University of Hawai‘i at Manoa
Skip BreadcrumbHome >> CTAHR News

CTAHR News

[2024] [2023] [2022] [2021] [2020] [2019] [2018] [2017] [2016] [2015] [2014] [2013] [2012] [2011] [2010] [2009] [2008] [2007] [2006] [2005] [2004] [2003] [2002] [2001


2012


December



Belle of the Ball

12/11/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Feliz Salas and her Belle Epoque designsCongratulations to graduating senior Feliz Salas (APDM), who recently won best oral presentation AND best poster presentation in the Arts & Humanities track at this semester’s Honors Seminar! Feliz’s honors thesis was based on her spring collection showcased at the 2012 annual UH fashion show. “La Belle Époque,” which features 9 garments, is an updated version of the late-19th/early-20th-century era of elegance and beauty. Feliz researched the era and incorporated current elements into her collection to make it relevant to today’s consumer. She completed her honors work under the direction of Andy Reilly. Feliz is featured in the center, surrounded by models wearing 2 of her creations.

Malama Kalo

12/11/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

People working in kaloTaro (kalo) is a culturally important crop in Hawai‘i—historically, there were as many as 300 varieties extant in native Hawaiian communities. CTAHR’s LIFE, Risk Management, and Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Programs are working with native Hawaiian communities across the state to preserve and perpetuate native Hawaiian taro varieties by maintaining taro germplasm collections at CTAHR’s research stations. Jerry Konanui, Penny Levin, and many volunteers dedicate time each year to sharing their knowledge about taro with CTAHR and verifying the varieties within the germplasm collection using descriptions in CTAHR Bulletin 84, “Taro Varieties in Hawaii.” Safeguarding native Hawaiian varieties through maintenance of the collection and establishing trusting partnerships with experts like Jerry Konanui and Penny Levin help CTAHR to preserve and perpetuate these rare, culturally significant plants.

Learning by Doing

12/11/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

TPSS plant saleNursery Management (TPSS 430) students held a plant sale at UH-Manoa’s Campus Center last week as part of the class’s emphasis on practical experience. Students were encouraged to think like nursery managers for several months, gaining hands-on experience with the operation of nursery businesses. They learned to plan according to their product choices, solve difficulties of plant sourcing, and care for their plants over their production cycle, planting, maintaining, grooming, preparing, and finally selling them. Students discovered the need to choose nursery business models, strategize production, and create financial and marketing plans, then actually sold their plants as a way to test-run their business models and products. The class focused on developing students’ management skills such as business planning, decision-making, strategizing, and sales techniques, skills that complement and integrate the technical skills and know-how students typically learn in lower-level classes. Among the offerings at this year’s sale were pitcher plants, chili peppers, herbs, ferns, koa, poinsettias, succulents, and hydroponic lettuce kits. The pitcher plants and hydroponic kits were hot items, selling out within hours. Students reported feeling very satisfied with their participation in this class.

First Aid for Farmers

12/11/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

LIFE-sponsored first aid workshop for farmersThe Local and Immigrant Farmer Education Program (LIFE) and Risk Management Hawaii recently teamed up with the East County Farm Bureau to offer an educational session on first aid awareness. Many of Hawai‘i’s farms are located in remote areas that are distant from any medical facility and are even hard to reach for emergency medical technicians and ambulance vehicles. Accidents do happen, despite having risk management strategies in place, and they can often result in lost time, unexpected medical costs, and sometimes workers’ compensation for employees, as well as the risk of injury. The workshop covered lifesaving strategies, basic bleeding control, splinting, and injuries involved in the agricultural arena, as well as providing hands-on practice in proper bandaging techniques.

Planting Collaboration

12/11/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Kheng Cheah and groupLast month representatives from the Flower Research Institute of Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences met with 3 Hawai‘i growers at CTAHR to discuss, negotiate, and evaluate 24 plants for licensing for export to China. Governor Neil Abercrombie has discussed the need to increase agricultural exports as an additional source of state revenue, while Chancellor Tom Apple has likewise expressed a wish to create university-private organization partnerships and Dean Maria Gallo is looking to foster more international collaborations. Associate Specialist Kheng Cheah (far right, TPSS) played an important role in the negotiations by advocating and facilitating the process, while each grower worked out their own licensing agreement and terms. This strategic partnership aims to open newly emerging Chinese markets to Hawaiian growers while introducing new plants to China. It is the result of 3 years of work by Kheng Cheah, developing new markets, testing new plants, and creating a new International Tissue Culture Network (ITCN). The ITCN facilitates the process of submitting new plants, testing them in new markets, selecting commercial tissue culture labs, and licensing, as an academic-industry bridge organization. It is sponsored by Associate Dean of Extension Carl Evensen.

When Is an Aloha Shirt Not Just an Aloha Shirt?

12/11/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rack of aloha shirtsAndy Reilly (APDM) and retired APDM faculty Marcia Morgado have published an article on the several cultural significances of the aloha shirt—complete with close readings of New Yorker cartoons. You’ll never look at a Reyn Spooner the same way again! Funny kine clothes: The Hawaiian shirt as popular culture” appears in Paideusis, a journal of cross-cultural studies; Andy also served as the co-guest editor for this issue of the journal, which focuses on Hawaiian clothing.

Pure Gene-ius

12/11/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Studying bugs at Gene-ius DayA recent Gene-ius Day event was spotlighted in a video and article by Dan Meisenzahl that’s now on the UH System homepage. Ania Wieczorek’s (TPSS) outreach workshops introduce elementary students to such subjects as human and plant genetic traits, forensic science, agriculture, and DNA research; at the one shown in the video, about 50 kids were learning about insects. More than 5,000 students have taken part in the program since its inception in 2006, and it’s so popular that sessions usually fill up in advance of the class day. Grad student MJ Gauthier says the program instructors and coordinators are hoping to get kids as excited about science as they are themselves, and from all indications, it’s working!

Bonjour From Hawai‘i

12/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Bonjour from Hawaii winning student outfitAnna Tomita, a 2012 APDM graduate, recently won “Best Hawaiian-Inspired Design” in a contest sponsored by the International Textile and Apparel Association. Anna’s design, “Bonjour from Hawai‘i,” was completed as part of her senior collection under the direction of Cynthia Tsark. The design was evaluated by 2 panels of judges to assess aesthetics and construction. This is the 2nd award Anna has received by the organization—last year she won best Fiber Art design. Anna is currently designing for Dr. Nancie Carraway. Here her winning outfit is photographed by Attila Pohlmann.

