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CTAHR Alumni & Friends

Issue 49   |   June 03, 2016   |   Archive   |   Subscribe

News & Events

Those With Taste Go the the Taste

Tasters at Taste of the Hawaiian RangeSave the date—and if you’re wise, get your ticket—tickets are now on sale for the Taste of the Hawaiian Range, which will be delighting foodies and locavores on Friday, September 9, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island. From its origin as a humble companion event to the Cooperate Extension Services’ Mealani Forage Field Day, which featured the research being done at the Mealani Research Station, Mealani’s Taste of the Hawaiian Range has become one of Hawai‘i’s premier ag-tourism events. In partnership with the local community and CTAHR, Taste brings together food producers and processors, chefs and consumers to celebrate the producing, cooking, and enjoying of local foods, particularly grass-fed beef.

Get the (Nutrition) Facts!

New nutrition facts labelThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced a new Nutrition Facts label for most packaged foods that reflects the latest in nutrition science and includes additional nutrient information. The new label features a refreshed design, reflects updated information about nutrition science, and updates serving sizes and labeling requirements for certain package sizes. Most food manufacturers will be required to use the new label by July 26, 2018. Joannie Dobbs (HNFAS) is here to help in understanding the new regulations. She will send out additional information as it becomes available on the new regulations, and she is available to answer questions—just call 956-3845.

Gettin’ Administrated

Russell Messing and Ted FeitshansDean Gallo has recommended Russ Messing for the position of Kaua‘i County Administrator and Ted Feitshans for Hawai‘i County Administrator. When approved, Russ will begin his appointment on June 16 and Ted on September 1. As Dean Gallo says, “These are critical positions that we are pleased to have filled with such worthy professionals. Congratulations to both of them!”

Grants & Awards

Save the Forests

Kimberly CarlsonCongratulations to Kimberly Carson (NREM), recipient of one of only nine 2015 Google Earth Engine Research Awards!. These one-year awards are structured as unrestricted gifts to universities to support the work of world-class permanent faculty members at top universities around the world. Kimberly’s timely and internationally focused proposal involved “Mapping High Carbon Stock (HCS) forests in Sumatra and Borneo to evaluate and support zero-deforestation supply chain commitments.” The zero-deforestation zone effort aims to create awareness of and protection for areas for which deforestation will have particularly dangerous consequences in terms of ecological impact.

Grand Masters of Aquaponics

Clyde Tamaru and Harry AkoClyde Tamaru and Harry Ako (both MBBE, Emeritus) were recently honored at a testimonial dinner by the Hawaii Aquaculture and Aquaponic Association and the Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture at Kapi‘olani Community College. Clyde and Harry have been involved in aquaculture and aquaponic research, teaching, and Extension for many years and have been extremely influential in the growth of aquaculture and aquaponics in Hawai‘i. They were rightfully celebrated for their expertise, dedication to public service, and support of these illustrious organizations.

What Makes the Flowers

Cheyenne BarelaCongratulations to MBBE senior Cheyenne Barela (left), who won second place among 58 competitors in the Natural Sciences category at UH’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. The program showcases the research of students who were awarded competitive fellowships (~$4500) and conducted research in their mentor’s labs. Cheyenne’s research topic and presentation were on “Characterization of the Expression of Protein Disulfide Isomerase-M Subfamily Members, PDI9 and PDI10, during Development of Arabidopsis Plants.” The work indicates the involvement of the Protein Disulfide Isomerase in the development of the anther and pollen of flowers. Cheyenne, who just graduated this May, has been mentored by David Christopher (MBBE) along with his laboratory colleagues, Kristie Matsumoto and Christen Yuen. She also won the Gamma Sigma Delta Undergraduate Oral Presentation award at the SRS!

