education. The goal of pacon is to create a pipeline for native hawaiians/pacific islanders and trabal native americans to pursue careers in biosecurity. Graduates of pacon will be equipped to safeguard their ancestral lands and communities and integrate indigenous knowledge into government agencies focused on biosecurity efforts and policy. This will have a significant impact on regional and national agriculture, land conservation, the natural environment, and water resources. Pacon graduates will also serve as role models for future generations of biosecurity professionals from underserved communities.