Crime Doesn’t Pay…

12/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Shriram Bhutada…but crime mapping may! Shriram Bhutada (COF, pictured left) has won a $3000 prize for his 1st-runner-up win at the Hon*Celerator event, a competition for online apps created with open data. The competition was inaugurated to promote the use of free-access Honolulu and Hawai‘i City and State datasets to create apps that can foster transparency in government and improve people’s lives. Shiram’s entry, Shriram Crime Mapping, is a mapping application in which people enter the address they’re going and the time they’re visiting to see a list of crime incidents and statistics. Or the app can be set to monitor the area where the user lives, giving incidents for all times of the day. Shriram explains, “People can take important measures for their safety (should I walk alone? Should I park my car here?) if they know the crime history of the area.” See him around 11 minutes into the YouTube video of Hon*Celerator or read more in Hawaii News Now’s article on the event.

The Doctor Is Online

12/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Screen shot of Plant Doctor appScot Nelson’s (PEPS) “The Plant Doctor” app for iPhones and iPad, originally created in 2009, has been relaunched, and now diagnoses are free! No need for plant insurance when you can find out all you need to know with this handy app—send photos and text to Scot from anywhere on the planet with an available connection, and he’ll explain what ails your little green friends. Only have an Android? Never fear—an app for Android will be released in January.

Saving the Day by Saving for the Future

12/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Teachers and Hawaii Kids Savings project coordinatorsFour elementary teachers who are participants in Michael Cheang’s (FCS) Kids Savings project were honored in an event hosted by UH Federal Credit Union for their commitment to the program. Michael’s project teaches young children the importance of saving money to invest in the future and helps them overcome obstacles to doing so, bringing together schools, savings institutions, and donors to get kids started with their own savings accounts and show them how to make them grow. The 3rd-grade teachers at Kuhio Elementary and Kaua‘i’s ‘Ele‘ele Elementary developed games that teach their students important economic and financial literacy concepts related to DOE’s common core standards for math and social studies as well as help them understand saving, earning, and spending. Michael began the Hawaii Kids Savings Project in 2008, with 88 students participating. Today 1,827 students, 1st- through 5th-graders, from 28 DOE elementary schools statewide have saved a total of $259,563, with an average savings of $115 per child per year. He points out that for children, having a savings account in their names is an important indicator of future college attendance. Pictured from left to right are Sen. Suzanne Chun-Oakland, Kuhio 3rd-grade teachers Kayde Nakamura and Pam Fox, FCS department chair Bobbie Yee, project collaborator Diane Masuo (FCS), and Michael Cheang.

Learning About the Lungworm, Kaua‘i Style

12/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rat lungwormEveryone is invited to a short learning evening about the biology and behaviors of the rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis). The nearly invisible parasitic nematode lives in the lungs of rats and can be passed to intermediate hosts—slugs and snails—and then to humans if the slugs and snails are consumed on uncooked produce. The presentation will discuss how to manage it better in gardens, on farms, and when consuming uncooked produce at home. The medical issues of diagnosis and treatment will also be covered: Symptoms can include coma and even death, in rare cases, so it behoves us to know how to deal with it. The learning session will be held at the Kaua‘i Community College, Room 105, OCET Building, on Tuesday, Dec. 11, from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m. There is no cost. For questions about rat lungworm, contact the Kaua‘i District Health Office at (808) 241-3563; for questions about the meeting location specifically, get in touch with Kim Perry at the CTAHR-Kaua‘i Cooperative Extension Office at (808) 274-3478.

Project CTAHR Grad

12/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Graduation capThis semester, the Academic and Student Affairs Office will be hosting a CTAHR Graduation Convocation for our graduates, the first in 10 years! It will be held on Friday, Dec. 7., from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom. The evening will include an intimate graduation ceremony, presentation of the graduates, and refreshments, and everyone is encouraged to come and offer their congratulations and best wishes to the students.

November



B-Positive!

11/29/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CTAHR student at blood driveIn Hawai‘i, about 200 blood donors are needed each day to meet the blood needs of patients statewide. CTAHR’s been sponsoring annual drives to support the Blood Bank of Hawaii for eight years—and this year, the college sponsored two! At the event just past a total of 55 pints were donated; with the 91 pints collected in March of this year, the college has contributed an impressive 146 pints of blood this year alone! And because each pint can be divided into three usable components, as many as 438 lives were possibly saved by the donations collected in CTAHR's drives in 2012. In fact, the college has hosted the most successful one-day blood drives at UH-Manoa in both the fall and spring semesters! The Blood Bank and CTAHR truly appreciate the time and generosity of everyone who contributed to this successful event—heartfelt thanks to those who came out to donate blood, and mahalo to ASAO and the scholarship recipients who helped throughout the day to provide a positive and comfortable environment for those who came to donate.

Red Cross Heroes

11/29/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Jim Hollyer in Red Cross uniformJim Hollyer (PEPS/ADAP) is starting his holiday giving early this year—he’s part of a second wave of American Red Cross volunteers from Hawai‘i who have gone to the northeast to help with relief efforts in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. Jim, who has served as a Red Cross volunteer in the past, will be volunteering this time for about two weeks, doing “whatever they ask me to do,” he affirms. Want to help the Red Cross help Sandy’s victims without leaving the Islands? Donate here!

Tilling the Soil of a Great Career

11/29/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CTAHR students at career fairOn the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 14, students gathered in Gilmore Hall for the CTAHR Career Conference, which focused on careers in the agriculture and environmental resources management sectors. Representatives from numerous state and federal agencies and private companies hosted 20-minute sessions in which they shared the work their agency or organization does and gave pointers for working in agriculture and environmental resources management careers. The U.S. and Hawai‘i Departments of Agriculture, Monsanto, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Kupu Hawaii, Dow Agrosciences, the Peace Corps, the Agribusiness Incubator Program, and CTAHR’s Cooperative Extension were among the many offering help and advice. Topics ranged from agriculture in the public sector to the seed industry to natural resource management and local food production. In addition to these informative sessions, students had the opportunity to chat with companies and agencies during the intermission and networking break halfway through the program. Thank you to all who attended the career conference, ASAO, and Dr. Traci Sylva for organizing the event, and to the CTAHR Club for providing volunteers that day. Mahalo to DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto for providing refreshments and to the workshop presenters who so generously shared useful information with the students.