Spotlight on Our Community

Life After the Borer

Andrea Kawabata discussing fire ants and CBBAndrea Kawabata and Jen Burt had plenty of visitors to their booth at the Ka‘u Coffee Festival’s Hoolaulea held at the Pahala Community Center—the Festival saw its largest turnout this year! Andrea (pictured) and Jen joined with Heather Forester of the Hawaii Ant Lab and Rob Curtiss of HDOA to share information about the prevention and control of the coffee berry borer, little fire ant, and other invasive insects. The following day, Andrea and Arturo Ballar of Greenwell Farms spoke to a packed room at the Coffee College, presenting “Six Years of Farming with CBB: Reflecting and Moving Forward,” in which they reviewed the lessons learned in the six years since CBB was discovered in Hawai‘i and discussed how farmers can implement best management practices to increase efficiency on their farms.

Just a Sample of CTAHR’s Help

Kiersten AkahoshiThe Kona Cooperative Extension Service Office offered a hands-on workshop, “Smart Sampling, Sweeter Results,” on Tuesday, May 24. Brian Bushe discussed proper sampling techniques and submission to ADSC and also reviewed and diagnosed samples brought in by participants. Afterwards, participants visited five different stations around the Kona Research Station where a CTAHR faculty member discussed how to properly collect soil and leaf samples for avocado, mac nut, citrus, and coffee. Other CTAHRites involved in the successful even included Sharon Motomura, Andrea Kawabata, Marisol Quintanilla-Tornel, Alyssa Cho, Kiersten Akahoshi, and Jen Burt. Here Kiersten discusses proper soil sampling in the field.

Protecting the Fields

CTAHR presenters at mini-conferenceSome 120 participants attended the edible crop mini-conference recently held at the Turtle Bay Resort. Pests were highlighted as the main priority issue based on O‘ahu’s needs assessment survey in 2015, and this conference provided growers with updates on some of the latest research-based work being conducted on a number of priority crop issues. Presenters and presentations included “Healthy soils and locally produced fertilizer inputs” by Amjad Ahmad and “Crop protection chemical resistance management program” by Jensen Uyeda (both TPSS), and “Overview of common pest groups and variety trial summaries” by Jari Sugano, “Organic and sustainable pest management options” by Koon-Hui Wang, “Reflective mulch for vegetables” by Leyla Kaufman, “Basil diseases—Field trial summary” by Janice Uchida and Mike Kawate, and “New pest on vegetables: Bagrada bug update,” by Ronald Mau and Robin Shimabuku (all PEPS). There was a great turnout for this educational and helpful gathering!

Game of Drones

Roberto RodriguezWhat’s that flying overhead? Maybe it has the CTAHR spirit mark! At the UH/Hawaii Community Unmanned Aerial Systems Meeting, a recent daylong workshop on drones on the UHM campus, Roberto Rodriguez III (MBBE grad student) presented a talk on the “Application of Unmanned Aerial Systems in CTAHR.” The co-authors were James Leary (NREM) and Daniel Jenkins (MBBE), while Associate Dean Ken Grace also presented a talk 'CTAHR Guidelines for Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS).

All Fashion, All the Time!

models on runwayIf you didn’t get a chance to see Roots, FDM’s 50th anniversary Fashion Show, or if you just want to relive the glitter and glamour, take a look at FDM’s Facebook page, as well as the page dedicated just to the Fashion Show! You’ll be able to catch up on a lot more that’s going on in the department as well as watching exciting Star-Advertiser videos of each designer’s collection. Need more couture? The Historic Costume Collection has its own Facebook page as well!

In Bloom

Erythrina abyssinica blossomHere is the first bloom from the commemorative non-endemic wiliwili tree (Erythrina abyssinica) planted and dedicated in 2012 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the USDA and as a symbol of the connection and collaborations between USDA and CTAHR. This tree was deemed particularly significant because it’s related to the culturally and ecologically important wiliwili, another species of Erythrina, which was given hope for survival after being decimated by the Erythrina gall wasp when researchers from CTAHR and USDA, partnering with the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, identified a parasite that feeds on the wasp. Another CTAHR connection: Richard Criley (TPSS, Emeritus) grew the tree himself.

New Vet for the Islands

Ashley Stokes with Ednee Yoshioka

Congratulations to Dr. Ednee Yoshioka, who just earned her DVM from Colorado State University! Ednee earned her BS in ANSC in May 2012. She will be coming back to O‘ahu to practice veterinary medicine. She’s pictured here with Dr. Ashley Stokes, who’s now Assistant Dean for Veterinary Admissions and Student Services at Col State.


