Issue 57   |   December 12, 2016   |   Archive   |   Subscribe

News & Events

Out. Stand. Ing

Yes, it’s a crazy busy time of year, but please take a moment to nominate a remarkable CTAHR graduate for the 2017 Outstanding Alumnus/Alumna Award, to be recognized at the 29th Annual Awards Banquet on May 5—the deadline for nominations is December 16! The Outstanding Alumnus/Alumna award honors a CTAHR grad who has made significant impact and/or lasting contributions at the national/international or state/local level, within professional or scholarly spheres, and/or through civic or philanthropic service. Nomination instructions and the list of past recipients are available on the Banquet website. ALSO be thinking about faculty and staff members who deserve recognition—the official call for nominations will be in January, but instruction forms are available now, and it's never too early to gather information!

Get Protected

Anyone who has ag workers and utilizes pesticides in their operation should know what the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is and how to comply with the new rules. CTAHR and HDOA are putting on a Worker Protection Standard Training for agriculture workers and handlers Pu‘u Kahea Conference Center at 85-199 Ala Hema St. in Waianae on Wednesday, December 14, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. It will provide the training needed to comply with the 2015 revised Worker Protection Standards for agricultural pesticides. Space is limited, so please RSVP. If you have any questions, or to confirm your spot, contact Jensen Uyeda at 622-185 or via email at juyeda@hawaii.edu seven days before the activity/event.

Satisfy Your (Ag) Curiosity

AgCurious? Wondering if you have what it takes to farm in Hawai‘i? GoFarm Hawai‘i will be hosting free AgCurious events in January on both the Big Island and O‘ahu, kicking off new class cohorts. AgCurious is where participants will find out about and apply for the subsequent phases, and attendance is required to enroll. At these free sessions, participants will hear about the landscape of farming in Hawai‘i and the GoFarm Hawai‘i program and can apply for the AgXposure session in their area, a hands-on introduction to small-scale farming with tours of local farms. AgXposure participants can then apply to the renowned AgSchool program, an intensive, hands-on 4-month farmer-training program. More information can be found here. GoFarm Hawai‘i at The Kohala Center will be starting its first cohort with AgCurious on January 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the North Hawaii Educational Resource Center—RSVP to TKC@gofarmhawaii.org or call 808-220-2312. GoFarm Hawai‘i on the North Shore will be starting its fifth cohort with AgCurious on January 18, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Pioneer Hi-Bred. RSVP to leeward@gofarmhawaii.org or call 956-3530.

Grants & Awards

Scan for Greatness

Congratulations to FDM undergraduate student Kaimipono Kajiyama, who received an award for his research proposal, entitled “3D Body Scanning and Consumer Preference Related to Style Simulation,” from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). He is the third FDM undergraduate who received an award from UROP, following Xing Sun and Kristen Domingcil. Kaimipono will use a 3D scanner attached to an iPad to produce a body scan of the participant via infrared light, then clean up the scan using CAD software. Then the scan can be used as the participant’s avatar. Avatars can be simulated for consumers through Optitex Apparel CAD software, which is available at the UHM Department of FCS FDM/CAD Lab. Congrats also go to Kaimipono’s faculty mentor Shu-Hwa Lin.

Spotlight on Our Community

Dealing With the Beetles

At the recent Rapid 'Ohi'a Death Summit on November 30. Gordon Bennett (PEPS) was among the scientists who reported on the disease and presented the recently completed strategic response plan, which outlines what the state will need to do to respond to the pest. Rapid 'ohi'a death has killed more than 50,000 acres of 'ohi'a, which occupies a crucial ecological niche in native forests and has important cultural significance. Gordon discussed his research into the connection between ambrosia beetles and the spread of ROD, explaining that these wood-boring beetles dig out galleries in sickly trees, and then the sawdust, or frass, which can be infected with the spores of the fungus carrying the disease, are blown by the wind to non-infected trees. He and other researchers are looking at ways to control and manage the beetles. You can read the new strategic response plan here. The Hawaii Tribune-Herald also covered the story.

The Greatest Gift

To continue its support for the Blood Bank’s important cause of saving lives, CTAHR hosted its blood drive on Tuesday, November 22. This year, 22 units of blood were collected by CTAHRites getting an early start on their holiday giving—and since each pint of blood can be separated into three components, as many as 70 lives can be saved from donations collected at the 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 goes to those who came out to donate blood, and gratitude is also due to Steve and Karen Sato for their support and for the generous donation supplying malasadas for the drive. Thanks also go to the scholarship recipients who helped throughout the day and provided a positive and comfortable environment for those who came to donate.