How to Spray to Keep Basil Pests Away

11/29/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Boom sprayer for basilWe’re heading into the season when basil downy mildew is more prevalent, so it’s a perfect time for the next episode of the Basil Pest Management Road Show! Even better, the 2 educational events will both feature Chinese (Mandarin) translations. The Downy Mildew Field Day will be offered on Dec. 7 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Waimanalo Experiment Station. It’s offered in coordination with CTAHR’s IR-4 program and the Basil SWAT Team to showcase basil downy mildew symptoms, fungicide screening trials, and the IR-4 program’s ATV-mounted spray boom (pictured). It will cover available risk management measures to manage downy mildew this season, demonstrate calibration of a boom system, and show growers how to establish effective field trials at their farms. The Basil Pest Management Workshop and Spray Calibration Demonstration will take place Dec. 14 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Urban Garden Center. This session will address basil pest management and pesticide application priorities. It will cover spray techniques and how to calibrate an orchard gun, pesticide calibration and pesticide and crop groupings. Major basil pests and best management practices will also be covered, along with the Kunia Irradiator project and the potential of treating basil for export. There will be trade show vendors from agricultural chemical companies and various government agencies. Both events are approved for 2.0 CEU in Private category 1, Commercial categories 1a and 10. Please call Lynn at 622-4185 to RSVP for these events. For information or to request an auxiliary aid or service (e.g., sign language interpreter, designated parking, or materials in alternate format), contact Jensen Uyeda (juyeda@hawaii.edu) or Jari Sugano (suganoj@ctahr.hawaii.edu) at (808) 622-4185 at least seven days before the activity/event.

CTAHR Gets Social

11/29/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Image of CTAHR facebook pageOMG—CTAHR’s on Facebook! Check out the page as it’s being populated with items from our Impact Reports and our other web pages, as well as various news items from other UH sites. Thanks to Miles Hakoda, Elsie Kawahara, and Kathy Lu for getting the page up and running. They’ve given CTAHR a boost into the exciting world of social media, where “going viral” doesn’t have anything to do with the spread of a plant disease!

Learning About the Lungworm

11/29/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rat lungwormEveryone is invited to a short learning evening about thebiology and behaviors of the rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis). The nearly invisible parasitic nematode lives in the lungs of rats and can be passed to intermediate hosts—slugs and snails—and then to humans if the slugs and snails are consumed on uncooked produce. The presentation will discuss how to manage it better in gardens, on farms, and when consuming uncooked produce at home. The medical issues of diagnosis and treatment will also be covered: Symptoms can include coma and even death, in rare cases, so it behoves us to know how to deal with it. The learning session will be held at the CTAHR Cooperative Extension Service Building on the UH Maui College Campus, 310 Kaahumanu Ave. Bldg. 205 on Thursday, Nov. 8, from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m. There is no cost. For questions about rat lungworm, contact the Maui District Health Office at (808) 984-8213; for questions about the meeting location specifically, get in touch with Luisa Castro at (808) 244-3242 ext 232.

Paniolo Pride

11/29/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Ashley Stokes accepting Cattlewoman of the Year AwardAshley Stokes (HNFAS) was honored by the Hawaii Cattleman’s Council as the 2012 Hawaii Cattlewoman of the Year at their Annual Meeting at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel. Ashley conducts numerous workshops on beef herd health and welfare across the state, is an active participant in CTAHR’s Beef Group, and is working with ranchers to develop livestock shipping guidelines to insure the well-being of cattle in transit. She has been an active partner in the implementation of initiatives that support not just beef but all livestock farmers and ranchers, including the formation of the Hawaii Livestock Farmers Coalition, and has helped to improve communication among all stakeholders. Read more about Ashley’s story on the national Faces of Agriculture blog!

Fanfare at the Farm Bureau

11/29/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Jari Sugano accepting award and Farm Bureau conventionThe Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation recently honored three members of the CTAHR ‘ohana at their convention. Donna Ching (FCS Extension) was given a Special Recognition Award for her 25 years of service as Program Director of the Agricultural Leadership Program and her “tremendous service and commitment to supporting the development of leaders throughout Hawai‘i’s agricultural sector.” Sylvia Yuen was also awarded Special Recognition for her exemplary service to CTAHR in serving as Interim Dean and effecting marked improvement in the five areas on which she focused during her tenure: strengthening organizational and fund capacity, enhancing college culture, increasing the number of students served, fostering collaboration, and tracking progress. And PEPS Extension Agent Jari Sugano (pictured) was honored with the Outstanding Friend of Farmer Award for her continued focus on doing her best for the good of her clientele, offering numerous and varied workshops, field trials, and other learning opportunities for her stakeholders with skill, energy, and a positive attitude.

Not Off the Radar

11/29/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

COF Homes Service ReportCOF and the Homeless Programs Office of the Hawai‘i State Department of Human Services have just released the Homeless Service Utilization Report: Hawai‘i 2012. The report, by Sarah Yuan and Ivette Rodriguez Stern (both COF) and Hong Vo, provides the most current data on individuals and households who accessed homeless services and on the state’s overall service utilization in the 2012 fiscal year, based on agency-entered data in the Homeless Management and Information System (HMIS). For instance, in the past year the Shelter and Outreach Programs served a total of 13,980 individuals statewide; the number of individuals served dropped slightly for the second year in a row after several years of increases; children under 18 comprised 25% of all homeless service users; and Caucasians and Hawaiians/part-Hawaiians represented nearly two-thirds of the total client population. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Hawai‘i KIDS COUNT provided the funding that made the report possible.

Save Our Seeds!

11/29/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Class on taro propagationOver 180 enthusiastic gardeners and farmers attended the series of two-day seed-saving and production workshops held on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Maui, Moloka‘i, and the Big Island. The workshops, part of a statewide Hawaii Public Seed Initiative, aim to help develop community seed networks and seed banks. Co-sponsored by the Kohala Center of Hawai‘i Island and CTAHR, they were funded by a grant from the CERES trust fund. CTAHR faculty who assisted with the training included Glenn Teves (TPSS, Moloka‘i), Russell Nagata (Hawai‘i Island), Ray Uchida (O‘ahu), and Hector Valenzuela (PEPS). The workshops also offered optional third-day tours of local farms, which in O‘ahu included lively visits with Jim Brewbaker (TPSS) and the organic seed production plots of Ted Radovich (TPSS). Here, Jerri Konanui, traditional practitioner, talks about taro varieties and propagation. Stay tuned, as plans are underway for year two of this educational project.

Evaluating the Colonies

11/27/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Cat colony at UH-ManoaChris Lepczyk (NREM) doesn’t mind speaking out on a controversial issue, and the question of what should be done with feral cat colonies such as those abounding on the UH-Manoa campus is one that polarizes stakeholders on both sides of the divide. Colony caretakers champion trap-neuter-return, but in a recent interview on Hawai‘i Public Radio’s The Conversation Chris takes the part of the birds and of native species of all varieties. He points out that the issue is complicated enough that no one simple answer is going to solve it and that none of the cat-control options, including possible euthanasia, should be taken off the table. (His segment starts 36 minutes into the hour-long program).

Get Fed at the Food Bowl

11/27/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Poi in bowlSave the date—the 2nd annual CTAHR Food Systems Quiz Bowl will be held on Friday, Jan. 25, at 4:00 p.m. The quiz bowl, which will be held in Bilger 152, will pit teams of 3 graduate students from each of CTAHR’s departments in a demonstration of stupendous food systems smarts. Following the competition, supper will be served in Ag Sci 219. The students in the ANSC/FSHN 601 Science of Food Systems class are working hard even as we speak, planning the menu and developing the questions for this year’s Jeopardy-format competition. Last year a team from TPSS won the competition, so they’ll be looking to defend their title, while NREM, PEPS, MBBE, and HNFAS will be on their mettle. Stay tuned for more information, and make sure to come out for this exciting event!

