UH in the News | University of Hawaiʻi System News https://www.hawaii.edu/news News from the University of Hawaii Thu, 16 Mar 2023 00:05:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.hawaii.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cropped-UHNews512-1-32x32.jpg UH in the News | University of Hawaiʻi System News https://www.hawaii.edu/news 32 32 28449828 UH in the News Archive https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2013/01/25/uh-in-the-news-media-archive/ Fri, 25 Jan 2013 19:45:19 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=13460 Go to the News Coverage Archive page to view recent news, research and features about university programs, students, faculty and the administration published and broadcasted in the news.

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Go to the News Coverage Archive page to view recent news, research and features about university programs, students, faculty and the administration published and broadcasted in the news.

The post UH in the News Archive first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 13460 UH in the News, January 8-14, 2013 https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2013/01/15/uh-in-the-news-january-8-14-2013/ Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:43:07 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=13041 News coverage of University of Hawaiʻi people, programs and activities for January 8–14, 2013.

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News coverage featuring University of Hawaiʻi people, programs and activities for January 8–14, 2013 includes the following —

The post UH in the News, January 8-14, 2013 first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 13041 UH in the News, January 1-7, 2013 https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2013/01/08/uh-in-the-news-january-1-7-2013/ Wed, 09 Jan 2013 01:41:33 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=12842 News coverage of University of Hawaiʻi people, programs and activities for January 1–7, 2013.

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News coverage featuring University of Hawaiʻi people, programs and activities for January 1–7, 2013 includes the following —

The post UH in the News, January 1-7, 2013 first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 12842 Astronomers map brightest galaxies and more in the news https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/12/07/astronomers-map-brightest-galaxies-and-more-in-the-news/ Sat, 08 Dec 2012 02:43:05 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=12491 A census of the brightest galaxies conducted by a team led by Mānoa astronomers is highlighted in news coverage of UH people and activities during the past week.

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A 3D projection of almost 300 galaxies in the census in the same part of the sky. The third dimension shows how many billions of years back in time we are seeing each galaxy, determined by observations from the Keck Observatory. At top are images from the Hubble Space Telescope of five galaxies in the census. Credit: ESA-C. Carreau

A group of astronomers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the U.S. mainland, Canada, and Europe recently used the twin telescopes of the W.M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea to conduct a census of the brightest, but until now unseen, galaxies in the distant universe, bringing astronomers one step closer to understanding how galaxies form and evolve.

These galaxies glow so brightly at infrared wavelengths that they would outshine the Milky Way by hundreds, maybe thousands, of times. They are forming stars so quickly that between 100 and 500 new stars are born in each galaxy every year, and have been coined “starbursts” by astronomers.

While it’s not clear what gives these galaxies their intense luminosity, it could be the result of a collision between two spiral-type galaxies, similar to the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies. They could also be in a particularly gas-rich region of space, where galaxies form stars quickly due to constant bombardment from gas and dust.

Read the news release or learn more about the research as featured by Space Daily.

UH in the News for November 30–December 6, 2012

The post Astronomers map brightest galaxies and more in the news first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 12491 Robotics success could lead to mechatronics program https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/12/07/robotics-success-could-lead-to-mechatronics-program/ Sat, 08 Dec 2012 00:35:48 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=12451 The successful efforts of Honolulu CC robotics club students in a recent international robotics competition has sparked interest in developing a mechatronics program.

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student working on micro robot
Honolulu Community College construction management student Harris Okazaki works on his bittybot. (Photo courtesy Honolulu Community College)

Honolulu Community College students Harris Okazaki and Ryan Yamada, recently participated in the 21st Annual International Micro Robot Contest in Nagoya, Japan.

The competition featured over 130 robots from Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and the United States competing in four categories.

Okazaki, a construction management major, and Yamada, a liberal arts student, participated in the most difficult and most prestigious category, which required the microbots to navigate a maze with no assistance from the students. Yamada placed fourth and Okazaki placed seventh in a field of 19 contestants.

The skills students develop through this process could lead directly to good jobs in the private sector, according to Honolulu CC Assistant Professor and Robotics Club Advisor Norman Takeya.

“There is a growing demand for workers in the industrial and manufacturing space who have the mechatronic skills needed to maintain, diagnose and repair sophisticated, automated systems that characterize manufacturing in the 21st century,” explained Takeya.