HDOA Can Thank CTAHR

CTAHR alumnus John McHugh has been appointed administrator of HDOA’s Plant Industry Division. He will oversee the Plant Quarantine, Plant Pest Control and Pesticides Branches. He earned a BS in General Tropical Agriculture and an MS in horticulture from CTAHR and went on to receive his PhD in Entomology, focusing on integrated pest management of the diamondback moth, from Purdue University. He has also formerly taught at CTAHR and worked at DuPont Pioneer, Hana Hou Seed Harvest, LLC, Sumida Farm, Inc. and Crop Care Hawaii, LLC. He’s been active in the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation for more than forty years and was the chair of the Environmental Stewardship Committee, as a board member of the Oahu Resource Conservation and Development Council, director of the West Oahu Soil Conservation District, and a member of the State’s Advisory Committee on Pesticides.

Judges of the Soil

The Kaua‘i Soil Water Conservation Districts, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and CTAHR Extension offices partnered to host the 2016 State Conservation Awareness Program (CAP) contest on November 18th at Kaua’i Coffee Company. Four high schools from across the state (Kaua’i High, Moloka’i High, Kamehameha Schools Maui, and West Hawai’i Exploratory Academy) competed in land-judging activities that included soil texture and slope measurements, soil-erosion calculations, and conservation practice recommendations. The competition was fierce, and all the students did great, but the title of state champs went to Kamehameha Schools Maui, with a team score of 766 points out of a total 900! As the winning team, the KS Maui students will now have the opportunity to represent Hawai’i at the national contest held in Oklahoma in the spring. Congratulations to all high school teams for their hard work, and best of luck to the 2016 state champs as they compete at nationals!

It Takes a Village (to Get Healthy)

A video produced by the American Samoa Community College celebrates the Village Walks program in American Samoa, an activity promoting healthy living set up by the CHL program. Whole village communities in Aua, Fagaitua, and Masefau came together to walk for about a mile and do aerobic activities while sampling local healthy fruits and vegetables and participating in educational activities promoting nutrition and physical activity. Hopefully these walks will become a trend!

Whole Lotta Coffee at the Ho‘olaule‘a

The recent Kona Coffee Cultural Festival’s Ho‘olaule‘a was a fun-filled day of music, food, and coffee, coffee, coffee! Associate Extension agent Andrea Kawabata and academic support Jen Burt had an educational booth at the event to talk to new and seasoned farmers as well as travelers about coffee quality, managing coffee berry borer, and how to avoid transporting potential coffee pests and diseases to Hawai‘i. Here Andrea explains to a visitor how to play the CBB green bean game.

Fashion Competition

The November 2016 issue of Honolulu Magazine ran the article “Style School,” which assesses and discusses the two local fashion programs, UH Manoa’s FDM and Honolulu CC’s Fashion Design program. It praises FDM’s new computer lab for fitting garments to virtual models and designing retail spaces, gives a shout-out to the annual Fashion Show (pictured), and notes that five recent students have won first-place awards from the International Textile Apparel Association and American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. Andy Reilly (FDM) is quoted as explaining that the program could definitely use more space, though!

Treats for a Good Cause

The FSHN Council held a bake sale of ‘ono and even quite healthy treats to support the student group. Their main goal was to make enough so FSHN members can attend the Hawaii Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Conference. Good news: combined with the funding the group has been awarded from SAPFB, the sale exceeded their goal of $500, raising enough to cover the full cost of the conference for the 25 to 30 members who hope to attend! Any remaining bake sale funds will be used to provide mini scholarships for student application fees, cover the cost for healthy meals at general meetings, offer networking and bonding events between council members and professionals, and support any other educational and enriching opportunities that the Council might wish to partake in. It's no wonder they were so successful—the baked goods were delightful! Special praise goes to Kristina Salazar, who took the lead in planning the bake sale. Other participants include (l to r) Cherese Shelton, Adrienne McDonald, Rihui Yuan, Emiri Hirayama, and Abigayle Baldwin.

New Publications

Planting the Holiday Spirit

The latest article by retired Extension agent Norman Bezona in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald is entitled “Tropical Gardening: Christmas in Hawaii is special and different.” It explains the origins of some of the plant-related traditions of the holiday season and describes unique aspects of living and gardening in Hawai‘i during Christmas, in particular good plants to bring indoors to make your holiday home merry and bright. Norm even suggests planting your own mistletoe!

In Memoriam

Chian Leng Chia

It is with sadness that we report the passing of Professor Chian Leng Chia (TPSS) following a stroke on Sunday. He specialized in tropical fruit, co-authoring publications on papaya culture, bananas, mango, and macadamia and also worked on poha and pineapple; long after his retirement he was active in contributing his expertise in the college and community.

Mary Mew Hee Lum Ching

We are sorry to report that Mary Mew Hee Lum Ching, retired professor in Food and Nutritional Sciences and a registered dietitian at Kapi‘olani Medical Center, passed away at the age of 95. Her classes at UH included courses on the food habits, customs, and cookery of China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Hawai‘i, helping to situate the Islands in relation to the foodways of Asia.

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