May
The SOFT-er Side of Monsanto
5/16/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 The 1st Monsanto Graduate Fellowships have been awarded. All 18 applicants had excellent academic records with a strong commitment to plant sciences and plant protection; in fact, the quality of the applicants receiving the awards was such that an exception was made to the procedures to allow for 5 awards instead of the 2 originally intended. Interestingly, Monsanto, known for its work in biotechnology, has funded a student who heads the Student Organic Farm Training (SOFT) program on campus, Gabriel Sachter-Smith, (MS student, TPSS, pictured). His award is for 1 year. Other fellowships were awarded to Jay Bost (PhD student, TPSS) for 3 years, David Lingenfelser (MS student, TPSS) for 2 years, Kishore Dey, (PhD student, PEPS) for 1 year, and Roshan Manandhar, (PhD student, PEPS) for 1 year. Another round of Monsanto Fellowships will be awarded in the 2013–2014 academic year—the announcement and call for applications for these will be released in September of this year.
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Help in the Struggle
5/16/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 COF has just released the final Hawai‘i Community Stabilization Initiative: Socioeconomic Trends, 2007–2011 data report, by Ivette Stern and Sarah Yuan, as part of an initiative to help those struggling to access the help available to them. This is the update of an indicator report released last year, with additional trend data analysis. This report focuses more on socioeconomic trends during the recession and recovery and presents new data on low-income and other vulnerable families during the economic downturn, showing that though there has been improvement in some trends, many are still having trouble keeping financially afloat. For instance, the report shows that while Hawai‘i has been hit less hard in terms of unemployment than the nation as a whole, certain segments of the population are still disproportionately at risk, including young single parents and those without high school diplomas.
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Number the Stars
5/16/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 The Awards Banquet by the numbers: 24th Annual, with over 500 guests attending, 16 sponsor commitments made, 15 awards given, 33 scholarship recipients recognized, 5 educational and entertaining videos shown, and $35,000 raised for the Mary and Marie Blanco Scholarship Fund, the amount needed to turn the fund into a permanent endowment to benefit CTAHR students. Getting to make merry with friends and colleagues, eat great food, and haggle over the gorgeous CTAHR-grown and -arranged centerpieces? Unquantifiable.
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Greens Harvest
5/16/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Noelani School’s first-grade students, who had been nurturing gardens at the Magoon Teaching and Research Facility all semester under the guidance of SOFT volunteers, were finally able to harvest the fruits of their labors recently: kale, cabbage, carrots, and much more. Who knew leafy greens could be so much fun?
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Sharing the Experience
5/1/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 We know what to expect from Scot Nelson’s Plant Disease publications: thrills, chills, and sporulating uredinia, along with a lot of helpful, down-to-earth advice on keeping our green friends at their healthiest. But Scot’s taking it beyond that, now: he has invited the best and brightest of his students to co-author publications with him, giving a useful account of some problematic diseases and allowing the students to get first-hand experience with the publication process. Check out “Blossom-End Rot of Tomato in Hawai‘i,” co-authored with Derek Ford and Alton Arakaki (Alton's an Extension agent, not a student, of course); “Root-Knot Nematodes on Cucurbits in Hawai‘i,” with Miriam Dorman; and “Boron Deficiency of Palms in Hawai‘i,” with Erik Patnude. You’ll discover the meaning of “sedentary endoparasitism,” find out why some palm trees look like they’ve been caught in a tornado, and be reassured that it’s perfectly safe to eat that unsightly half-necrotic tomato—though you probably won’t be able to sell it at a farmers’ market. And don’t forget “Cercospora Leaf Spot of Eggplant,” with Shikha Srivastava—if you’re like many of us who grow eggplant in your home garden, you can probably use it.
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For the Wetlands
5/1/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Bradley “Kai” Fox (MBBE)
was awarded a Program Development Grant award from the UH Sea Grant College
Program. These grants, which are awarded for extremely promising pilot studies
or proof of concept work, often later lead to other grants or act as
foundations for extramural grants from NSF, NIH, or other prestigious
institutions. Kai’s project is titled “Expanding Recirculating Off-Grid
Aquaponic Agricultural Capacity of Kakoo Oiwi in the Heeia Wetlands.” Congratulations, Kai!
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“Leveraging Partnerships for Profit”
5/1/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 The 2012 Hawaii Agriculture
Conference presented by the Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawaii will
take place on Sept. 20-21. Yes, that’s the same weekend as the Taste of the Hawaiian
Range; so if you can’t make it to the Big Island this year, console yourself
with this conference instead. Registration will open in early May; check the conference Web site for details. If you would like to be an
exhibitor at the tradeshow, please contact kim@agleaderhi.org for more
information.
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4-H Outreach
5/1/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Hawai‘i 4-H will have 500
or more volunteers visiting for the Western Regional 4-H Leaders' Forum on Mar.
21–24, 2013. The volunteers, leaders of 4-H clubs in their local communities,
will be looking to improve their ability to enrich the education of the 4-H
members in their home clubs and counties. Almost 100 different projects are
included in the 4-H program, so many CTAHRites will find it covers subject
matter on which they’re an expert. That being said, everyone is urged to
consider submitting a workshop proposal for the Forum, which will take place at
the Waikiki Marriott. Download the workshop proposal form here.
Questions? Please contact Gary Heusel at 956-9105 or HeuselG@ctahr.hawaii.edu, or get in touch with
one of the individuals listed on the form.