Island Ambassadors

11/27/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

4-H ambassadors and sponsor4-H members Zach Matthews from the Big Island and Jade Nakamoto from Kaua‘i have just returned from 4 days of travel to the Mainland for a 4-H Ambassador Conference. Escorting them was Hawai‘i County 4-H Agent Becky Settlage. The 4-H Ambassador conference was well attended, with 106 4-H members, volunteers, and Extension staff. As part of the conference, participants attended workshops like “Getting to know YOU,” which allowed everyone to learn about personality styles so they could become better communicators when they worked with others, and “Show Up & Speak Out,” which taught participants how to write and give effective speeches. Conference-goers also attended a workshop to learn about the requirements to become senior ambassadors. The conference concluded with participants each preparing and giving a speech on how 4-H had made an impact on their 4-H career or about someone who had influenced them in 4-H. Now that Zach and Jade have returned home they will be out giving presentations and making displays to help promote 4-H and will be taking leadership roles at the county and state levels, working to fulfill their requirements to earn their senior ambassador status. Check out more photos taken at the conference here!

Sweets of the Season

11/19/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CornThe TPSS Horticulture Society will be sponsoring a corn sale on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 20 and 21, from 9:30 a.m. each day until they’re sold out. Drop by the driveway between the Ag Engineering building and St. John to get your fill of fresh, juicy sweet corn—at 4 ears for a dollar it’ll go fast, so come early!

Biofuel Buzz

11/19/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Neal Stewart
Dr. Neal Stewart, Jr., of the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, will be giving a presentation on Bioenergy Feedstocks for Lignocellulosic Biofuels on Nov. 30 at 10:30 in St. John 106. Be there or be lignocelllulosic!

Thanksgiving Corn-ucopia

11/19/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CTAHR staff learning about Waimanalo taroWaimanalo Research Station kept busy over the weekend, coupling a training and field day for CTAHR staff on Friday with an open house for the community on Saturday. Highlights of the events included aquaponic beets and la‘au lapa‘au (Hawaiian healing herbs); over 60 varieties of conventionally grown taro and nearly as many organic; and every permutation of corn imaginable: corn with no silk, dwarf corn, glutinous “mochi corn,” corn with red stalks, corn with black kernels. Mahalo to those who grew and presented the vegetable bounty, including Ted Radovich (TPSS), Jari Sugano (PEPS Extension), and Jim “Dr. B” Brewbaker (TPSS). And many happy thanks to Roger Corrales, Waimanalo’s farm manager, for the warm and generous hospitality!

Hawai‘i Island Ho‘olaulea

11/14/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

OMK HoolauleaOn Veteran’s Day, Operation Military Kids and East Hawaii 4-H joined with the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island and Big Brothers, Big Sisters to put on an Operation Military Kids Veteran’s Day Ho‘olaulea in an effort to help recognize and thank the servicemen, -women, and families of the military. Families were treated to a free lunch and participated in activities such as a petting zoo, face painting, crafts, and games. Children with family members in the military also had their photos taken and added to the OMK Wall of Fame. Many thanks to the local businesses who contributed to the drinks and some of the food items and to Claire Nakatsuka (Extension), who traveled over to help with the OMK activities. More photos of the event can be found on the East Hawaii 4-H Facebook page.

Wild About Waimanalo

11/14/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Aquaponics at Waimanalo Research StationCome by Waimanalo Research Station on Saturday, Nov. 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a fun and educational open house! Find out more about the station’s exciting projects, from cacao to sweet corn. Check out banana varieties being studied for disease resistance, learn about research into basil downy mildew, and meet the people behind the luscious produce and the green fields!

A Long Journey Into Art

11/14/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Bench made of young koa woodThe trajectory: Last year JB Friday (NREM) supplied some koa to the UHM art department in order to see how woodworkers might use wood from young, second-growth koa, as opposed to the old-growth koa commonly used in the current industry. An art class made 11 benches from the wood; they were displayed at the UHM gallery; now they’re on display (and some are for sale) at the fishcake art/furniture gallery in Kaka‘ako (10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily except Sundays, now through Jan. 4), and they’ll be continuing on to another show after that. And hopefully their influence will extend even further. JB emphasizes that koa from managed or planted forests can be an important addition to the economic and ecological landscape of the Islands: Landowners will have more of an incentive to replant with the native koa, providing watershed protection and habitat for other native species, if they are assured of a market for their wood.

Great Bakes

11/14/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

FSHN Council retreatThe FSHN Council will be holding their annual bake sale on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 19 and 20, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The sale will be held in two locations: at the Campus Center and in the Ag Sciences building lobby. Toothsome highlights include lemon bars, caramel corn, brownie mint sticks, and double chocolate cookies. If you want to make sure you don’t miss out, you’ll be glad to know you can pre-order select items: pumpkin pie ($9), apple pie ($12), bread loaves ($5), and milk rolls ($4 per dozen). Just email fongd@hawaii.edu by Nov. 16 with your name, phone number, and items you wish to purchase. Pickup for orders will be at Ag Sciences 224 (food lab) on the 19th or 20th from 10:30 to 1:30 for the pies and 11:00 am to 1:30 for the breads, which will be baked fresh that morning. Remember, cash only! And you can feel free to indulge—after all, it’s for a good cause! Proceeds from the bake sale go to help the FSHN Council (pictured). The Council allows students to network with other students, faculty, and professionals in food science, nutrition and other health-related fields and offers career information, scholarships opportunities, and community service activities. And they’re stellar bakers!

Textiles of Aloha

11/7/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Aloha-print materialAndy Reilly (FCS) is the chair of the 2012 annual meeting of the International Textile and Apparel Association, which will be held Nov. 14–17 in Waikiki. Approximately 400 people from around the world will be attending, but there’s a distinct CTAHR flavor to this meeting: APDM faculty will be presenting their research, and they’ve also facilitated in various other capacities, such as presentation reviewers and volunteer coordinators.

The Place of UH

11/7/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Chris Kobayashi in taro loi
A town hall meeting addressing UH’s responsibility as a land-grant institution is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 8, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the UH-Manoa Architecture Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public, and the dean strongly encourages all CTAHR faculty, staff, and students to attend. Panelists are UH Chancellor Tom Apple, Dean Maria Gallo, the Department of Agriculture’s Scott Enright, Brandi Hyden, Z’Aki, and Jon Osorio. The moderator will be Walter Ritte, and the panelists will discuss these questions:
  1. What are the University’s obligations to the community as a land-grant institution?
  2. How can this university system help meet the needs of a society that imports 90% of its food?
  3. The UH Strategic Plan calls for the university to be “a Hawaiian place of learning.” What is the role of Hawaiian traditional knowledge in fulfilling the university’s obligation as a land-grant institution?