Although Honolulu CC does not have a mechatronics program, the potential demand for these skills from the business sector could put the college on course to develop this area further.

Read the news release or learn more about the potential demand for this program as featured in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser (subscription required).

The post Robotics success could lead to mechatronics program first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 12451 West Oʻahu land sale and more in the news https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/11/30/west-oahu-land-sale-and-more-in-the-news/ Fri, 30 Nov 2012 23:57:25 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=12235 The UH Board of Regents’ approval of the sale of land to the Roman Catholic Church is among UH events and activities highlighted in news coverage during the past week.

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U H West Oahu Kapolei campus
Land adjacent to the new UH West Oʻahu campus in Kapolei will be sold to the Roman Catholic Church. (Photo courtesy UH West Oʻahu)

The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents voted on November 28 to approve the sale of 39 acres of land next to the new University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu campus in Kapolei to the Roman Catholic Church, which plans to build a church and private school on the land.

Read more about the sale and how it benefits both the Roman Catholic Church and the university in news reports by Hawaii News Now, Honolulu Star-Advertiser (subscription required), KHON, and Pacific Business News.

UH in the News for November 23–29,2012

The post West Oʻahu land sale and more in the news first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 12235 HIV/AIDS diagnosis in Native Hawaiians concerns researchers https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/11/30/hivaids-diagnosis-in-native-hawaiians-concerns-researchers/ https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/11/30/hivaids-diagnosis-in-native-hawaiians-concerns-researchers/#_comments Fri, 30 Nov 2012 23:51:25 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=12267 Researchers at the UH medical school’s Hawaiʻi Center for AIDS report on the disparity in the disease’s diagnosis rate amongst the Native Hawaiian population.

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Doctor in lab
Jason Barbour, an HIV immunologist with the John A. Burns School of Medicine’s Hawaiʻi Center for AIDS, hopes a cure will soon be discovered (photo courtesy John A. Burns School of Medicine)

December 1 marks World AIDS Day, a global health day first celebrated in 1988 to unite the world in the fight against HIV.

As the day approaches, news from the Hawaiʻi Center for AIDS at the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine brings disturbing findings about the disease’s impact on the Native Hawaiian population.

Researchers have found that HIV/AIDS is being diagnosed in Native Hawaiians more than twice as often as Caucasians, and that Native Hawaiians with HIV/AIDS are three times more likely to need hospitalization.

Some 3,000 people in Hawaiʻi live with HIV/AIDS. One in four of them, about 25 percent, don’t even realize they are carrying the virus.

Read the UHMedNow article to learn more about how UH researchers at the Hawaiʻi Center for AIDS are working to combat this disparity or read the news reports by Hawaii News Now and KHON.

The post HIV/AIDS diagnosis in Native Hawaiians concerns researchers first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/11/30/hivaids-diagnosis-in-native-hawaiians-concerns-researchers/feed/ 1 12267 Contractors sought for Palāmanui campus https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/11/09/contractors-sought-for-palamanui-campus/ Sat, 10 Nov 2012 00:42:28 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=11677 The opening of bids for construction of a West Hawaiʻi campus is among UH events and activities highlighted in news coverage during the past week.

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Construction site with sign marking location of new Palamanui campus
The Pālamanui campus in West Hawaiʻi, which is an extension of Hawaiʻi Community College, will be the 11th permanent campus of the University of Hawaiʻi System.

The University of Hawaiʻi’s Office of Procurement and Real Property Management has posted a notice to bidders for construction of the Hawaiʻi Community College, Pālamanui campus in West Hawaiʻi.

Bids must be submitted to the Office of Procurement and Real Property Management or the Hawaiʻi Community College Administrative Affairs/Business Office no later than 2:30 p.m. on December 12, 2012. Bids are scheduled to be opened at 2:30 p.m. on December 14, 2012.

The bid notice includes construction of Pālamanui’s Culinary Arts Building and the Health Science and Student Services Building. Construction will cover approximately 24,000 square feet and will include new classrooms, learning kitchens, and science laboratories. These buildings will house functions servicing the Culinary Arts, Nursing, and Allied Health programs, and Student Services Administration.

Read the news release or news coverage by Big Island Now, Big Island Video News, Hawaii 24/7, Hawaii Reporter, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Pacific Business News and West Hawaii Today.