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Don't Cry Over Onion Virus
5/1/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 CTAHR’s Risk Management project will be offering a workshop on Iris Yellow Spot Virus on Friday, May 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. This virus, related to the devastating Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus, was first discovered on onions in Kula, Maui, in July 2010, was afterward found in ‘Ewa on O‘ahu in November 2011, and has recently been confirmed on green onions in Wai‘anae this April. The workshop will discuss symptoms, the insect vector, control strategies, insecticidal field evaluations, and spray coverage, and it will take place at the Katsu Kobashigawa Farm at 85-330 Wai‘anae Valley Rd. in Wai‘anae. Extension agents and specialists in virology, entomology, and IR4 (minor crop registration) will provide training, which will also be relevant to non-onion producers. The workshop is approved for 2.0 CEUs for categories Private 1, Commercial 1a and 10 by the HDOA—the assigned class number is 838, and remember to bring your valid pesticide card to the workshop if you want to receive credits. For more information, please contact Jari Sugano at 622-4185 or by email at suganoj@ctahr.hawaii.edu.
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Banquet Countdown
5/1/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 The Awards Banquet is this Friday, so get ready to have a great time at this sold-out event! Cheer on our awardees (including Outstanding Alumnus Paul Singleton, pictured), eat good food, and sing “Happy Birthday” to USDA on its 150th anniversary. This is a good excuse to leave work a skoshi bit early, because of course you’ll need to beat the rush-hour traffic to get there at 5:30 for the cash bar. Registration will be in the Hibiscus Ballroom, and you’ll get your table assignment there—let’s hope you’re sitting with some smart people, because you know there will be games! For more information, check out the Web site.
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April
Natural Style
4/24/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 APDM
students and the Duty Free Shops of Waikiki recently collaborated on a series
of “Inspired by Nature” events that promoted sustainability and showcased the
students’ design talents. Kitti Kurokawa, assisted by Kristen Domingcil and
Ashley Castro, and Ryan Hanaoka, assisted by Leslie Nilo and Jenna Sato,
created 2 exhibition mannequin designs constructed entirely from flowers, while
fashion stylists Rebecca Lin, Heide Torno, Kahea Montgomery, Hayley Hisaka, and
Amanda Adachi put together another fashion ensemble to exemplify the Inspired
by Nature DFS theme. Finally, Akihiko Izukura, an internationally renowned
textile artist from Kyoto, taught APDM designers Fiona Ng, Anna Tomita, Kate
Hooven, Mathew Gonzalez, Melissa Lee, Kathryn Stringer, and Felis Salas to dye
tubes of raw silk with local natural dyes from the lipstick tree, red dirt, and
turmeric to create garments with “zero waste” construction. These designers
will also be featured in the APDM Annual Fashion Show “Revolution” on Sunday,
Apr. 29, at 6:30 pm in front of Hawai‘i Hall and Varney Circle. There’s been
plenty of buzz about the eco-conscious collaboration: the local-fashionista blog Lei Chic
chose it for their Weekend Picks; Honolulu Pulse talked it up; and Honolulu Weekly featured it
under “Extras.” The event was orchestrated in keeping with DFS’s
2012 theme, but it was so successful that longterm and future collaborations
are planned.
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Web of Science Mentorship
4/24/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 The first
Science Mentoring Grant awarded to Hawai‘i 4-H, for $82,000, was granted an
extension and $27,000 additional funding to add a site in Hilo, after having
also been awarded an additional $41,000 to extend the program to military 4-H
members and $41,000 to bring it to Native Hawaiian audiences, bringing the
program’s total funding to $191,000. This science mentoring program has
successfully engaged teens from across the state: after they learn with
faculty, staff, and students on the Manoa campus, they are prepared to go back
to their communities to mentor their peers and younger members.
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A Goal Achieved
4/24/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 The CTAHR
Alumni Association has been working for years to raise the minimum
funds—$35,000—necessary to endow a scholarship. CTAHRAA is excited to announce
that they have finally reached their goal and will be able to begin offering
the first CTAHR Alumni Association Endowed Fellowship to help a deserving
student afford their education at CTAHR. Here Sylvia Yuen (left); Susan Yasuda,
President of the CTAHR Alumni Association and Friends; and Diane Chung,
Treasurer of CTAHRAA and Friends and former Assistant Professor in APDM
(right), are shown signing the necessary documentation. The Association offers
a big mahalo to those who made this dream a reality.
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Mentorship Has Its Privileges
4/24/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Eight CTAHR faculty overcame
major online registration challenges and managed to volunteer as judges in the
55th Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair, April 2-4, at the Hawai‘i
Convention Center. Clyde Tamaru (MBBE) joined Governor Abercrombie as a keynote
speaker at this year’s Fair, speaking about the history of the land-grant
college system and the value of mentorship to hundreds of Hawai‘i’s best and
brightest middle- and high-school students. On behalf of all campuses in the UH
system that offer academic programs in food, agriculture, and natural resource
management, CTAHR presented a $500 award to Summer Mundon, an 11th grader at
St. Andrew’s Priory, who performed research under the mentorship of Jonathon
Deenik and the late Goro Uehara as well as Priory teacher Michael Grech and
researchers from the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute. Summer’s project, titled
“The Effects of Biochar as an Amendment to a Tropical Soil,” may one day help
to convert organic wastes into valuable soil amendments to improve infertile
and degraded soils and to sequester carbon. The CTAHR Alumni Association also
presented $100 awards to 2 high school students.
