What began 15 years ago as a federally funded research, training and outreach program has grown into an uplifting public health movement across the Pacific. The Children’s Healthy Living Center of Excellence (CHL), based at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, is celebrating a decade and a half of pioneering work in childhood nutrition, health, and community empowerment.

The center launched in 2011 with a $25 million USDA grant to create partnerships and build capacity across the region. Since then, it has worked with communities to improve the health and nutrition of thousands of children in Hawaiʻi, Alaska, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Freely Associated States in Micronesia.

Putting communities first

“Our whole philosophy is really around promoting health and finding things that work, to always focus on the positive,” said Rachel Novotny, director of CHL. “The real work is with people: collaborating with communities on new playgrounds, adopting new policies about what kinds of foods are in schools, and working with kids on how to garden and grow their own fruits and vegetables, for example.”

A signature of CHL‘s impact is its one-of-a-kind dashboard and data repository online. National health surveys often overlook Hawaiʻi and the remote Pacific jurisdictions; the center stepped in to track data on children’s diets, physical activity and early physical signs of conditions like prediabetes.

A global success story

CHL has accomplished something rare: proven success in lowering childhood obesity. Participating communities saw a 4% drop in child overweight and obesity rates during the two-year program compared to non-participating areas. Six years later, that difference widened to 12%, showing the program’s long-term power.

The program has also become a centerpiece for mentoring and professional development for community health. Former CHL staffers and students now serve as deans, directors and lead researchers throughout the Pacific and the world, multiplying the positive impact on global food security.

CTAHR Dean Parwinder Grewal noted, “This is a remarkable example of a collaborative innovation success story, where CTAHR faculty have taken an impactful, community-based and data-driven approach to address nutritional security challenges in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. I commend Rachel for her leadership in building such a broad coalition to conduct place-based research while also training the future workforce.”

“One of our advisors said to me, ‘You know, Rachel, this isn’t so much a research trial anymore, it’s a movement,’” Novotny said. “I considered that a positive thing. It’s true that we’re after real societal change, and I think we have been able to accomplish that because of the people and the communities.”

Longtime University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa leader Denise Eby Konan has been selected as interim provost, with her appointment set to take effect on August 7 following notice at the next UH Board of Regents meeting. UH Mānoa Chancellor Vassilis L. Syrmos appointed Konan to serve as the campus’ chief academic officer while a national search is conducted for a permanent provost.

Konan has served as dean of the College of Social Sciences since 2012, leading 11 academic departments that deliver nearly a fifth of the degrees offered at UH Mānoa. She joined the university in 1993 as an assistant professor of economics and has since held several senior leadership positions, including interim chancellor and interim assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs. Altogether, she brings 19 years of executive leadership experience and 33 years of service at UH Mānoa.

“Dr. Konan is an accomplished academic leader whose deep understanding of UH Mānoa and unwavering commitment to our students, faculty and staff make her exceptionally well suited for this role,” Syrmos said. “As we prepare for the fall semester and continue advancing our vision for UH Mānoa as a premier global public flagship university, I am confident her experience, collaborative leadership and dedication to academic excellence will help move the campus forward.”

Interim provost kuleana (responsibilities)

As interim provost, Konan will oversee the university’s academic enterprise, including enrollment management and student success, and the development of key performance indicators for UH Mānoa’s new strategic plan.

“It is an honor to serve UH Mānoa in this capacity,” Konan said. “I look forward to working alongside our faculty, staff, students and campus leadership to strengthen academic excellence, expand opportunities for student success and build on the many strengths that make UH Mānoa a world-class university. Together, we will continue advancing our mission of education, research and service for Hawaiʻi and the broader Pacific region.”

An internationally recognized economist, Konan has conducted research and consulted on international trade and economic policy throughout Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. She has served as a consultant to the World Bank, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Arab League and multiple national governments. She is also president of the Hawaiʻi Asia Pacific Institute and the Northeast Asian Economic Forum.

In addition to her leadership of the College of Social Sciences, Konan is an Economic Advisor to the Republic of Palau for the U.S. Department of Interior and a research fellow with the UH Economic Research Organization.

Details on a search for a permanent provost will be announced at a later date.

Student innovators at the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) showcased their business evolution during a PACE Entrepreneurs event in July. Program organizers emphasized that the core objective was helping participants transition their projects forward.

“If the students came in here with an idea, the goal was to launch a minimum viable product (the most basic version of a new product),” said PACE Entrepreneur-in-Residence Jeff Hui. “If you had a product, the goal was to get customers. Everyone was supposed to get to the next phase, and everyone accomplished that.”