A City of Birds

11/7/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

cover shot of Urban Bird Ecology and Conservation“Birds, in many ways, epitomize the simultaneous bond and tension between humans and nature,” explain Chris Lepczyk (NREM) and co-author Paige Warren in the introduction to their recently released edited collection Urban Bird Ecology and Conservation. This collection of essays on the interactions between birds and humans and the effects of increasing urbanization on a host of avian issues brings new perspectives on an important though under-studied phenomenon. A highlight of the book is a group of essays on the effects of “citizen science”—the ways non-scientist bird enthusiasts are helping with demographic monitoring and other research tasks.

Science Fair Fun

11/7/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

PEPS booth at LCC science fairPEPS helped make the annual Leeward Community College Discovery Fair event a success last weekend: graduate and undergraduate students, researchers and faculty from the department brought live samples and slides to show the public intriguing microbes and arthropods. Hundreds of kids and their families visited the two booths to be fascinated by the studies of insects, nematodes, fungal pathogens, and more.

What’s in Your Plants?

11/7/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

SeedlingNREM PhD candidate Sergio Santiago-Meléndez will be holding a seminar on his PhD dissertation proposal on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 1:30 p.m. in Sherman 103. The proposal, titled “Effects of Soil Moisture Depletion on Crop Uptake of Micro-Contaminants Under Recycled Water Irrigation,” addresses a method of increasing water use efficiency by the use of recycled wastewater for irrigation. The study looks at the potential bioaccumulation of personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and antibiotics in raw edible crops when irrigated with recycled wastewater, as well as the influence that soil moisture stress has on the uptake of the contaminants by plants. Sergio’s dissertation chair is Ray Chittaranjan.

October



New Faces: Sharon Motomura

10/31/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Sharon MotomuraPlease welcome Sharon Motomura to the CTAHR ‘ohana. She was recently hired as the new Junior Extension Agent for east Hawai‘i County and will be based at the Komohana Research and Extension Center. She will be responsible for leading programs on edible crops in the area of food safety and security, agricultural education and production, and developing curriculum for school gardening programs. She will be working with the many types of farmers on the Big Island to improve the security of food and supporting school gardening K-12, especially high school agriculture teachers. Sharon earned her BS from UH-Hilo and will graduate with her Master’s degree in December. She can be reached at smotomur@hawaii.edu or (808) 969-8250 or by visiting the Komohana Research and Extension Center.

New Faces: Matthew Chun-Hori and Cheryl Izuka

10/31/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Matthew Chun-Hori and Cheryl IzukaMatthew Chun-Hori and Cheryl Izuka recently joined the team at Planning and Management Systems Office. Matthew will be assuming the responsibilities for CTAHR’s Computer Lab as well as assisting with PMSO’s IT projects, and all questions relating to reservations, services, and policies of the Lab should now be directed to him. He can be reached at Chun-HoriM@ctahr.hawaii.edu or 956-9113 and is in Gilmore 214. Cheryl will be assisting with the CRIS forms, project database, and facility matters. She will be contacting faculty for outstanding CRIS Annual reports, so get those reports entered pronto! Cheryl can be reached at izukac@ctahr.hawaii.edu or 956-4155 and is in Gilmore 215. Welcome, Cheryl and Matthew!

Success With Dress

10/31/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Cover of Meanings of Dress bookAndy Reilly (FCS) has just published a new book with co-editors Kimberly Miller-Spillman and Patricia Hunt-Hurst, The Meanings of Dress, 3rd Ed. This collection of essays and articles collected from magazines and journals is designed as a reader for undergraduate courses in apparel design and marketing, covering such topics as, says the publisher, “dress and sociology, cultural studies, gender, religion, modesty, and technological changes.” One of Andy’s research interests is men’s interactions with clothing and fashion, an interest that is reflected in this edition’s increased emphasis on this topic.

Fostering Hope

10/31/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Cover of COF report on foster youth in HawaiiCenter on the Family has released a new Hawai‘i KIDS COUNT issue brief, entitled Improving Outcomes for Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care, which aims to increase awareness of the challenges faced by youth who exit foster care without a permanent placement. The report presents Hawai‘i and U.S. trend data on youth who are currently in and aging out of foster care, a review of the literature on outcomes for this population, and research-based program- and policy-level recommendations for improving these outcomes. While the number of children in foster care has decreased since 2000, the percent of youth who age out of care has increased—in Hawai‘i 10% aged out in 2010, up from 7% in 2000. Hawai‘i is now considering the option of allowing foster care through age 21, and Hawai‘i KIDS COUNT aims to provide information on this and other pressing issues facing this population.

Cutting Tea

10/31/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Tea pickingLIFE and Risk Management Hawaii will be presenting a Hands-On Tea Propagation Workshop on Wednesday, Nov. 7, which will repeat on Tuesday, Nov. 13. Both days it will run from 9:00 a.m. to noon and will be held at the Mealani Research Station, hosted by Randy Hamasaki (TPSS) and Stuart Nakamoto (HNFAS). Tea growers and aspiring tea growers are invited to learn about tea propagation using cuttings: participants will learn about the in-ground method and will receive a planting tray and around 50 Oasis cubes so they can select and prepare their own cuttings. Space is limited to first 30 to pre-register, so call Perci or Randy at 887-6183 or email rth@hawaii.edu to reserve your spot today! The cost is $30 (cash or check) at the door, and be sure to bring your own clippers/pruner. Also bring both sun and rain protection, because you never know what the weather will bring.

Beef and Grass

10/31/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Cows at Mealani Research StationAt the request of the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council, the Beef Initiative Group at Mealani Experiment Station will be bringing back their popular Open House and Field Day. It will be offered Thursday, Nov. 1, from 3 to 5 p.m. on the afternoon before the Annual Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council Meeting on the Big Island. Everyone is invited to join the researchers and paniolo for an open house; talks on the Mealani breeding program, pasture management, grass-finished beef carcass quality, and other topics; posters; and a tour of the paddocks and forage demonstration garden. The address is 64-289 Mamalahoa Hwy. in Kamuela. Questions? Email Ashley Stokes (HNFAS) at amstokes@hawaii.edu. Don’t miss it!