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Garden Guru
4/24/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 A new book
on the life and work of Fortunato Teho, UH distinguished graduate honoree and
UH Specialist Emeritus in Agricultural Publication and Information, has been
published by his granddaughter Corinne Villa-Riese (pictured in her garden) and
her husband Ted Riese. Mr. Teho was the College of Tropical Agriculture’s
public information specialist from 1948 to 1973 and was Hawai‘i’s best-known
garden columnist and radio/TV for 3 decades. He was also the first Filipino
American to graduate from the UH—in 1927, at age 19. Fortunato Teho’s Hawaii
Gardens is based
on a book Mr. Teho was working on but hadn’t completed; Corinne discovered her
grandfather’s notes in a box of memorabilia. His advice on fighting pests
without chemicals, soil nutrition and watering, vegetables for ornamental (as
well as edible) uses, and many other sustainable practices is as valuable today
as it was when he first was imparting advice as a pioneer garden writer.
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Maria Gallo
4/24/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 It's official: CTAHR's new dean has been chosen. Dr. Maria Gallo, presently chair of the Agronomy Department of the University of Florida-Gainesville, heads a research program looking into tropical energy and agronomic crops and has founded pioneering programs researching sugarcane biotechnology. Other areas of interest include improving undergraduate teaching and graduate education, and creating a nexus for researchers in the life sciences and social sciences. She will begin her new duties on July 16, taking over for Sylvia Yuen, who has led the college as interim dean for two years with energy and vision. Mahalo, Sylvia, and welcome, Maria Gallo!
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High-Tech Dietetics
4/18/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Corilee Watters (HNFAS) has
been awarded an Informatics Education Program Grant from the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics. The grant enables those who work at the interface of
healthcare and information technology to become knowledgeable in biomedical and
health informatics; Corilee plans to use this information to incorporate the
technology of electronic medical records (EMR) into classes she teaches in the
Dietetics curriculum, including Nutrition Assessment and Medical Nutrition
Therapy.
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Who's Got Cred?
4/18/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 CTAHR’s dietetics program
was officially notified that it has received full accreditation from the
national Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
(ACEND), Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). The decision was based on
peer review of the self-study report submitted by director Anne Shovic (left),
and on the findings of the ACEND site evaluators, Nora K. Nyland, PhD, RD
(middle), and Maxine C. McElligott, MA, RD (2nd from left). The program
accreditation period is for 10 years. Thank you to all who participated in this
successful venture. Also pictured are Chef Mark Segobiano (HNFAS, 3rd from left), Corilee
Watters (HNFAS, 3nd from right), Mele Fernandez, RD (2nd from right), and Doug Vincent (HNFAS, right).
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For the Love of Olives
4/18/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 CTAHR’s Risk Management
Hawai‘i and the Local & Immigrant Farmer Education (LIFE) Program are
partnering with Hawai‘i County’s Department of Research and Development to
offer a presentation by Kacie Ho (HNFAS graduate) and Wayne Iwaoka (HNFAS) on
growing, harvesting, and processing Spanish olives on Tuesday, Jun. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. There will be a
tasting of different Spanish olive oils at 6 p.m., and the talk will start at 7. The presentation will take place at the Waimea Civic Center
conference room at 67-5189 Kamamalu Rd., Kamuela, on the Big Island. Please call Didi at the Kamuela Cooperative Extension Service at
887-6183 or email mddiaz@hawaii.edu to reserve your spot and get last-minute updates.
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Eat With the Elite
4/18/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 The 24th Annual Awards Banquet is less than 2 weeks away, and you can help to make it
a success…the more, the merrier! Mix and mingle with good friends while
celebrating and recognizing CTAHR’s distinguished awardees. The
banquet will take place the evening of May 4 at the Ala Moana Hotel’s Hibiscus
Ballroom. Co-MCs are Derek Kurisu, CTAHR alumnus and executive vice-president
of KTA Super Stores (pictured with Sylvia Yuen at last year's banquet), and Kacie Ho, outstanding student leader in HNFAS and
CTAHR student ambassador. New this year is the Dean’s recognition of
generous donors to the college in coordination with the University of Hawai‘i
Foundation. Register here by Apr. 18 and get more information on
CTAHR’s honorees, student scholarship recipients, student research symposium
awardees, and more. Questions? Call 956-2405 or email events@ctahr.hawaii.edu.
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Easter Service
4/18/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 As part of a community
service project, members of the Hilo Rain Makers 4-H Club held an Easter Egg
Hunt for area Cloverbud members and their young siblings. The event, held in
the courtyard at the Komohana Research & Extension Center, drew about 30
youth from 3 to 8 years old. Not only did the participants get to hunt Easter
eggs; they also decorated an Easter basket; made an edible bird’s nest with
Peeps marshmallow chicks; and played egg toss games, pin the tail on the
rabbit, and the “hopping down the bunny trail” sack race. Check out
more pictures on the East Hawaii 4-H Facebook page.
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A Detective Story With a Happy Ending
4/18/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Ania Wieczorek (TPSS) and
her biotechnology outreach education team recently launched their first Saturday
Gene-ius Day. Over the last 5 years, the Gene-ius Day program has brought
thousands of Hawai‘i’s students to the University of Hawai‘i for scientific
educational field trips. During the Saturday Gene-ius Day event, over 50
students and parents participated in the “DNA Detectives” workshop, in which
they used DNA to solve an “out of this world” mystery. Students got a taste of
what it is to be a real scientist by working in a college laboratory on a
series of activities including DNA extraction. If you know someone who’d be
interested in attending a Saturday Gene-ius Day event, more “DNA Detectives”
workshops will be offered on May 5 on O‘ahu and on May 19 on Kaua‘i—limited seats are available for
elementary-aged students and their parents, so advance registration is required.