PACE is a unit of the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa that coordinates and offers educational opportunities for entrepreneurship, innovation and commercialization to students at all 10 campuses throughout the UH system.

Recent UH Mānoa marketing graduate Keʻalohilani Bloom, founder of Brightness of Heaven Co., said, “With this program, I was able to go from just an LLC (limited liability corporation) with no products or designs to the end where I could launch my products.”

Featured student ventures

• Brightness of Heaven Co.
  Bloom’s venture bridges the gap between mature, premium, versatile style and Christian apparel. Reflecting on her time in the program, Bloom noted her progression from having a non-functional website to debuting 11 products.
• KaiFeed Hawaii
  Sarah Benimana, a PhD student in tropical plant and soil science who is also pursuing a master’s degree in urban and regional planning, introduced this agricultural recycling concept. She was struck by how much imported food ends up in local landfills, while local livestock and aquaculture industries struggle with mainland feed costs. Her venture has already secured small-scale production equipment and a manufacturing space at the Wāhiawa Value-Added Product Development Center.
• Kumulink
  Business students Macy Ferguson and Sophia Franco developed Kumulink to streamline the fragmented systems used to monitor Individualized Education Plans for special education students within the Hawaiʻi Department of Education. The team highlighted that special education teachers currently navigate four to five systems to document data, communicate with families and track progress. Kumulink has established an active data-sharing agreement draft with the Maui complex area and aims to initiate a school pilot program this academic year.



• Orchid Mantis Flowers
  Dounya Bilal introduced her bespoke floral studio, Orchid Mantis, which focuses on artistic custom installations, and community workshops. Moving away from a background in architecture, Bilal generated $4,000 in seasonal sales and secured an upcoming installation layout for a local fashion show.
• Studi Bunni
  Studi Bunni is a live task-management and productivity web application featuring interactive dress-up elements, micro-breaks and journaling features tailored to alleviate academic stress. The developer, Tawanza Farmer, shared that before entering the cohort, the project had stalled at the wireframe (early layout) stage. Gaining structural motivation from PACE peers, Farmer successfully finalized studibunni.info.
• Tesray Technologies
  Gray Stetcher presented Tesray Technologies, an AI workflow automation company executing specialized digital receptionist and onboarding tools for professional practices. Stetcher explained that while Tesray’s software logic applies to multiple spaces, market research led to targeting legal practices, since law firms demonstrated immediate operational interest and a strong willingness to pay for administrative time-saving solutions.

Organizers praised the summer cohort’s high productivity and outcomes. A larger collective showcase featuring these teams, alongside alumni and new groups, is tentatively scheduled for December.

In July, Gov. Josh Green signed a bill (SB 2907, Act 186) that lays the groundwork for cohesive management of Hawaiʻi’s blue economy—centralizing marine affairs oversight and formally designating the state as a hub for ocean innovation and stewardship. The bill transforms the Marine Affairs Advisory Committee, which has several University of Hawaiʻi members, into the new state Marine Affairs Governing Board; and re-establishes the position of Marine Affairs Coordinator.

“John Craven was the first and, to date, only State of Hawaiʻi Marine Affairs Coordinator,” said Dave Karl, UH Mānoa oceanography professor and director of the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education in the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) who has been the chair of the Marine Affairs Advisory Committee since Earth Day 2024 and attended the bill signing.

“The re-establishment of this key leadership position is timely and important,” he said. “A key goal is to support marine research and education, and to promote novel blue economy partnerships throughout the state and across the Pacific basin. UH is well-positioned to contribute to this new marine vision.”

Sustainable use of resources, preservation of ecosystems

As shared in the press release, Hawaiʻi’s “blue economy” is defined by the sustainable use of ocean and aquatic resources to support economic growth and job creation, in turn ensuring the preservation of essential marine ecosystems. Hawaiʻi stands as a national leader, driven by its unique position as the only U.S. island state in the Pacific and its long-standing cultural, economic and scientific ties to the ocean.

“SOEST is deeply committed to advancing Hawaiʻi’s blue economy by integrating world-class research with education in ways that strengthen student engagement, expand workforce opportunities, and accelerate innovation,” said SOEST Dean Chip Fletcher. “Our responsibility is not only to generate new knowledge, but to apply those discoveries to improve the resilience and well-being of Pacific communities.”

As shared in the Governor’s office press release, “a centralized office allows the state to focus its efforts on advancing Hawaiʻi’s blue economy while eliminating the fragmented approach of the previous system.”