The post Contractors sought for Palāmanui campus first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 11677 Cancer center project under budget and more in the news https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/11/02/cancer-center-project-under-budget-and-more-in-the-news/ Sat, 03 Nov 2012 01:48:03 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=11319 The UH Cancer Center’s new facility is among UH programs and people featured in news coverage during the past week.

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The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center’s new facility is nearing completion with an anticipated grand opening set for February 2013. (Photo courtesy UH Cancer Center)

The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center has entered its final construction phase under budget, leaving room to build an extension.

As reported recently by Pacific Business News, the original construction contract budgeted $119 million for the center but ended up costing $103 million.

The new 150,000 square-foot facility will be comprised of two buildings connected by an open-air lobby and central staircase. Materials will include a glass and steel exterior with warm interior finishes including tile, wood and glass.

A highlight will be a large two-story space on the ground level for hosting community and educational events. Additional meeting and conference rooms will be scattered throughout to encourage collaboration and conversation between colleagues.

The building also features many environmentally-friendly and sustainable features and is scheduled to open in February 2013.

Read the latest construction update on the UH Cancer Center’s website for more details.

UH in the News for October 26–November 1, 2012

The post Cancer center project under budget and more in the news first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 11319 Hawaiʻi‘s dueling volcanoes and more in the news https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/10/26/hawaiis-dueling-volcanoes-and-more-in-the-news/ Sat, 27 Oct 2012 01:54:20 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=11090 A deep connection between Mauna Loa and Kīlauea volcanoes found by UH Mānoa scientists is featured in the past week’s news coverage of UH programs and people.

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Lava flows from Kīlauea volcano’s Puʻu ʻOʻo Crater. (Photo courtesy USGS)

A new study, which appears in the November issue of Nature Geoscience, finds that a deep connection about 50 miles below Earth’s surface can explain the enigmatic behavior of two of the world’s most notable volcanoes, Hawaiʻi’s Mauna Loa and Kīlauea.

The research was conducted by scientists with the Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics and Planetology in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, along with colleagues at Rice University, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

Their findings offer the first plausible model that can explain both the opposing long-term eruptive patterns at Mauna Loa and Kīlauea—when one is active, the other is quiet, and vice versa—as well as the episode in 2003-2007 when GPS records showed that both inflated concurrently.

Read the news release or learn more about the study as featured by Big Island Video News, Civil Beat, Hawaii News Now, Honolulu Star-Advertiser (subscription required), PhysOrg, and RedOrbit.

UH in the News for October 19–25, 2012

The post Hawaiʻi‘s dueling volcanoes and more in the news first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 11090 Decrease in Hawaiʻi‘s trade winds and more in the news https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/10/19/decrease-in-hawaiis-trade-winds-and-more-in-the-news/ Fri, 19 Oct 2012 23:11:02 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=10865 Research by Mānoa scientists documenting a decrease in Hawaiʻi’s trade winds is among the UH programs and people highlighted in news coverage during the past week.

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A mountain range with clouds above it
A recent study by UH Mānoa scientists documents a decrease in northeast trade winds that could fundamentally change Hawaiʻi’s overall climate. (Photo courtesy SOEST)

Scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa have observed a decrease in the frequency of northeast trade winds and an increase in eastern trade winds over the past nearly four decades, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

For example, northeast trade wind days, which occurred 291 days per year 37 years ago at the Honolulu International Airport, now only occur 210 days per year.

Jessica Garza, a meteorology graduate assistant at the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Pao-Shin Chu, meteorology professor and head of the Hawaiʻi State Climate Office; Chase Norton and Thomas Schroeder analyzed 37 years of wind speed and direction, and sea level pressure data from land-based weather stations, buoys and reanalysis data.

Persistent northeast trade winds are important to the Hawaiian Islands because they affect wave height, cloud formation, and precipitation over specific areas of the region. When trades fail to develop the air can become dormant and unpleasant weather can develop.

Furthermore, Chu explained that the trades are the primary source of moisture for rain, and that a dramatic reduction could fundamentally change Hawaiʻi’s overall climate.

Read more about their research as featured in Civil Beat, Hawaii News Now, Honolulu Star-Advertiser (subscription required),Maui Time, Our Amazing Planet, Raising Islands, RedOrbit, and Science Daily.