Be the Tree You Want to See

10/31/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

TangerinesUH-Manoa’s Landscaping Department will be planting fruit trees—lemons and limes, grapefruits and oranges, cherries and kumquats—on Arbor Day, Nov. 2. The groves of fruit trees will showcase different varieties while providing shade, beauty, and fruit free for the picking. The old proverb teaches that ‘the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is today”—or at any rate this Friday! Austin Stankus of the Landscaping Department reminds us, “We did not inherit this campus from our predecessors; rather we are borrowing it from the future generations of UH ‘ohana. Arbor Day is how we give back to the future. Arbor Day is when we seed hope.” Come join in this worthy endeavor by helping to plant around the Bachman Parking Lot, makai of Sinclair Library, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. or near Campus Security and the Korean Studies parking lot from 11:30 to 2:30. Trees, shovels, and refreshments will be provided.

Gettin' Digital

10/31/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Tessie Amore at CTAHRIf you haven’t yet done so, be sure to check out CTAHR’s Facebook page! You can keep up to date on all the latest announcements, and it’s filled with exciting news stories and photos from the Notes, Alumni & Friends, Impact Reports, and the local news media, and, IMHO, it’s not to be missed. You’ll find plenty to “like” there, LOL!

Ditch the Weeds

10/23/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

PEPS and NREM students clean Kolomona ditchRemember the Halloween flood of 2004? Part of the problem was attributed to the lack of drainage from Manoa Valley. Weeds were blocking several ditches, including Kolomona, located near Manoa Valley Park. As a service learning project, 13 students in Janice Uchida’s (PEPS) and Brent Sipes’ (NREM) PEPS/NREM 210 class, as well as Barry Brennan (PEPS) cleared away weeds from the ditch to keep the water flowing smoothly. Then they planted around 70 naio, Hawaiian hibiscus, and beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) to help protect the ditch bank. Nearly 500 pounds of weeds were removed for composting by the City. This is the third year CTAHR students have participated in this important City and County-sponsored environmental project—some even return from year to year to help! Janice donated the plants; the City and County supplied the bags, gloves, and tools; and the students brought the enthusiasm and positive spirit!

Fishing for Knowledge

10/23/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Dean Maria Gallo and student at aquaponics workshopTanks of lively fish and lush vegetables in the classroom—doesn’t that sound more exciting than the lone gerbil endlessly circling on its wheel that you remember from your school days? Clyde Tamaru (MBBE) just led his very successful first workshop on Aquaponics in the Classroom: K-12 at Windward Community College with the goal of bringing about that very scenario—and a whole lot more. Elementary and high school teachers gathered to learn ways of incorporating aquaponics into their classrooms to “explore science, mathematics and other subjects while building essential 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, communication and leadership,” to quote the enthusiastic publicity for the event. By all accounts the workshop more than lived up to its press, as more than 50 students and 35 K-12 teachers from 19 schools were joined by 13 CTAHR faculty—and Dean Gallo (pictured)—as well as other community members and stakeholders, all working together to foster an exciting and hopeful learning experience.

New Faces: Rajesh Jha

10/23/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rajesh JhaRajesh Jha has now joined HNFAS, after earning his PhD from University of Saskatchewan and working as a research associate at the University of Alberta, Canada. With a veterinary medicine degree from Nepal and MSc in Animal Science and Aquaculture from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, he has extensive experience in both basic and applied research in animal nutrition. He also did part of his thesis research at Riddet Institute in Massey University, New Zealand. He has been extensively researching carbohydrate metabolism and fiber fermentation, particularly focusing on the application of feed technology and evaluation of alternative feed ingredients to be used in animal diets. Much of the motivation for his research program is to serve the needs of today’s consumers’ demand for healthy and environmentally friendly animal production while maintaining the competitiveness of the industry. He is teaching ANSC 244, Comparative Nutrition, this semester and will teach ANSC 321, Applied Animal Nutrition, and ANSC 642, Advanced Animal Nutrition, in upcoming semesters.

Carbon Sequestration

10/23/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Mataia ReevesMataia Reeves (NREM MS student) will be defending her thesis, “The Potential Carbon Sequestration of Eucalyptus grandis in Conjunction with Its Use as a Biofuel Feedstock,” on Friday, Nov. 2, at 1:00 p.m. in Sherman 103 Conference Room. Mataia, whose committee includes Susan Crow and J.B. Friday (both NREM), is studying woody biomass conversion to biofuel as a renewable energy option. She examined the carbon stocks and dynamics of an E. grandis plantation to determine the potential for soil carbon sequestration, and therefore greenhouse gas offsets, by measuring changes in both total soil carbon stock and carbon pool sizes that came with the conversion of pasture to managed plantation.

Sweetpotato and Banana and Lu‘au Leaf, Oh My!

10/17/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Dr. Watters and Dr. Huang show off local foodsAlvin Huang and Corilee Watters (both HNFAS) are recipients of a USDA Federal State Marketing Improvement $28K grant to develop a strategy for marketing three unique varieties of Hawaiian produce to U.S. mainland retailers. They will be working in collaboration with Ted Radovich (TPSS) to determine the optimum packing methods for preserving quality and nutritional content over long distances.

Climate Change on Haleakala

10/17/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

SilverswordPaul Krushelnycky (PEPS) is PI for one of the 5 UH projects, totaling more that $1 million, to be funded through the newly established Pacific Islands Climate Science Center. He will study the patterns and causes of recent decline in Haleakala silverswords associated with decreasing rainfall, increasing temperature, and related climate changes in Hawai‘i’s high-elevation ecosystems, and he'll conduct seedling drought tolerance experiments to determine methods that can lead to restoration. The PICSC is one of 8 regional climate science centers recently established and funded by the US Department of Interior, which focus on climate change and terrestrial and coastal ecosystems with the aim of producing scientific results that ultimately will help inform land management decisions. An inaugural lecture for the PICSC marking the public debut of the Climate Science Center initiative at Manoa will be held on Oct. 26, 1:30 to 3:00, in the Kuykendall auditorium.

Focus on Food

10/17/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Gabriel Sachter-SmithGrad student Gabe Sachter-Smith (TPSS) was one of the speakers at the monthly Food (+) talk story session held at the Ka Papa Lo‘i o Kanewai associated with the Hawai‘inuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge last week. Food (+), a “monthly interdisciplinary series on food,” focused in this session on personal, grassroots, and community-driven solutions to our food systems issues, promoting personal empowerment for students while making a difference in the Islands’ food sustainability. As one of the leaders of the Student Organic Farm Training group, which promotes and tends edible landscaping around the UH-Manoa campus and maintains more garden plots, some poultry, and an apiary at Magoon Research Facility, Gabe unquestionably knows whereof he speaks.

AgCurious? Becomes AgExcited!

10/17/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Matthew Loke lecturingAlmost 100 people attended the inaugural AgCurious? seminar at Windward Community College last week, where they listened to presentations by Matthew Loke (CTAHR/HDOA, pictured) on Hawai‘i’s ag economy, the Reppun brothers on the challenges of the farming life in Hawai‘i, and David Ringuette (WCC) and Steven Chiang (Agribusiness Incubator Program) on the new GoFarm Hawai‘i farmer training program. They also got to sample locally sourced starfruit, rambutan, banana, taro chips, and coffee, most of these from David Ringuette’s own farm. The AgCurious seminar is the first phase of the new GoFarm Hawai’i farmer training program, a joint effort of CTAHR, AIP, WCC, and others. And 20 people signed up for next phase, AgXposure—starting Nov. 10—on the spot!