For more information, see SOEST’s website.

UH Mānoa’s Center for Japanese Studies (CJS) has received a transformative $3 million gift from the estate of philanthropist Ina Goodwin Tateuchi.

“Ina always wanted to build bridges between Japan and America,” said James Hurdelbrink, president of the Tateuchi Foundation. “She’d be glad to know that the work will continue and is in good hands.”

The gift will ensure the Center for Japanese Studies continues to foster the study of Japan across academic disciplines. “We are profoundly grateful to the estate of Ina Goodwin Tateuchi for providing this vital contribution, which will allow the Center to remain a vibrant hub for academic programming concerning Japan,” said Peter Arnade, dean of the UH Mānoa College of Arts, Languages & Letters.

Supporting the next generation of scholars and Hawaiʻi’s Japan-ready workforce

The gift establishes the Tateuchi Memorial Endowed Scholarship fund that will provide essential support to select undergraduate students at UH Mānoa who are pursuing Japanese language majors or Asian studies with a focus on Japan. Additionally, the scholarship is open to students in other disciplines who demonstrate a strong interest in Japanese studies within their major.

“Our Center for Japanese Studies is the coordinating center for everything relating to Japanese studies at UH Mānoa,” said Mark Levin, CJS director and professor at UH William S. Richardson School of Law. “Undergraduates represent the foundation for everything we do. This scholarship award will provide to multiple recipients coverage for full-tuition and related expenses, fostering workforce development for the state and populating the academic community across disciplinary boundaries into the future.”

“This extraordinary endowment enables our undergraduate students to focus on their education as they develop advanced Japanese language skills and the multi-cultural fluency that UH Mānoa is known for in Japanese studies,” said Joan Pan, CJS associate director. “We are excited for this opportunity to build upon our existing foundation of over 100 years of Japanese studies in the university’s history since Dr. Tasuku Harada arrived in Honolulu from Japan in 1920.”

A century of Japanese studies

UH Mānoa has been engaged with Japanese studies for more than a century. In 1920, the university appointed Tasuku Harada, the former president of Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, as its first professor of Japanese studies, helping pioneer the academic study of Japan in American higher education. Today, UH Mānoa offers one of the nation’s most comprehensive Japanese studies programs, with courses spanning language, history, politics, law, religion, literature, and the arts.

Learn how this historic gift echoes a pivotal moment in the Center’s history and shapes its future.

Equipped with cutting-edge marine robotics, hyperspectral imagers and aerial drones, five University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Marine Option Program (MOP) alumni reunited aboard the R/V Searcher in June for a 22-day expedition into Papahānaumokuākea. Their mission was to deploy advanced autonomous systems to combat an invasive macroalgae called Chondria tumulosa.

The expedition highlights the impact of UH’s 50-year-old undergraduate program, proving how MOP produces scientists, engineers and leaders who work fluently across disciplines, agencies and oceans.

“We have a unique opportunity to work with brilliant marine roboticists to develop tools to help combat one of Hawaiʻi’s most mysterious and potentially devastating marine macroalgae species, Chondria tumulosa,” said Chief Scientist Keolohilani H. Lopes Jr., a MOP alumnus and UH Mānoa natural resources and environmental management PhD candidate.

High-tech tools, interagency collaboration

The voyage brought together diverse expertise to monitor and protect fragile ecosystems. Three advanced marine robotic packages—equipped with computer vision cameras, a hyperspectral imager and an environmental DNA (eDNA) profiler—were provided by Matthew Dunbabin’s lab at Queensland University of Technology. Meanwhile, PhD student Anna Baker Mikkelsen of the Climate Resilience Collaborative (CRC) led aerial mapping of Sand Island at Kuaihelani (Midway) using a drone.

Shellie Habel, a coastal geologist with the CRC and UH Sea Grant College Program, served as primary drone pilot for aerial mapping. At Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll), the team conducted aerial operations over shallow reef flats to supplement in-water surveys of macroalgae. The team also evaluated shoreline changes at Tern Island and East Island of Lalo (French Frigate Shoals) to support research led by Sara Kahanamoku and Haunani Kane at UH Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST).

Decades of trust, leadership

Crucial permit compliance, field safety, and historical context were overseen by MOP alumnus Jason Leonard, Marine Operations Coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary. Leonard, who has visited the sanctuary for more than 25 years, credited MOP and its Quantitative Underwater Ecological Surveying Techniques field program with preparing exceptional marine field personnel.

UH Mānoa MOP Coordinator Jeff Kuwabara also served as expedition photographer.