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Presenting the Pickleworm
4/9/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Rosalie Leiner, an MS student in PEPS, has won 2nd place in the Master’s Student Oral presentation competition at the recent Pacific Branch Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, which was held in Portland, Oregon. Rosalie is studying the host plant preferences of pickleworm, a pest of cucurbit crops in Hawai‘i. Logic would suggest they most prefer pickles, but since we’re not sure how logical worms are, we’re glad Rosalie’s looking into it.
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Purple People Pleaser
4/9/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 In keeping with the Operation: Military Kids nationwide initiative Purple Up!, CTAHR’s KiKi Yoshimoto, coordinator of OMK Hawai‘i, urges everyone in the state to wear purple on Friday, Apr. 13. Purple Up! has been created by OMK to recognize and salute the children of servicemembers, purple apparently being the color created when you mix Army green, Coast Guard blue, Navy blue, Air Force blue, and Marine red, and therefore designated as the color representing all the armed forces.
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Greening While Graying
4/9/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Andrew Kaufman (TPSS) and Linda Cox (NREM) are pictured here with Dr. Richard Jackson from UCLA after Dr. Jackson's recent presentation on how the design of our communities can boost sustainability by improving overall health and building a stronger connection to agriculture and the environment. We can also thank Pamela Kutara (FCS), who worked with AARP to sponsor this public presentation in order to help everyone understand this important concept.
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Ag at the Capitol
4/9/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 During the Spring Break, a group of dedicated CTAHRites took time away from lounging on the beach to participate in Ag Awareness Day at the State Capitol, where they demonstrated the range and importance of Hawai‘i’s agriculture to the state’s lawmakers. Ethel Villalobos and Scott Nishioka (PEPS) represented the CTAHR Honeybee Project, while Jensen Uyeda (TPSS) showed off the Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program. Also participating were Jayme Grzebik (TPSS), coordinator of the Master Gardener Program, and Master Gardeners Anna Yorba, Rick Chavez, Michele Tong, and Laura Mizumoto, as well as Miles Hakoda and Iwalani Sato representing OCS. Pictured are Sylvia Yuen, Ethel, Rep. Clift Tsuji, Scott, and Jensen.
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Get Down With the Dignitaries
4/9/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Our annual awards banquet is less than a month off, and preparations are well underway. Come help make the 24th banquet a success…the more, the merrier! Mix and mingle with good friends on the evening of May 4 in the Ala Moana Hotel's Hibiscus Ballroom as we celebrate and recognize CTAHR’s distinguished honorees, including Ka Pouhana Mentor awardee Ashley Stokes (HNFAS, pictured), APT awardee Ruth Niino-Duponte for her research support in PEPS, and Civil Service awardee Roger Corrales, farm manager at the Waimanalo Research Station. New this year is the Dean’s recognition of generous donors to the college in coordination with the University of Hawai'i Foundation. Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming weeks on CTAHR student scholarship recipients, student research symposium awardees, and winning videos from the CTAHR Student Entrepreneurial Competition hosted by CTAHR Academic and Student Affairs.
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CTAHR in Translation
4/2/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 A Chinese translation of
Chennat Gopalakrishnan’s book Water Institutions (Springer, 2005), cowritten with Asit Biswas and
Cecilia Tortajada, was published in January in Beijing. Also, the think piece
Gopal co-authored with Norio Okada
entitled “Reflections on Implementation Science” was published in the January
2012 issue of the Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research. Get back into academia after the break by picking
up one of these!
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Party With the Paragons
4/2/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 It’s not too late to
register for this year’s Awards Banquet, which will be held on May 4 at the Ala
Moana Hotel. Help make this event the most enjoyable and profitable the CTAHR
community has seen, while meeting with friends and colleagues, listening to MC
Derek Kurisu’s lively commentary, and applauding honorees for their
well-deserved awards. Cheer for Clyde Tamaru and his Excellence in Extension,
David Christopher (pictured) and his Excellence in Research, and Michael Cheang and his Excellence
in Teaching…and more!
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March
Fashionistas
3/26/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Congratulations to APDM majors Calisa Yun and Gabrielle Herrera-Davenport, who won the 2nd annual Bloom into Spring Styling Competition at Kahala Mall on Mar. 17. This is the 2nd win for an APDM student competing against one from the fashion program at HCC! Students work in teams of 2 to style 4 people using clothing and accessories supplied by Kahala Mall merchants. They must develop a theme for their models and consult on hair and makeup. Their creations are shown during a fashion show and judged by a panel of Hawai‘i’s fashion professionals. As winners, Calisa and Gabrielle will work with Honolulu Star-Advertiser fashion journalist Nadine Kam on a professional shoot.
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Blueberries for All
3/26/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Interested in growing blueberries? Risk Management Hawaii and the Local & Immigrant Farmer Education Program (LIFE) are presenting a Blueberry Field Day at the UHM-CTAHR Volcano Research Station on Tuesday, Apr. 3, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The field day will be hosted by Andrew Kawabata, Stuart T. Nakamoto, and Randy T. Hamasaki. Come by the station for an informal briefing and update of the research going on in greenhouse blueberry production; stay to simply talk story. Check out the different trials in progress, including the effect of pot size on yield and different blueberry varieties and pruning methods. You will also get a chance to sample some of the different blueberry varieties. The Volcano Research Station is situated less than 8 miles from the Volcano National Park, so vog can be extremely concentrated depending on the wind conditions. Please take necessary precautions and bring water. Please come prepared for rain and chilly weather too. You can call Didi at 887-6183 or email mddiaz@hawaii.edu to reserve your spot and to receive last-minute updates.