UH in the News for October 12–18, 2012

The post Decrease in Hawaiʻi‘s trade winds and more in the news first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 10865 Linking obesity and breast cancer, and more in the news https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/10/12/linking-obesity-and-breast-cancer-and-more-in-the-news/ Fri, 12 Oct 2012 18:19:04 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=10722 A study linking body weight and breast cancer by the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center is among the UH programs and people highlighted in news coverage during the past week.

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A T V camera and reporter with person being interviewed
The UH Cancer Center’s Kami White is interviewed about the center’s 20-year study on the connection between body weight and breast cancer. (Photo courtesy UH Cancer Center)

A unique study led by the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center and the University of Southern California is analyzing the connection between breast cancer and body weight by tracking more than 200,000 people in Hawaiʻi

The study began 20 years ago in 1993 and involves women in five ethnic groups, including African Americans, Caucasians, Hawaiians, Japanese and Latinos. Featured in the International Journal of Cancer, the study’s results help to validate the link between obesity and cancer.

To learn more about the study, watch the video featured in honor of October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month on KITV 4 News with the UH Cancer Center’s Cancer Epidemiology Program Specialist Lynne Wilkens and Research Biostatistician and Epidemiologist Kami White.

UH in the News for October 5–11, 2012

The post Linking obesity and breast cancer, and more in the news first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 10722 Awakuni announces plans to retire https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/10/11/awakuni-announces-plans-to-retire/ Fri, 12 Oct 2012 01:59:43 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=10687 UH West Oʻahu Chancellor Gene Awakuni will retire at the end of the academic year after seeing through the construction and opening of the new West Oʻahu campus in Kapolei.

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Gene Awakuni

University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu Chancellor Gene Awakuni announced on October 8 his intention to retire at the end of the current academic year.

He released the following statement regarding his retirement:

“After 30 years in academia and since returning to Hawaiʻi, my goal was always to get the new UHWO campus built and opened and to offer four-year baccalaureate degrees. All of this is consistent with the vision that state leaders had for UHWO nearly four decades ago when they first envisioned a regional campus for this part of Oʻahu. As you all know, on August 20th of this year, that goal was achieved and I feel the timing is now right to move on to the next phase of my life.

“The 36-year journey for UHWO has never been an easy one even before the construction of the Kapolei campus began. But what I have probably admired most about the UHWO community is the willingness of faculty and staff to persevere, to think outside of the box to serve our students and to focus not on the criticism from others but on the charge we are tasked with: providing a quality higher education to residents of leeward and north shore Oʻahu.

“It has been a tremendous honor to work with such a dedicated and committed group of individuals and to meet so many fascinating students whose goals and aspirations assure that the future of Hawaiʻi is in good hands. I know that when I step down next year, this campus and its students will be in good hands.”

UH President M.R.C. Greenwood released the following statement in response to Awakuni’s announcement:

“The Board of Regents and I charged Chancellor Awakuni with getting UH West Oʻahu built and open by this fall and he did. This is one of the most important projects for higher education in the entire state of Hawaiʻi and we are very proud that this campus opened to excited and enthusiastic students. We thank him, we will continue to work with him over this period and we will begin the search for a new chancellor in the near future. Once again, I have appreciated working with Chancellor Awakuni over the last few years and wish him the best.”

Read media coverage of Awakuni’s announcement by Hawaii News Now, Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Pacific Business News.

The post Awakuni announces plans to retire first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 10687 A college degree in hula and more in the news https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/10/05/a-college-degree-in-hula-and-more-in-the-news/ Fri, 05 Oct 2012 23:57:25 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=10324 HawaiʻiCommunity College’s associate degree in hula are among the UH programs and people highlighted in news coverage during the past week.

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Hawaiʻi Community College and its associate degree program in hula is featured in the October/November 2012 issue of Hana Hou, the island lifestyle magazine of Hawaiian Airlines.

The article highlights how the program came to be and the elements of hula that help to raise the overall rigor of academics for students.

The college’s hālau, Unukupukupu, represents the college and the program well. It has performed around the world this year, including in South Korea at the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress and as part of the University of Hawaiʻi delegation to the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C.

Watch their performance at the Library of Congress.

UH in the News for September 28–October 4, 2012

The post A college degree in hula and more in the news first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 10324 Accreditation team applauds UH efforts and more in the news https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/09/26/accreditation-team-applauds-uh-efforts-and-more-in-the-news/ Thu, 27 Sep 2012 02:51:33 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=10186 An accreditation team report commending the UH System for recent accomplishments is among UH happenings highlighted in news coverage during the past week.