“What made this expedition possible wasn’t just funding or equipment,” Kuwabara said. “It was a network of trust built over decades, by people who trained together, dove together, and learned to work across disciplines before they ever had professional titles. That network is MOP‘s quiet legacy: not a single discovery or expedition, but a generation of professionals who know how to collaborate because they were taught to from the start.”

The Culinary Institute of the Pacific (CIP) at Kapiʻolani Community College has opened applications for two advanced culinary courses focused on whole-animal butchery, smoking, curing and sausage making. The first-of-its-kind training is part of a Workforce Development Program partnership with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).

Applications are open through August 21. To learn more or apply, visit culinaryinstitute.hawaii.edu.

These five-day, hands-on training sessions are offered at CIP, and were developed specifically for Hawaiʻi’s culinary industry using ingredients and resources available in the state. Full tuition scholarships are available to help upskill Hawaiʻi’s culinary professionals without leaving the islands.

“Hawaiʻi is home to incredible culinary talent, and our goal is to expand opportunities for chefs to continue learning and growing without leaving the islands,” said Grant Itomitsu, Kapiʻolani CC Culinary Arts Department chair. “By bringing nationally recognized instructors together with our local culinary community, we’re giving chefs the advanced skills to grow their careers and strengthen their kitchens. This program helps advance more sustainable and ethical practices while shaping the future of regional cuisine.”

Cohort 23: Butchery & Whole Animal Utilization (Part 1)

• September 14–18, 2026: Participants will develop essential knife and fabrication skills while learning primal and sub-primal breakdown, nose-to-tail cooking and methods for improving yield and reducing waste.

Cohort 24: Smoke & Sausage: The Craft and Science of Preserving Meat (Part 2)

• September 21–25, 2026: Participants will explore the techniques behind smoking, curing, dehydration and sausage production by preparing jerky, fresh and cured sausages, and smoked meats.

Both cohorts are led by CIA chef educator George Shannon and nationally recognized butcher Bryan Mayer, a staff member and instructor at Kapiʻolani CC.

Applications are open through August 21. To learn more or apply, visit culinaryinstitute.hawaii.edu.

Eligibility and scholarships

Applicants must be 18 or older, a Hawaiʻi resident or active military member stationed in Hawaiʻi, and have at least three years of professional culinary experience. Scholarships, valued at $1,500, are funded by the Hawaiʻi Ag & Culinary Alliance (HACA) CIP x CIA Workforce Development Scholarship Fund and the State of Hawaiʻi.

To support this initiative through a charitable gift to the scholarship fund, contact HACA Vice President Aya Leslie at aya@hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com.

Research at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has identified the first known blacktip shark nursery habitat in Hawaiian waters, offering new insight into how young sharks use Hilo Bay during their earliest years.

The recently published study found juvenile blacktip sharks live in Hilo Bay year-round, with the highest activity from March through August. To track the sharks, researchers tagged juvenile blacktip sharks with acoustic transmitters and monitored their movements throughout Hilo Bay from July 2022 to January 2024.

The study’s results suggest that this population of blacktip sharks reside predominantly within Hilo Bay for the first few years of their life, and highlight the effect that environmental changes can have on this species’ habitat availability and movement patterns.

“Nursery habitats provide food and shelter while these young sharks are growing,” said Jason Turner, an associate professor of marine science at UH Hilo and co-author of the study. “When we think about humans impacting sharks we typically think about overfishing, bycatch or even taking sharks for their fins. What we often forget is that impacting their habitat can also be devastating whether that means increased development, maritime traffic, pollution, or the effects of climate change on an area like Hilo Bay.”

The study focused on oceanic blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus), one of two blacktip shark species found in Hawaiʻi. These blacktip sharks are not considered aggressive toward humans and bites are uncommon.

The research grew out of the thesis of then-UH Hilo graduate student Lauren Moe, who earned a master’s degree in tropical conservation biology and environmental science and is now a doctoral student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Moe co-authored the study with her thesis advisor, Turner, UH Hilo Professor Steven Colbert, and Jay Rooker and RJ David Wells (Texas A&M University at Galveston).

Bridging knowledge

The project blended Western science with Native Hawaiian knowledge, reflecting Turner’s commitment to weaving Indigenous practices into marine research.

“In the Hawaiian worldview, setting intention, acknowledging the entities of space and time, asking permission, offering hoʻokupu (ceremonial gifts), and expressing gratitude are rituals required of kānaka (Native Hawaiians) as part of a reciprocal exchange with the elements,” Turner said.