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Runner's Nutrition
3/26/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Joy Galloway, HNFAS graduate student (left), will be running the Boston Marathon as a fundraiser for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). She writes, “CCFA is the leading foundation promoting research and support for inflammatory bowel disease, and, because I have Crohn's disease, I'm especially grateful for CCFA!” She explains that it was having a gastrointestinal disease, in fact, that inspired her to study nutrition.
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A Fresh Face
3/26/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 The Center on the Family faculty and staff are proud to announce the launch of the redesigned COF Web site and Data Center, with a fresh, modern design and improved map and chart functions that aid in an effort to offer a wider variety of visual data presentations. Updated project descriptions and improved search capabilities for the publications are other new enhancements to the site. More updates to the Data Center are planned for the future—stay tuned!
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Pink Slime Is Fine
3/26/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Brent Buckley and Alan Tichenal (both HNFAS) were recently interviewed by KITV regarding the low-fat meat filler known as pink slime that’s been getting national attention. They reassured consumers of the product’s safety, explaining that the ammonia treatment that has everyone concerned is entirely harmless—but these facts may not stand a chance against the meat’s notorious moniker.
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Introduced Species That Are Better Than the Coqui
3/26/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 On March 8 and 9, the Maui Master Gardeners and Maui Coop Extension personnel Lorraine Brooks and Harold Keyser participated in the Ag in the Classroom field day at the Maui Tropical Plantation in Waikapu, giving a short course on the canoe plants of Hawai‘i to over 1,000 2nd-graders from Maui’s elementary schools. The 2nd-graders learned about the plants that the first Hawaiians brought with them and their different uses, including for food, shelter, tools, building, medicine, and ceremonies. When the Master Gardeners weren’t giving the presentation, they were busy dishing out samples of poi and taro chips for the kids to make a tasty connection with a canoe plant. A big mahalo to Master Gardener volunteers, including Tom Hunter, Joe Rozic, Charlotte Kennedy, Eliza Reid, Mary Jo Masters, Chris Wooding, Bev Rappley, Pam Miller, Lance Mohler, and Anne Keyser. The program is sponsored by the County of Maui and Maui County Farm Bureau; other presenters included Maui Electric Company, Alii Lavender Farms, Monsanto, and Slow Food Maui.
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Tapping a Vein of Support
3/26/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 CTAHR recently hosted its 8th blood drive, continuing its support for this important cause. This year, volunteers collected 91 pints of blood, including Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs Charles Kinoshita’s 100th pint donation. Since each pint of blood can be separated into three components, as many as 273 lives can be saved solely from donations collected at this drive! The Blood Bank and CTAHR truly appreciate the time and generosity of everyone who contributed to this successful event and gave the precious gift of life. Much mahalo to those who came out to donate blood. Thanks also to the CTAHR Alumni Association for the support and generous donation to supply pizza and refreshments for the drive, as well as to Elsie Kawahara and ASAO for providing baked goods. Thanks are due as well to the scholarship recipients who helped throughout the day and provided a positive and comfortable environment for those who came to donate.
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Spawning for Fun and Profit
3/19/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Clyde Tamaru (MBBE) will be offering a workshop on using Human
Chorionic Gonadotropin to control the maturation and spawning of fishes in
aquaponics and aquaculture on Saturday, Mar. 31, from 9:00 a.m.
to noon at Hale Tuahine (the former USDA Fruitfly Lab), 2727 Woodlawn Drive.
He’ll also discuss risk management for farmers. Since HCG requires a
prescription to use, a veterinarian, Dr. Michael Wong, from the UH Laboratory
and Animal Service will also be on hand to discuss the oversight necessary for
its purchase and distribution. For more information, you can call Clyde at
342-1063 or email him at ctamaru@hawaii.edu.
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Aquaponics for the Pacific
3/19/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Harry Ako
and David Walfish recently won the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference Pitch
for Change for the aquaponics project that they created in American Samoa. The
project, Ho‘oulu Pacific, combines a practical set-up combined with a financial
model to address what they identify as important problems in the Pacific
region: obesity, diabetes, unemployment, and emigration. David Walfish has
since been approached by representatives from several philanthropic
organizations considering donations to help set up the systems in other areas
of the world. He says, “I think aquaponics systems can do a lot of good in the
world!”
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Seeing the Forest and the Trees
3/19/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Rodolfo
Martinez Morales, NREM PhD graduate, has just had a chapter published in a book
entitled
Forest Ecosystems—More Than Just Trees. The chapter,
“Using Remotely Sensed
Imagery for Forest Resource Assessment and Inventory,” reviews ways to
use remote sensing technologies for forest management. They are especially
useful for determining tree canopy height and leaf area index, measures of a
forest’s biomass and productivity. Rodolpho’s advisors, Travis Idol and JB
Friday, whom he acknowledges in the chapter, can be proud of their former
student’s publishing success.
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Eat With Care
3/19/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Aurora
Saulo (HNFAS) was recently
featured in Business Mirror, the largest business newspaper in the Philippines,
discussing food allergies. She points out that what’s commonly called an
allergy is often just a sensitivity—a true allergic reaction is rarer and far
more serious. She emphasizes as well that the only way to avoid allergic
reactions is to avoid the foods that cause them—the idea of “desensitization,”
in which the allergic person is given tiny doses of the allergen in hopes that
they’ll build up a resistance to it, is “a very dangerous misperception,” she
says. So read (labels, that is) before you eat!