Weeding the Sea

10/17/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

NREM students with bags of seaweed they collectedAs part of the service learning component of their class, students in PEPS/NREM 210 recently collected over a ton of invasive seaweed from Kane‘ohe Bay, led by professors Janice Uchida (PEPS) and Brent Sipes (NREM). The non-native algae outcompetes native seaweeds, chokes out space for fish and other marine fauna, and makes the bay less pleasant for humans. But it’s good for one thing: SOFT students transported the seaweed to Magoon, where they’ll use it to make great compost—and lots of it!

Getting the Lay of the Land

10/17/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Maria Gallo with taro at Waimanalo Research StationLately Dean Maria Gallo has had the opportunity of checking out some of CTAHR’s research stations, meeting with the staff and researchers who keep them going and even getting to taste the fruits of their labors. She visited Magoon in time to catch a glimpse of Professor Peapod (Maria Stewart, HNFAS) teaching Noelani first-graders and checked out Joe DeFrank’s (TPSS) turf research; she toured the Urban Garden Center and breathed in the sweet scent of the roses in the new rose garden there; and then it was out to Waimanalo, where farm manager Roger Corrales escorted her on a tour of the research plots. Next she flew to Maui to check out the many exciting projects and warm hospitality at the Cooperative Extension office, the Kula Ag Park, the Maui Ag Research Station, and the Haleakala Research Station. Director of Planning and Management Systems Thomas Lim was her guide throughout these adventures. When you consider that Dean Gallo also attended a PEPS faculty meeting, a meeting with Chancellor Apple, and an Aquaponics in the Classroom Saturday session—and all this before jetting off to two national agriculture conferences—it’s easy to see her energy and her commitment to CTAHR’s projects and people. It’s just as easy to see her excitement: “What a terrific week,” she enthuses; “the talent and dedication are inspiring!”

CTAHR and the Chancellor

10/17/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Tom AppleDon’t forget to go to the Talk-Story Session with Chancellor Tom Apple on Monday, Oct. 29, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in Kuykendall 101. If you can’t make it in person, the meeting will also be available via the UH Halawai (Adobe Connect) Web conferencing system. Participants with UH Usernames can log in here; participants without UH Usernames (guests) can log in here. Before the meeting, click on this link to test your connection. Also check out this tutorial on how to use the Halawai service if you need one. Any technical questions can be sent to halawai-l@lists.hawaii.edu; all other questions should go to chunm@ctahr.hawaii.edu. This will be a good opportunity to hear what the chancellor has to say about the University’s future, let him know what’s going on in the college, and ask any questions you might have, so let’s all get together and talk story!

Turf Time

10/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Dr. David SmitleyAn applicant for Assistant Specialist in Turf and Landscape Pest Management in PEPS, Dr. David Smitley of Michigan State University’s Department of Entomology, will be visiting on Oct. 22, and all are invited to attend his seminars and participate in the discussion sessions that will follow. His extension seminar will be at 9:00 a m., on “New Tools and Strategies for Landscape and Turf IPM in Hawaii,” and his teaching seminar will be at 1:15 p.m., on “Armored Scales in Hawaii, Life Cycle and Management of Pinnaspis buxi.” Both will take place in 301 Gilmore. An added bonus: refreshments will be served! Seminars can be viewed live by neighbor island faculty via computer (Blackboard Collaborate)—though there’s no way to send the refreshments over... For more information, contact snelson@hawaii.edu.

Flower (and Other Ornamentals) Power!

10/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

A horticultural ho‘olaulea is taking place Oct. 19–21 at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. First the 4th Annual Crop Production Services Seminar for the Horticultural Industry will be offered on Friday, Oct. 19, featuring info on plant diseases, harmful and helpful insects, and plant nutrition; vendors of useful products; and pesticide credits for those with an RUP card. Next the Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association/Hawaii Tropical Flower Council’s 4th Annual Conference will run Oct. 20 and 21, with sessions on marketing, branding, and industry trends; the Tropical Trends Design competition; and chances to network and talk story. You can still register, for any or all of the three days, so don’t miss it! Any questions? Ask Kelvin Sewake at 808-969-8211 or ksewake@hawaii.edu.

HNFAS “Rices” to the Occasion

10/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Eva Chiu at Rice FestNutritional Sciences and HNFAS graduate students Eva Chiu (pictured), Ziwen Wang, and Alison Zenel hosted an educational booth at the Third Annual Hawaii Rice Fest at Ward Warehouse on September 29. All three are working under HNFAS’ Maria Stewart, who was also on hand to offer rice-related information. The educational display included a quiz game, a “guess this rice” activity, recipes, and nutritional information. Other activities at the Rice Festival included the construction and Guinness World Record™ confirmation of the World's Largest Spam™ Musubi, weighing in at 628 lbs. The event was held as a part of National Rice Month as declared by the US Rice Federation.

Meaningful on Maui

10/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CTAHR bikers on HaleakalaCTAHR’s ninth annual Meaningful Experience trip began early in the morning of Sept. 29 when 20 students and staff flew to Maui for a weekend packed with fun and education. The tour began at the Surfing Goat Dairy, producer of award-winning goat cheeses. Students learned about the dairy’s operations, even getting to milk and herd the goats. Their visit ended with a tasting session, where they sampled over 15 different cheeses produced at the farm. After lunch, the group headed to Maui Beach Hotel for teambuilding activities facilitated by ASAO’s Lisa Kitagawa-Akagi, to bond with one another and build interpersonal and communication skills. Dinner followed, with an opportunity to head out to the Maui County Fair. The group called it a night early, as they had to wake up at 2 a.m. for the sunrise at Haleakala the next day. After making the windy trek up the world’s steepest paved road to the summit, the students looked out into the crater, above the thick clouds, to await the gorgeous sunrise. After soaking in the awe-inspiring view, the group made their way down to the 7,000-foot elevation. Those who dared cruised down the mountain on bikes, while the rest kicked back in vans. At mid-morning, the students headed out to the final activity of the trip, at Monsanto Hawaii. Here, they learned about the seed industry, Monsanto’s operations, and the company’s developments both in the lab and in the field. Then the group cooled off with some of Ululani’s famous Shave Ice or Pinkberry fro-yo before heading back to O‘ahu. Thank you to David Stoltzfus, Dario Bernacchi, and Mario Gaggero of Monsanto for hosting the visit to their facilities. Also, mahalo to SAPFB and ASAO for supporting the students’ trip to Maui. Lastly, thank you to the students who participated and made the trip meaningful!