The cultural practices were developed with guidance from UH Hilo marine science alumna Roxane Keliʻikipikāneokolohaka, executive director of Kiaʻi Kanaloa, a network of Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners who care for marine animals. UH Hilo students received training in Native Hawaiian protocols before working with sharks in the field.

Researchers are now expanding their work to examine 15 years of shark and ray population trends in Hilo Bay.

Go behind the discovery, read more on UH Hilo Stories.

This week’s UH News Image of the Week is from UH Mānoa undergraduate and Office of Communications student worker Natasha Maafala during a visit to Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) on v in Kāneʻohe Bay.

Maafala and fellow Office of Communications student workers Liliana Okimoto and Emili Phomsouvanh had the opportunity to experience some of HIMB research—including young hammerhead shark—and educational outreach.

From the “living laboratory” of Hawaiʻi, HIMB advances fundamental research and develops new technologies to address the challenges facing Hawaiʻi, the Pacific, and the world’s oceans.

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A big mahalo to everyone who has sent in their images! If selected, they will be posted throughout the semester, so check back to see the amazing work, research and experiences of the UH ʻohana!

Want to get in on the action? The next UH News Image of the Week could be yours! Submit a photo, drawing, painting, digital illustration of a project you are working on, a moment from a field research outing or a beautiful and/or interesting shot of a scene on your campus. It could be a class visit during which you see an eye-catching object or scene.

• Send your image using a UH email address.

Please include a brief description of the image and its connection to your campus, class assignment or other UH connection. By submitting your image, you are giving UH News permission to publish your photo on the UH News website and UH social media accounts. The image must be your original work, and anyone featured in your image needs to give consent to its publication.

Inoa

—Name, term, title.

More ʻŌlelo of the Week

Check back for more ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

—Moanikeʻala Nabarro, Office of Communications, Ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Mānoa (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa)

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the UH Hilo Wehewehe Wikiwiki.

As Hawaiian language immersion schools across the state work to fill a critical teacher shortage, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is preparing the next generation of educators through a program rooted in language, culture and community.

For 25 years, the Kahuawaiola Hawaiian and Indigenous Teacher Training Program has trained future kumu (teachers) through Hawaiian language instruction, extensive classroom experience and mentorship from a statewide network of graduates. The program has become a driving force in strengthening Hawaiian medium education and revitalizing ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language).

For candidate Tahiti Chong, the journey is deeply personal. She said her true calling as an educator crystallized when she became a mother.

“I knew that I wanted to raise my daughter in our ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.”

She aims to show keiki that subjects like math and science are inherently woven into traditional everyday practices.

“It’s a lot of looking back to move forward,” Chong said, explaining that she draws strength from seeing all her kuaʻana Kahuawaiola (older brothers and sisters from the program) who are now pillars in the lāhui (Hawaiian community), and “we want to make them and all of our ʻohana (family) proud.”

Learn more about inspiring Kahuawaiola candidates.

Many candidates said they began seeking a professional calling anchored in ancestral identity after attending the undergraduate Hawaiian studies program at UH Hilo’s Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language.

Read the full story in Kūkala Nūhou to learn how Kahuawaiola is addressing Hawaiʻi‘s teacher shortage while investing in the future of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) marked a major milestone impacting medical care in the state with its White Coat Ceremony in July. The students in the Class of 2030 boosted the school’s Service Commitment Scholarship Program, surpassing 500 years of committed physician service to Hawaiʻi.

The ceremony welcomed 77 incoming medical students, who donned the symbolic white coat marking their entry into the medical profession.

“We are already doing what we’ve dreamed of,” said medical student Gabriela Cruz-Mattos. “Through having the opportunity to focus on academics, to focus on serving our community, I think it’s not just about being able to have that financial support, but being able to have that support just as a community member. I’m just eternally grateful.”

Supporting future physicians

Launched in 2019, the Service Commitment Scholarship Program provides financial support to students who commit to practicing medicine in Hawaiʻi after completing their residency training. Supported by JABSOM and private donors, the program helps address the state’s physician shortage while reducing the financial burden of medical school.

JABSOM awarded about 12 to 13 service commitment scholarships annually during the program’s first several years. This year, the school awarded 21 scholarships, pushing the cumulative service commitment from all recipients beyond 500 years. The long-term impact is expected to be even greater, because many recipients were born and raised in Hawaiʻi and already planned to build their careers here.

For many students, the scholarship allows them to focus on their education while preparing to serve their communities.

Student Tyler Chock hopes to specialize in cardiothoracic surgery to help address cardiovascular disease, one of the leading causes of illness among Native Hawaiians.