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Will Work for (Safe) Food
3/19/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Luisa
Castro (second from left) and Jim Hollyer were invited to the Big Island
recently to attend UH-Hilo’s “Local First” event at University Dining
Services. Local First is the initiative by food service provider Sodexo to
create meals from fresh local ingredients every day. Luisa and Jim met with
General Manager Bridget Awong (right) and Executive Chef Timothy Choo (second
from right) to discuss the need for more GAP (Good Agricultural
Practices)-certified farms from which Sodexo can purchase farm fresh produce.
Many of the farmers currently producing GAP-certified produce for Sodexo were
assisted by Jim and Luisa in helping them to achieve annual certification.
Luisa and Jim, along with Lynn Nakamura-Tengan, Vanessa Troegner, and Donna
Meyer, comprise CTAHR’s Farm Food Safety Coaching team. The team is working
statewide to help farmers learn about and employ GAPs and be ready for the
rollout of the US farmer part of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011.
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Parenting—Hana Hou
3/12/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Hi‘i Na
Kupuna Coalition, which supports grandparents parenting grandchildren on the
island of Maui, recently released their 2010–2011 Grandparents Raising
Grandchildren Needs Assessment Report. The report
provides background on the project, the needs assessment process and outcomes,
and the Coalition’s preliminary plans to address the needs identified. Maui News
also published an article on the group and its work. For more information about
the Coalition, please call Heather Greenwood at (808) 244-3242 ext 226 or email
her at heather.greenwood@hawaii.edu.
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Invaders From Down Under
3/12/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 TPSS and PEPS will be presenting
a special lecture by Professor Jaco Le Roux from the Center for Invasion
Biology, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Dr. Le Roux will speak on Wednesday, Mar. 14, at 3
p.m. in St. John 106 on “Human-mediated introductions of Australian acacias—a
global experiment in biogeography.” He will discuss the extremely
successful and at times invasive Australian acacia species in terms of the
genetic consequences of their movements and the reasons for their success, such
as their interactions with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. He points out that “the
impressive movement of Australian acacias globally makes them a promising
system for studying the ecology and evolutionary biology of plant invaders.”
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Allergies Away
3/12/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Ashley Stokes (HNFAS) was recently featured on KHON2 News, discussing the work she does with animals to investigate the mechanisms that cause allergic reactions. She points out that more and more research is being done to understand the allergic response and, hopefully, to mitigate or even prevent it. “We’re learning more and more how they occur,” she confirms...though there's no such thing as a peanut-allergy vaccine as yet.
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Doctor in the Making
3/5/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Nobuhisa Mormoto, who graduated from FSHN in Spring 2011, has been accepted into 3 medical schools in Japan and will be attending Tokyo Medical and Dental University. He received scholarships from CTAHR to pursue his education and credits his growth and success to his involvement in student activities and to caring faculty members—Dian Dooley, Alan Titchenal, Joannie Dobbs, Wayne Iwaoka (all HNFAS), and Harry Ako (MBBE)—who are “genuinely interested in students.”
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No Simple Solutions
3/5/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 The eternal battle between the original inhabitants and the interlopers. A study by Rebecca Cole (pictured), Creighton Litton, Michael Koontz (all NREM) and Rhonda Loh, published in Biotropica, looks at an area from which feral pigs were removed 16 years ago and argues that while native plant species did rebound when the pigs were removed, so too did invasive, non-native plants. The paper was highlighted in an article in Civil Beat that also featured an interview with Creighton, who points out that “this does not suggest that pigs are a viable management tool for controlling nonnative plant invasions.” That is, don’t put the pigs back. Rather, the paper suggests that invasive plant species need to be controlled in other ways, and further, that native species should be supported by outplanting.
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The Smell of (Phew!) Success
3/5/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
CTAHR and its partners rallied together to excite Hawaii’s youth on Feb. 10 at the O‘ahu Urban Garden’s annual Agriculture and Environmental Awareness Day. Exhibitors and presenters dazzled students with captivating displays representing real-life problems and concerns for Hawai‘i and the rest of the world. Among the presenters were two of Samir Khanal’s (MBBE) graduate students, Devin Takara (pictured, left) and Surendra K.C., who demonstrated the potential for bioenergy systems with their portable microbial fuel cell and anaerobic digestion setup. The microbial fuel cell served as the initial attention grabber, flashing an LED light powered by microbes in dirt, but it was the biogas display that really captured student interest. With the help of anaerobic sludge from Hawai‘i Kai’s wastewater treatment center, Devin and Surendra converted ordinary lawn grass from around CTAHR’s Gilmore Hall into combustible methane. The children stood back in awe as the biogas was carefully passed through a Bunsen burner and lit on fire. Amidst the astonished faces and smiles, one 5th-grade girl asked, “What’s that smell?” “That, my friend,” she was told, “is the smell of energy!”
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Keeping the Records Straight
3/5/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 The Risk Management Hawaii (RMH) and Local & Immigrant Farmer Education (LIFE) programs will be hosting the following workshops in the next week: Risk Management School’s Waimea Workshop Series #4 – Good Agricultural Practices, will be held in the Waimea Civic Center Conference Room on Tuesday, Mar. 7, from 5:30 to 7:30. Jim Hollyer and Luisa Castro, CTAHR’s on-farm food safety coaches, will explain and describe good agricultural practices necessary for growers to manage their legal and market risks. Contact Didi at 887-6183 or mddiaz@hawaii.edu to reserve your spot. A recordkeeping workshop will be held in Kona on Tuesday, Mar. 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Kona Extension Office Conference Room. Contact Didi at the above number or email address or Andrea at 322-4894 or andreak@hawaii.edu to get more information or to reserve a seat and receive a free recordkeeping workbook.