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Bachman Hall
An accreditation team from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges visited the UH System in September 2012.

An accreditation team from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges visited the University of Hawaiʻi System in September and praised the university for boosting undergraduate retention and graduation rates, improving financial planning, and making outstanding progress in securing federal grants for research.

A draft list of commendations and recommendations cited by the team also requests that any reports or legislation resulting from the failed Stevie Wonder concert and current Hawaiʻi State Senate hearings be provided to WASC.

Read more about the accreditation team visit as reported by Hawaii News Now and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser (subscription required).

UH in the News for September 21—27, 2012

The post Accreditation team applauds UH efforts and more in the news first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 10186 National Plug In Day hits Maui and more in the news https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/09/21/national-plug-in-day-hits-maui-and-more-in-the-news/ Sat, 22 Sep 2012 01:10:42 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=9861 UH Maui College’s celebration of electric vehicles is among the UH programs and people highlighted in news coverage during the past week.

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The back of a Chevy Volt electric car
Free ride-n-drives of electric cars, including the extended-range electric Chevy Volt, will be offered as part of National Plug In Day events at UH Maui College on Saturday, September 22.

More than 50 cities across the country will be celebrating the benefits of electric vehicles in observance of the second annual National Plug In Day on Sunday, September 23.

Maui’s electric vehicle, or “EV,” drivers and enthusiasts will participate in Maui’s first celebration of National Plug In Day with events on Friday, September 21, and Saturday, September 22.

Events on Maui are organized by the UH Maui College MauiEVA Project and the Maui Electric Auto Association to highlight the fun, clean-air benefits and cost-savings of electric cars.

Read more in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, The Maui News and Maui Now.

UH in the News for September 14–20, 2012

The post National Plug In Day hits Maui and more in the news first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 9861 Pacific Business News editorial supports university’s Hawaiʻi Innovation Initiative https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/09/21/pbn-editorial-supports-hawaii-innovation-initiative/ Sat, 22 Sep 2012 00:59:07 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=10052 Pacific Business News’ Managing Editor’s Notebook by Jim George supports university’s Hawaiʻi Innovation Initiative.

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UH’s Innovation Initiative is talking real money

—Managing Editor’s Notebook by Jim George published in the September 21, 2012 issue of Pacific Business News

“A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.”

That famous quote, attributed to the late U.S. Sen. Everett McKinley Dirksen, may well be an urban legend. The Dirksen Congressional Center says there’s no record of the Republican senator from Illinois ever coining that phrase to express his disdain for federal spending.

But it’s a good one. And, despite the implied sarcasm, a billion dollars is still real money if it’s in the right place for the right reasons.

Peter Quigley knows this. As executive director of the University of Hawaiʻi Innovation Initiative, he has his sights set on one billion dollars. That’s the amount of money he wants UH to attract in federal research grants within the next eight to 10 years.

UH already is about halfway to that goal. During a two-year period — fiscal years 2010 and 2011 — 86 UH researchers, known as principal investigators, each received awards of at least $1 million for an approximate total of $456 million. Eleven researchers accounted for about 30 percent of that total.

In a 2009 report, UH ranked 51st out of 689 public and private universities in research expenditures. That sounds good, but Quigley thinks UH can do much better.

His goal is to build a research culture at UH and a research industry in Hawaii. To do that he needs to attract world-class principal investigators who can generate $5 million to $20 million apiece in federal grants by building teams of researchers that can execute those grants. He believes that, despite possible cuts in federal spending, the money is out there, as are the researchers. Some are already here and Quigley hints that others may be on the way next year.

Quigley talks about “front-loading the talent” — attracting the researchers to Hawaiʻi before all the infrastructure is in place. Facilities such as the new Cancer Research Center and the Mauna Kea telescopes certainly help, but researchers will follow a winner, especially if Hawaiʻi’s lifestyle is part of the mix.

Quigley’s business model is San Diego Connect, a program that began at the University of California San Diego in the mid-1980s that it says has assisted in the formation and development of more than 3,000 companies. The key to its success, according to its website, has been the “unique culture of collaboration between industry, capital sources, professional service providers and research organizations.”