“I’ve always wanted to pursue cardiothoracic surgery,” he said. “My biggest reason is that there’s such a huge disparity, and cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of morbidity in the Native Hawaiian population, so I really wanted to help my community reduce that.”

Preparing physicians who remain in Hawaiʻi is central to the school’s mission.

JABSOM Dean Sam Shomaker added, “To the extent our graduates stay and practice medicine here, we’re doing our job and it’s really gratifying to see how many of our graduates wind up deciding to practice here and take care of the communities that raised them.”

Read more at JABSOM.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa women’s soccer team is heading to Maui for an exhibition match against Seattle University on Sunday, August 9. The contest is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at King Kekaulike High School in Pukalani.

Admission for the exhibition match is $5 per person. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Lahaina Memorial Project, which is dedicated to creating a memorial honoring the victims of the 2023 fire. The funds will also be directed to the Lahaina fire fund to continue helping with ongoing community recovery efforts.

Following the exhibition match, a free soccer keiki clinic will be held at 5:45 p.m. The clinic is open to boys and girls ages 5 to 14. Student-athletes from both the Rainbow Wahine and Seattle U will be on hand to work directly with the keiki. Waiver forms will need to be signed prior to anyone participating in the clinic activities.

Learn more about the event at HawaiiAthletics.com.

An ancient glass shard. A mural painted thousands of miles from home. A ceremonial headband passed through generations.

These objects tell stories that stretch across generations and oceans in The Ocean That Remembers, a new digital exhibition created through the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) and its Asia-Pacific Museum Exchange (APME) program.

“The APME program was designed to introduce the cohort to museum experts based at cultural institutions in Hawaiʻi as well as museum educators affiliated with the National Park Service,” said APME program director Teri Skillman. “A regional need exists both to upgrade the Asia-Pacific region’s national and provincial museums and to build a network across the Pacific.”

Stories that span oceans

Among the featured stories is a fragment of Egyptian Roman glass discovered in a burial site in Palau. Researchers traced it to an Egyptian workshop, revealing trade connections that linked distant cultures centuries before modern navigation.

Other stories focus on living traditions. Dissa Aruna Makalingga, collections manager at Museum Affandi in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, tells the story behind The Wisdom of the East, the only mural completed during the lifetime of celebrated Indonesian artist Affandi. As Affandi’s great-grandson, Makalingga traveled to Hawaiʻi to see the mural for the first time at the East-West Center‘s Imin Center, joining only two other family members who have ever viewed it in person.

Building museum connections

Beyond creating the exhibition, participants exchanged ideas with museum experts in Hawaiʻi, shared preservation strategies and built a network that continues long after the program ends. The Asia-Pacific is home to about 1,800 cultures that often face similar challenges preserving their heritage, including limited resources and climate impacts. By sharing knowledge and best practices, APME helps museum professionals protect and tell the stories of their communities.

Visitors can explore the exhibition through APME‘s new website, where each story reveals how history lives not only in museum collections, but also in the people and communities who continue to care for them.

APME provides professional development for early- and mid-career museum professionals from small and medium-sized museums and cultural centers across Island Southeast Asia and the western Pacific, helping them strengthen museum practices while building lasting partnerships across the region.

The APME Program is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Heritage Center in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and conducted through the Hawaiʻi-Pacific Islands Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit CESU; TA# P24AC000688.

—by Julia Liu

When Vivian Legaloimoe Ho Ching was named first runner-up in the 2026 Miss American Samoa contest, she added another remarkable achievement to a journey already defined by service, leadership and dedication to her community.

A recent graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, Ho Ching is the first student to complete the Master of Social Work (MSW) online program while residing in American Samoa. Her accomplishment highlights the importance of creating pathways that allow students to pursue advanced degrees while remaining in their home communities.

My journey has always been about giving back to the community that has shaped me.
—Vivian Ho Ching

“Vivian represents the very best of what is possible when educational opportunity, cultural identity and community service come together,” said Theresa Kreif, director of Pacific Partnerships and Workforce Development Initiatives. “Her success demonstrates that students can pursue advanced education while remaining connected to their families and cultural values.”

“Increasing access to our online social work programs allows students throughout the Pacific to pursue a high-quality education without having to leave the communities they plan to serve,” said Meripa Godinet, associate dean of the Thompson School. “Vivian’s achievement demonstrates how accessible educational pathways can prepare local professionals, strengthen the regional social service workforce, and create lasting benefits for families and communities. Her accomplishment also honors the social work alumni connected to American Samoa who came before her, whose service, leadership, and commitment helped establish a strong foundation for future generations of social workers.”