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Financial Acumen
3/5/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 FAMR majors Grace Houghton and Michelle Tanigawa recently won the LifeSmarts Challenge Quiz Bowl on personal finance and earned $250 scholarship prizes. This FAMR team, including alternate Jessica Kimbrough, had the highest scores on their knowledge of personal finance among the 4 teams competing this year, including contestants from Shidler, Key Club, and Resident Student Life. The team was mentored by Diane Masuo in the FAMR 361: Family Finance course. LifeSmarts Challenge is a consumer education program of the National Consumers League brought to Hawai‘i by the State of Hawai‘i Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs in partnership with the Hawaii Credit Union League. The Quiz Bowl was part of the 3rd annual UHM Financial Literacy Program sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Education as part of the UH Saves event. Pamela Chow, Cooperative Extension Services, FCS, provided leadership in organizing this financial literacy event.
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February
The Next Generation of Aquaponics
2/26/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Abe Kwan, a Mililani high school student mentored by Harry Ako (MBBE), won 3rd place overall in the Central Oahu District Science and Engineering Fair at Leeward Community College for his aquaponics project. Kent Kobayashi (TPSS) was the Biology head judge of the contest. Abe will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, PA, in April. Harry was also recently seen on Hawaii News Now with student Sean Short (pictured) explaining the principles of aquaponics and describing how home gardeners can set up their own systems—with a little help from Harry and Sean.
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A Rose Blooms in Pearl City
2/26/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 The O‘ahu Urban Garden Center recently unveiled the newest beauty spot on their verdant acreage, a rose garden established by the Honolulu Rose Society. The grand opening at the OUGC’s Second Saturday event included a blessing offered by Kahu Kanani Okuda. The rose garden has been 2 years in the making, and further developments are planned, including an area that could be available to the public for weddings. Ray Uchida, O‘ahu County administrator, was instrumental in the garden’s establishment, and the Pearlridge Rotary Club also offered their services in the initial digging and planting. This is the only rose garden on the island, and one of only two in the state. Read more about the grand opening and then go check out the garden itself!
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Artful Dodgeballers
2/26/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 CTAHR held its annual Spring Event on Feb. 17; eight dodgeball teams competed, and over 200 CTAHR students, faculty, and staff turned out for the traditional team costume/theme contest and dodgeball competition. Congratulations to NREM team “I’ll Tell You When You’ve Had Enough,” comprised of Mark Chynoweth, Mary Younkin, and Rafael Bergstrom (left to right) for sweeping both awards with their pro-wrestling garb and swift moves. Thanks also to the team costume/theme contest judges, team representatives, the Spring Event student committee, and to attendees, who donated a total of $400 to support a cause close to home: our CTAHR student organizations. Big thanks to Charlie Nelson, Ryan Kurasaki, and Chef Mark Segobiano and his students for helping to prepare the lunch that followed. A big mahalo is also due to the Kamehameha Lions Club for their generous donation of prizes.
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Keep Your Ginger Happy
2/26/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Commercial and backyard ginger growers are invited to a presentation on bacterial wilt of ginger given by Mike Shintaku and Norman Arancon of UH-Hilo CAFNRM on Mar. 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at UH-Hilo's Campus Center, Rm. 306. Presentations will also be given by Sharon Motomuran on DNA testing for bacterial wilt of ginger and on clean seed ginger production in the field by CTAHR's Bernie Kratky, Linda Cox, Ferol White, and Susan Miyasaka.
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Black Rose
2/26/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Rose fanciers looking to keep their plants in top shape will want to peruse Scot Nelson’s new publication, “Black Spot of Rose in Hawai‘i.” It offers all the information needed to keep this destructive and widespread fungus from overtaking the garden, including symptoms, disease management practices, and perhaps most importantly, lists of disease-resistant rose species and cultivars. Check it out...or chance the dreaded spot!
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Tea Party
2/11/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Risk Management Hawaii and CTAHR are presenting a tea pruning and harvesting field walk and talk event for tea growers on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Mealani Research Station. Participants will be able to walk the fields with Randy Hamasaki and Stuart Nakamoto and see how the proper techniques make a difference in yield quality and quantity. Then they’ll get to drink tea grown and processed at Mealani! Please call Didi at 887-6183 or email her at mddiaz@hawaii.edu to reserve your spot.
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A Forest of Possibilities
2/11/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 This summer the Forest Bioproducts Research Institute at the University of Maine is offering an opportunity for highly qualified undergraduate students to participate in a research experience for undergraduates (REU), a 10-week immersion in sustainable forest bioproduct research. Funded by the National Science Foundation, this research experience will be a great opportunity for students to become involved with groundbreaking research aimed at developing techniques and products for the vastly expanding bioproducts market from forestry. Some of the students will also get to travel to Chile and interact and share experiences with bioproducts researchers and students at the University of Concepcion-UDT. Travel, housing, and stipend are provided, so apply today (or at least by the deadline of Mar. 31).
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Camps for a Cause
2/11/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Thao Le and Claire Nakatsuka (pictured) (both FCS) have been awarded a $99,000 grant from the Department of Defense and USDA/NIFA to offer Military Adventure Camps through the Purdue University coordinating center. The Hawaii Military Adventure Camp will host two 4-day residential camp experiences for 80 youth at Camp Erdman; they will focus on physical fitness, mental fitness, and personal leadership. Military Youth Adventure Camps, which are offered throughout the country, seek to provide positive youth development activities such as outdoor adventures, mindfulness, and personal leadership, which instill important life tools and coping skills that contribute to enhanced resiliency and thriving in the face of frequent relocations and family deployment.