New Publications

Help for the Homeless

COF Homeless Services Report 2015COF partnered with the Homeless Programs Office of the Hawai‘i State Department of Human Services to release the Homeless Service Utilization Report: Hawai‘i 2015. Authored by Sarah Yuan, Hong Vo, Kristen Gleason, and Javzandulam Azuma, the report provides the most current data on the utilization patterns of homeless services in the state during the 2015 fiscal year, based on agency-entered data in the Homeless Management and Information System (HMIS). The 2015 report discusses overall patterns of inflow, outflow, and return flow to the homeless service system and highlights factors associated with changes since last year. This is important information for legislators, policy-makers, and those who work with this vulnerable population. For instance, the report explains that the 2015 fiscal year reported the highest number of people who sought homeless services in the state’s history: 14,954 in total—an increase of 4.7% from last year!

Diving for Environmental Funding

Reef in GuamOne of Kirsten Oleson’s (NREM) former MS students, Shanna Grafeld, has published her thesis research in a top journal in the field, Ecological Economics. Co-authors include Kirsten, as well as Michele Barnes, Marcus Peng, and Catherine Chan, all also in NREM. The study, “Divers’ willingness to pay for improved coral reef conditions in Guam: An untapped source of funding for management and conservation?” shows that since the diving industry relies on healthy reefs and can be positively and/or negatively impacted by ecological change, SCUBA divers strongly prefer ecosystems with greater ecological health. They especially value being able to view sharks and turtles. Divers in Guam, the paper explains, were found to be willing to contribute money to experience good environmental quality in dive sites, including funding for upland restoration. Results suggest that divers are an untapped source of funds for conservation—few policies are in place worldwide collecting fees from divers for coral reef management, and none in Guam. The results suggest that understanding divers’ preferences and the drivers behind them may assist managers in designing policies that enlist divers as partners in conservation.

Fishing With a (Social) Net

Graphic from study of fishersMichele Barnes and PingSun Leung (NREM) are co-authors of a paper published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) on social dynamics as drivers of outcomes in environmental systems, an understanding that is critical to advancing global sustainability. The paper, “Social networks and environmental outcomes,” links comprehensive data on Hawai‘i longline fishers’ information-sharing networks and observed fishing behaviors to demonstrate that social networks are tied to actions that can directly impact ecological health, showing evidence that the propensity for individuals to share information primarily with others most similar to themselves creates segregated networks that impede the diffusion of sustainable behaviors. Their results suggest that having a better understanding of social structures and bolstering effective communication across segregated networks has the potential to contribute toward more sustainable environmental outcomes.

How and Where to Fertilize

Map of N2O emissions worldwideFertilizers greatly increase crop yields, helping to solve problems of hunger. But they also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, leading to ecological consequences. Striking a balance between these considerations is easier now, thanks to the study conducted Kimberly Carlson (NREM) and her co-authors, published in Global Change Biology, entitled “Spatially explicit estimates of N2O emissions from croplands suggest climate mitigation opportunities from improved fertilizer management.” This paper offers the first sub-national, crop-specific global maps of N2O emissions associated with synthetic and manure N fertilizer application to crops. It shows places where significant increases in fertilizer will have relatively slight impacts on N2O emissions, and other places where relatively small decreases in application can decrease emissions significantly.

In Memoriam

Matt Stevenson

Matt StevensonWe report with great sadness the sudden passing of Matt Stevenson (HNFAS), a livestock Extension agent on Kaua‘i. Matt was a valued member of the CTAHR ‘ohana since 2006, and he will be missed by coworkers as well as by all the community stakeholders whom he helped. Matt’s obituary, printed in The Garden Island, is a touching and beautiful tribute to a valued colleague, family man, and friend. Matt’s wife has asked that if anyone has work-related stories to share, please send them to dean@ctahr.hawaii.edu, and they will be forwarded to her. There will be a memorial service for Matt on Saturday, June 4, at Kaua‘i Community College in Lihu‘e at 3:00 p.m. A crowdfunding site—not associated with CTAHR—has been established to support the Stevenson family, and donations are requested in lieu of flowers.


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