A commitment to service

For Ho Ching, both her education and her pageant role are grounded in a commitment to service. While completing her MSW field internship at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in American Samoa, she provided support to veterans and their families, developing skills grounded in Pacific values.

“My journey has always been about giving back to the community that has shaped me,” said Ho Ching. “Earning my MSW while remaining in American Samoa allowed me to stay connected to my culture and grow as a professional.”

As first runner-up in the Miss American Samoa contest, Ho Ching serves as a cultural ambassador, advocating for issues important to Pacific communities. Her social work background reinforces this role, emphasizing advocacy, social justice, and community wellbeing.

“I see both social work and the pageant experience as opportunities to uplift others,” she said. “Both are rooted in listening to people and working to create positive change.”

Ho Ching’s success reflects the Thompson School’s broader commitment to strengthening the social service workforce throughout the Pacific. Her achievement serves as a model for future students, proving that advanced education can be pursued without leaving home, while bridging the gap between professional expertise and cultural stewardship.

Windward Community College and the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu have been recognized as some of the nation’s highest-performing institutions for student satisfaction. Both campuses have earned a place on the inaugural 2026 Student Voice Score (SVS) Honors List, released by higher education technology company EdSights.

The SVS Honors List recognizes the top-performing 20 percent of participating colleges and universities within each higher education sector, celebrating institutions that set the national standard for student experience and success. Windward CC ranked No. 2 overall among 2-year public institutions nationwide. The UH West Oʻahu ranked No. 9 among 4-year public institutions.

Delivering on mission

This recognition signals that UH campuses are delivering on their core mission to provide accessible, supportive and high-quality educational environments. According to the report, top-performing 2-year public institutions like Windward CC are providing access, affordability, flexible scheduling and dedicated support staff to help students balance school with work and family.

“The voice of our beloved students in this survey affirms how they flourish through the aloha and dedication of our faculty and staff who live our mission and values,” said Windward CC Chancellor Ardis Eschenberg. “Windward Community College is a magical place to learn and work because of our people.”

At 4-year public institutions like UH West Oʻahu, students highly value approachable faculty, relevant coursework, strong campus communities and comprehensive student services, such as advising and counseling, the report said.

“It brings me great pride to see our campus celebrated through the voices of our own students,” said UH West Oʻahu Interim Chancellor Carlos Peñaloza. “This achievement reflects the dedication of our faculty and staff, and it affirms that student support and success are at the heart of everything we do at UH West Oʻahu.”

‘Where students can thrive’

The SVS benchmark is unique because it captures satisfaction directly from the students themselves at scale. The 2026 SVS Report analyzed feedback from more than 125,000 students attending 257 colleges and universities.

“At a moment when higher education is often thought of in the context of headlines about declining confidence and enrollment challenges, the Student Voice Score^® tells a more nuanced story—students are telling us that many colleges and universities are delivering exceptional experiences,” said Carolina Recchi, co-founder and co-CEO of EdSights. “The institutions recognized on this year’s Honors List have distinguished themselves by listening to students, responding to their needs, and creating environments where students can thrive.”

Under a five-year contract, EdSights has provided each UH campus with a proactive AI chatbot designed to check in with students, connect them to resources and provide valuable insights into student needs. The initiative is part of a systemwide student success strategy to create a “common standard of care” for UH students across the state.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo women’s golf team ranked No. 23 for team GPA across all NCAA Division II women’s golf programs for the 2025–26 school year, with a 3.681 GPA.

The achievement for the 2025–26 school year was announced by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.

The 2025–26 Pacific West Conference Champions were the only PacWest Conference team to land inside this year’s top 25, and also placed No. 23 in last year’s rankings.

2025–26 UH Hilo women’s golf honorees

• Kieran Florino
• Kiara Kimata
• Trinity Ledgerwood
• Kailee McKee
• Elle Otani
• Kiersten Saludares
• Jaylen Wan
• Erica Yokomoto

Read more at hiloathletics.com.

Hawaiʻi faces a severe shortage of mental health specialists qualified to diagnose and support individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities, often resulting in long wait times for evaluations and delays in accessing critical services. To help address this growing need, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has appointed internationally recognized clinical psychologist and autism researcher Meghan Miller to lead its Center on Disability Studies (CDS).

A leading expert in the early identification of autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Miller will strengthen the center’s efforts to train more specialists, expand access to services and support, and advance research that improves outcomes for individuals with disabilities and their families.