Research means jobs. One estimate suggests that a $20 million federal research grant can create 400 well-paying jobs. UH President M.R.C. Greenwood has asked the UH Economic Research Organization to develop a more precise formula, and UHERO Executive Director Carl Bonham says he’ll have one by year’s end.

Quigley is not alone in his quest for a billion dollars. Greenwood has a rich history of scientific research and funding and has been pushing the concept of UH as a predominant research university since she arrived three years ago. She, Quigley and others have been on the speaking circuit, showing how the San Diego model could lead to a Hawaii Connect. The Hawaii Business Roundtable, a group of top executives at Hawaiʻi’s largest businesses, was a recent audience.

The Hawaiʻi Innovation Initiative is worth noting as a state Senate committee prepares to hold hearings next week on what has been dubbed the “Wonder Blunder” — an ill-fated attempt by the UH Athletics Department to hold a Stevie Wonder fundraising concert and the disappearance of $200,000 that even the FBI can’t find. Whether the hearings are political posturing or a sincere attempt at uncovering some answers is not the point.

The point is that we’re spending a lot of time and energy focusing on a missing $200,000. That time and energy would be better invested in finding ways to build a billion-dollar research and innovation industry for Hawaiʻi.

Then we would be talking real money.

—Reprinted with permission from Pacific Business News

The post Pacific Business News editorial supports university’s Hawaiʻi Innovation Initiative first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 10052 Jones analyzes border security in new book https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/09/21/jones-analyzes-border-security-in-new-book/ https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/09/21/jones-analyzes-border-security-in-new-book/#_comments Fri, 21 Sep 2012 21:33:39 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=9554 UH Mānoa’s Reece Jones, a leading authority on political borders, presents a public lecture on his new book, Border Walls, on September 28.

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A fence along the Mexican border
In his new book, UH Mānoa’s Reece Jones analyzes controversial border security projects in the world’s leading democratic nations.

Over the past decade, the United States, India and Israel have built over 3,500 miles of walls and fences along their borders.

The reasons behind the massive and costly undertakings and what the physical barriers symbolize are explored in a new book by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Associate Professor of Geography Reece Jones.

“People often think of globalization as creating a borderless world, which is increasingly true for financial transactions and consumer goods,” Jones said. “However, over the past decade, dozens of countries have also strengthened immigration restrictions and built new walls and fences on their borders. Consequently, we also live in the most bordered period in the history of the world. My book explores this contradiction.”

Book launch and lecture on September 28

Book cover image for Border Walls

Jones will hold a book launch event for Border Walls: Security and the War on Terror in the United States, India, and Israel on Friday, September 28, at 4 p.m. Jones will present a short lecture at the UH Mānoa campus in Saunders Hall, Room 443, which will be followed by light refreshments. The event is free and open to the public.

Border Walls analyzes how the controversial border security projects in the United States, India and Israel were justified in their respective countries, what consequences these walls and fences have on the lives of those living in these newly securitized spaces, and what long-term effects the hardening of political borders will have in these societies and globally.

Visit Jones’ website or the Border Walls Facebook page for more information about the book.

An expert on political geography

Jones is a leading authority on political borders. He has published 15 research articles in highly ranked journals, as well as opinion pieces in newspapers around the world on the role borders play in globalization and the global war on terror.

An opinion piece by Jones based on Border Walls was recently published in the global edition of The New York Times.

Jones won the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching in 2012 and also serves as the secretary/treasurer for the Political Geography Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers.

— Article updated on September 24, 2012

The post Jones analyzes border security in new book first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/09/21/jones-analyzes-border-security-in-new-book/feed/ 1 9554 New satellite facility in operation and more in the news https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/09/14/new-satellite-facility-in-operation-and-more-in-the-news/ Sat, 15 Sep 2012 01:30:17 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=9766 A new satellite communication facility that will help improve local weather and ocean forecasts is among the UH programs and people highlighted in news coverage over the past week.

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Man standing in front of satellite dish
Roy Huff of UH Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology with the new satellite dish at Honolulu Community College. (Photo courtesy S. Businger/SOEST)

A new satellite communication facility recently installed on the top of Building 7 at Honolulu Community College will provide real-time data useful for local weather and ocean forecasts.

The project, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, includes a new antenna and dish system that follows polar orbiting earth satellites and downloads real-time, high-resolution data as the satellites pass over Hawaiʻi.