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Locavore and More
2/3/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 The
current issue of UC Berkeley’s alumni magazine has an article highlighting Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine that mentions CTAHR
and includes several quotes from Milton Yamasaki (pictured), former farm manager at
Mealani Research Station. It also includes data from PingSun Leung on the economic returns
realizable by increasing Hawai’i’s ag production by 10%, though he’s not cited
personally. The piece raises the usual important food security issues that face
Hawai‘i, and an insert article also presents the rarely discussed downsides of
the locavore movement. Worth checking out!
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Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme
2/3/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 First-graders
at Noelani Elementary might not know the Simon & Garfunkel hit or get the Star
Trek reference to the
split-fingered gesture that’s the best way to cradle a bedding plant being
slipped from its pot, but they definitely were able to relate to the excitement
of starting their own garden of vegetables and the aforementioned herbs at the
Magoon Research and Teaching Facility under the guidance of SOFT student
volunteers. Let’s hope their plants “live long and prosper!”
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Mango Sightings
2/3/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Have you
noticed that mango trees have been flowering unusually early this year? This KITV news clip looks into the possible
cause—a cold and dry stretch this past summer. CTAHR’s Urban Horticulturist Jayme
Grzebik also shares some information about the Urban Garden Center and the Master
Gardener Program.
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Fountain of Youth?
2/3/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 David
Christopher (MBBE, pictured on the left) heads a team of researchers studying enzymes and an enzyme
inhibitor associated with aging in fruit and flowers.
The
National Science Foundation’s SEE Innovation Web
site featured a recent workshop
he held in collaboration with partners at KCC and LCC that led a team of
undergraduate students in investigating what leads to plants' browning and softening. Not only does this research hold promise for Hawai‘i’s agriculture and horticulture
industries, but as the feature points out, the program builds confidence and
knowledge in community college students and encourages them to become involved
in the sciences. And it might even help researchers into human degenerative
diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Triple benefit!!
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January
Rainbow(-Painting) Warriors
1/17/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 On Nov. 19, members of UH Rotaract, a student club sponsored by HNFAS, volunteered at Kalihi Elementary for the Rotary Give Thanks Day. UH Rotaract teamed up with the members of the Rotary Club of Pau Hana, the Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunset, the Rotary Club of Downtown Honolulu, and the Rotary Club of Metropolitan to help paint the doors of various classrooms to brighten the school. Each classroom was designated a color of the rainbow. Pictured are UH Rotaract members Colin Aono (Marine Biology sophomore) and Krystle Ito (Animal Science freshman) carefully applying the finishing touches to a door. Want to learn more about UH Rotaract? Come to the club’s first meeting of the semester on Wednesday, Jan. 25, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Agricultural Sciences Building, Room 219, or visit their Web site.
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A Fish Tale
1/17/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Clyde Tamaru was featured in the December/January issue of Hana Hou, the Hawaiian Airlines magazine, in a funny article about the many pitfalls and problems encountered by a neophyte starting to get into aquaponics. Needless to say, after the writer finally gets in touch with Clyde, all of his troubles—dead fish, maladjusted equipment, etc.—are at an end, and by the close of the piece he’s happily embarked on his new venture. Just another job well done.... Check out the article if only for the picture of Clyde grinning with one of his finny friends!
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SoYummy
1/17/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Kulanui, Rainbowtique’s line of value-added products made from locally grown items that might normally be thrown away, such as overripe and underripe papaya, is bringing out a new batch of treats. These ones are made with okara, a by-product of tofu-making. Kulanui’s Okara Shortbread was featured in Honolulu Magazine’s “Lei Chic” column and on the “Living Lei Chic” segment of Hawaii News Now’s Sunrise morning show, on which HNFAS graduate Jennifer Shido (pictured) discussed the cookies’ unique appeal. The okara cookies were developed by CTAHR HNFAS students under the supervision of Wayne Iwaoka, who can be credited with the invention of the ecologically and economically conscious Kulanui line. Keep an eye out for okara granola and energy bars, which will soon make their appearance as well.
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Da Tax Man
1/6/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 The financial consequences of failing to comply with tax-filing requirements can jeopardize businesses. Risk Management
Hawaii is sponsoring 2 workshops on basic and advanced tax issues facing small
businesses and farmers in Hawai‘i, to be held on the Big Island next week. They
will be held in the Waimea Civic Center Conference Room from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
on Wednesday, Jan. 11, and in the Komohana Extension Office Conference Room
from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12. Workshops will be led by Michael
Holl, a federally licensed Enrolled Agent (EA) representing taxpayers before
the IRS. Educational activities are accessible for individuals with
disabilities—for information or to request an auxiliary aid or service (e.g.,
sign language interpreter, designated parking, or materials in alternate
format), contact Didi at (808) 938-1719 seven days before the workshop. Please
RSVP by Jan. 6th. Questions? Call Didi at the above number, leave a voicemail at
(808) 887-6183, or contact your local extension agent.
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Oil Your Joints
1/6/2012 Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR
 Harry Ako (MBBE) and
Alan Titchenal (HNFAS, pictured) were recently featured on KHON discussing the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids
derived from fish oil. Omega-3's aren't just good for the heart, which they're more
commonly used for; they're also good for easing joint aches and pains, they
explain. They point out, however, that plant-based omega-3’s don’t have the
same level of benefits and caution consumers to check out where their fatty
acids are coming from.
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