“Hawaiʻi has incredible strengths in its communities and its commitment to supporting people with disabilities. At the same time, there is also a growing need for more trained professionals and greater access to services,” said Miller, who was appointed this year. “The Center on Disability Studies is uniquely positioned to bring together research, education and community partnerships to help build that workforce and ensure individuals with disabilities and their families have the support they need throughout their lives.”

The need for that work continues to grow. Autism diagnoses have risen dramatically nationwide—from about 1 in 110 children in 2006 to approximately 1 in 31 today. Miller said expanding Hawaiʻi‘s workforce of trained specialists and increasing access to evidence-based services are critical to advancing CDS‘s mission of improving the lives of people with disabilities and their families across the state.

July also marks Disability Pride Month and is celebrated worldwide to honor the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law on July 26, 1990.

Research, training and community impact

CDS was established in 1987 as Hawaiʻi‘s federally funded University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. The center is part of a national network that conducts research, provides professional training and partners with communities to improve opportunities for people with disabilities across the lifespan.

Each year, CDS, which is part of the UH Mānoa College of Education, collaborates with state agencies, schools, health care providers and community organizations to provide technical assistance, workforce training and community-based programs. Its initiatives focus on education, early intervention, and employment and community living, serving thousands of individuals and families throughout Hawaiʻi, including Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and other historically underserved communities.

Expert takes CDS helm

Under Miller’s leadership, the center is working to strengthen interdisciplinary research, expand training opportunities for future educators and service providers, and pursue additional external funding to increase Hawaiʻi‘s capacity to meet the growing demand for disability services.

Miller brings nearly two decades of experience in neurodevelopmental disabilities research and practice. Her work has advanced understanding of the earliest signs of autism, developmental trajectories and early intervention, with findings published in leading scientific journals. She has also received national recognition for her research, including honors from the International Society for Autism Research and the Association for Psychological Science.

“Dr. Miller is an exceptional scholar whose research has helped shape our understanding of autism and early childhood development,” said College of Education Dean Nathan Murata. “Just as important, she shares the College of Education’s commitment to turning research into meaningful outcomes for Hawaiʻi families and communities while strengthening efforts to prepare future educators and service providers.”

UH President Wendy Hensel, who has spoken about the importance of disability inclusion in higher education, brings a personal perspective shaped in part by her experience as a parent and disability rights attorney.

“I know firsthand how critical early diagnosis and access to services can be for children and their families,” Hensel said. “Too many families in Hawaiʻi face long waits because we simply do not have enough specialists to meet the need. Dr. Miller’s leadership will help UH expand that workforce and improve access to life-changing support. This is exactly what a public university should do, apply its expertise to address Hawaiʻi‘s greatest challenges and improve the lives of the people we serve.”

Since the first major bleaching event in 1996, Hawaiian corals have been subject to increasing heat stress and more prevalent bleaching events. New research from oceanographers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa used high-resolution modeling that includes small-scale processes to examine projected heat stress on coral reefs over the 21st century. Comparing this heat stress to previous estimates of the rate at which corals may adapt to changing conditions, the authors found that Hawaiian corals have the possibility of adapting to future heat stress, even under a high emissions scenario.

“Our research shows that Hawaiian corals may be exposed to unprecedented human-induced heat stress in the coming decades,” said Kate Feloy, lead author of the study, who conducted this work as part of her doctoral research in the Department of Oceanography in the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST). “However, our results also provide some surprising hope that Hawaiian corals may be able to adapt to increasing temperatures.”

Feloy and co-authors used high-resolution ocean simulations, run under three different climate emissions scenarios. The modeling approach accounts for small-scale processes and can reveal important spatial patterns in local warming. This is the first time this type of high-resolution climate projection has been used to assess future heat stress around the main Hawaiian islands.

Differences across the island chain

Coral reefs have high cultural and economic value and are a critical source of food and coastal protection in Hawaiʻi. This study provides projected heat stress not just for the region as a whole but examines differences across and between individual islands. The team’s results show that not all coastal locations are projected to experience human-induced climate change at the same rate. They found that corals around Hawaiʻi Island are projected to experience higher heat stress than the other islands.

“The differences in warming are caused by complex ocean dynamics on small spatial scales in the waters around Hawaiʻi,” Feloy said. “These dynamics change the spatial patterns of human-induced coastal warming. Because of the spatial differences in projected heat stress, the rate at which corals will need to adapt in order to keep pace with increasing temperatures varies around the islands.”

For more see SOEST’s website.