The data received will aid SOEST researchers and National Weather Service forecasters in improving forecasts of hazards that are critical to the tropical Pacific, including heavy rainfall, tropical cyclones, and the detection and modeling of volcanic emissions. It will also help monitor the thermal activity of Kīlauea Volcano.

Read the SOEST news release or see media coverage of the project as featured on KITV 4.

UH in the News for September 7–13, 2012

The post New satellite facility in operation and more in the news first appeared on University of Hawaiʻi System News.]]> 9766 GEAR UP Hawaiʻi highlighted during national celebration https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/09/13/gear-up-hawaii-highlighted-during-national-celebration/ Fri, 14 Sep 2012 04:07:30 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=9595 National GEAR UP Week 2012 celebrates the college access program that provides support and resources to help low-income students achieve college success.

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Group of students in graduation robes and leis
National GEAR UP Week 2012 celebrates and highlights the success of the national college access program for low-income students.

The week of September 10–14, 2012 is being celebrated nationwide as National GEAR UP Week 2012, commemorating the continuing success of a national college access program that provides students and families with the resources they need for college success.

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered in Hawaiʻi by the University of Hawaiʻi. Since its inception in 1999, GEAR UP has improved educational outcomes for millions of low-income students across the United States.

The national week of celebration has brought attention to the programs and activities that GEAR UP Hawaiʻi has implemented to prepare Hawaiʻi’s low-income middle and high school students to enter and succeed in higher education.

Each year, GEAR UP Hawaiʻi serves over 10,000 low-income students statewide in grades seven through 12 and through their first year in college at University of Hawaiʻi campuses. Through a partnership with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education and the University of Hawaiʻi System as well as the government, nonprofit, and private sectors, GEAR UP Hawaiʻi provides information, encouragement, support, resources, and services to help eliminate achievement gaps among groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education.

“National GEAR UP Week is a time to highlight all these accomplishments for our program as well as for programs across the country,” says Angela Jackson, GEAR UP program director and associate director of Hawaiʻi P-20 Partnerships for Education. “To be part of a national effort which inspires hopes and dreams that college is possible and imperative is something worth celebrating.”

See highlights of GEAR UP Hawaiʻi’s efforts as featured on Hawaii News Now and KITV 4.

Fall 2012 activities planned

One of GEAR UP Hawaiʻi’s major initiatives this year was to support students in their first year in college. This summer, GEAR UP sponsored multiple freshman orientation events and activities at the University of Hawaiʻi’s campuses to help ensure students were prepared for college life.

In September, 30 Hawaiʻi public schools throughout the state will receive training and begin to implement MyFutureHawaii.org, a college and career access web portal designed to help students plan for college and career while in high school.

During the months of October through December, GEAR UP Hawaiʻi will launch the pilot project “College Application and Exploration Season” to assist high school students to explore and apply for college. Volunteers, college faculty and staff will work with five high schools to encourage their seniors to complete a college application and apply for financial aid.

GEAR UP Hawaiʻi will also sponsor over 50 financial aid workshops and events statewide to help families and students apply for financial aid. A complete listing of upcoming events is posted on the GEAR UP Hawaiʻi website.

UH Mānoa GEAR UP releases new video to mark national celebration

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Office of Student Equity Excellence and Diversity marked National GEAR UP Week by announcing the release of a video about the Heritage Language Program at Waipahu High School.

Funded by a federal grant and administered by SEED, the GEAR UP classes in Samoan and Ilokano heritage are designed to help Waipahu High School students gain the confidence that is necessary for academic success in college.

The new video, “GEARING UP with Heritage Language: Waipahu’s Way to College Success,” visits with Waipahu students in their classrooms and homes as they prepare to perform at the annual Heritage Language Showcase, entitled “Pinakbet and Panipopo.”

“Heritage Language is one of many GEAR UP strategies intended to increase college preparation at Waipahu High School, where we have a concentration of low-income students who are also the first in their families to seek higher education. The Waipahu High School staff and community have partnered in this effort that will encourage Waipahu students in their academic and career pursuits and contribute to the sustainability of all Hawaiʻi nei,” said Pat Masters, principal investigator for UH Mānoa GEAR UP Waipahu.

UH Mānoa GEAR UP heritage language from UH Mānoa Office of SEED on Vimeo.

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