Albania, Albania...

10/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Cathy Chan-Halbrendt receiving honorary degree from AUTCatherine Chan-Halbrendt (Chair, NREM) was recently awarded the honorary title “Doctor Honoris Causa” by the Agricultural University of Tirana (AUT) in Albania, the highest academic title available for their faculty in Economics and Agribusiness. Since 2008, USAID and CTAHR have helped AUT to improve their academic programs in the branches of Economics and Agricultural Policy, Agribusiness, and Farm Management through the AHEED Project: Albania-Hawaii Higher Education and Economic Development, of which Cathy is the PI. CTAHR helped to improve the Master’s-level teaching program in Agricultural Economics and also has helped the academic staff to improve their teaching, strengthened applied research and policy analysis, and been a collaborative partner in explaining and teaching the new modules on data collection and market analysis. Through this project, Albanian students and professors have had the opportunity to participate in various international conferences and to publish in internationally important journals in the ag. economics field. All the research that has been conducted in AUT during the last 4 years will be gathered this fall into a book on Albanian agriculture, the first of its kind, Agricultural Markets in a Transitional Economy: A Study on the Country.

The Way to Spray

10/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Demonstration of spray coverage on papaya leavesCTAHR’s LIFE, Risk Management Hawaii, and Spray Coverage programs partnered with USDA’s Risk Management Agency and HDOA to sponsor a road-show event, the 2012 Statewide Spray Coverage Clinic. Their goal was to increase pesticide efficacy, minimize pest resistance, reduce pesticide exposure, and safeguard Hawai‘i’s farms, workers, and environment. The statewide spray coverage road show, which was offered on O‘ahu, Maui, Moloka‘i, and the Big Island, was led by Maui Extension agent Robin Shimabuku and emeritus Extension agent Steve Fukuda. Other team members included Jensen Uyeda, Alton Arakaki, and Andrea Kawabata (all TPSS); Randy Hamasaki (Hawai‘i Island Extension); Mike Kawate and Jari Sugano (both PEPS); and Stuart Nakamoto (HNFAS). Also contributing were Steven Russo, Derek Shigematsu, and Daisuke Inoyama (all from HDOA), and Evann Goo. Workshops covered the basics of pesticide application; methods and equipment for spraying; factors that affect coverage and efficacy; how to read and interpret pesticide labels; pesticide inspections; and commodity sampling for pesticide residue analysis. The highlights of the event were the visual demonstrations, which impressed on growers the need to achieve good spray coverage.

Basil “At Risk” Management

10/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Basil growingAfter the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) detected unauthorized pesticides on commercially grown basil in Hawai‘i in May 2012, CTAHR’s Local and Immigrant Farmer Education Program (LIFE), Risk Management Hawaii, IR4 Minor Crop Registration Program, Food Safety Program, and Basil SWAT Team all joined up with the USDA Risk Management Agency and the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to conduct an educational session with “at risk” basil farmers to address and understand growers’ issues pertaining to the misuse of chemicals. In September, a second session at the Pearl City Urban Garden covered a myriad of basil-related info, including the safe use of pesticides, a review of common basil pests in Hawai‘i, pesticides registered for use on basil here, the HDOA pesticide inspection process, and the Hawaii Department of Health commodity sampling program. The workshop also focused on soliciting ideas on how best to continue servicing and partnering with basil farmers; it established buy-in and a good-faith commitment by basil farmers to participate in future educational workshops and activities conducted by CTAHR. This effort to address misuse of pesticides in edible cropping systems would not have been successful without translation help from CTAHR PhD candidate Ming Yi Chou, Koon Hui Wang and John Hu (both PEPS), and Shuya Lou.

Co-qui! Co-qui!

10/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rep. Isaac ChoyArnold Hara (PEPS) and Russell Nagata, Hawai‘i County Administrator, met with Representatives Mark Nakashima and Clift Tsuji from the Big Island and Representative Isaac Choy of O‘ahu (pictured) regarding coqui frog research and control strategies. Rep. Choy, a member of the committees on Finance and Agriculture, is very concerned about the coqui frog invading other parts of the state, especially his home district of Manoa Valley. Arnold and his staff updated him on past and current coqui frog research activities conducted by CTAHR on the Big Island, including their newest 24-foot hot shower chamber for eradicating coqui frogs from potted plants prior to shipment interisland and interstate. The chamber was designed and built by Charles Nelson (MBBE), assisted by Jon Katada of the Waiakea Experiment Station. They also demonstrated a sound-activated recorder used for monitoring coqui frog infestation at remote nursery locations, for those who actually need to hear the pests' call.

Youth Empowered

10/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

NREM members of UPLOAD JOBSNREM is kicking off a $1 million international partnership with the comprehensive name University Partnership Linking OSY (Out-of-School Youth) to Agri-Entrepreneurship and Development to promote Job Opportunities and Business Scale-up for Mindanao (UPLOAD-JOBS for Mindanao). The project plans to enhance the livelihoods of out-of-school youth in Central Mindanao through training and capacity-building of educators and participants of the agricultural entrepreneurship program at partnering institution Southern Christian College (SCC). This past July, a team from NREM consisting of department chair and project director Catherine Chan-Halbrendt, project coordinator Rusyan Mamiit and communications coordinator Cynthia Lai (both PhD students), and project assistant Mary Younkin (MS student) traveled to the province of Cotabato, Mindanao, in the Philippines to initiate the project, establish relationships with project partners and potential stakeholders, determine the current level of knowledge and skill sets of OSY, and gauge the interest of participating stakeholders. CTAHR has a 100-year history of supporting agricultural and community development in Asia; this project will extend that legacy and incorporate other departments within CTAHR, such as TPSS and PEPS in collaboration with SCC to implement innovative and pedagogical approaches to teach, train, and implement outreach programs with OSY, local and regional businesses, and the larger community.

It’s Okay to Be Curious…

10/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Ag Curious flyerDo you have a growing desire? Sate your need to know more by attending the Ag-Curious workshop that will be held Thursday, Oct. 11, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Windward Community College’s Hale Akoakoa 105. It’s free—just register by emailing gofarm@hawaii.edu by the day of the workshop. Who knows? Maybe you’ll discover a whole new you…a farmer!

Get Nourished

10/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Joannie DobbsHNFAS faculty Joannie Dobbs (pictured) and Alan Titchenal recently passed the 500-article mark for their “Health Options” newspaper column in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, which they started writing in 1997 for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. They also have a available at series of articles for the older generation who are still “young at heart.” Other outreach by Joannie and Alan includes the “Got Nutrients?” website, which was developed to provide basic, “no nonsense” nutrition, health, and fitness information. The website focuses on quick and to-the-point daily messages about nutrition and health topics, but readers who want more than the main point will find links to further reading and scientific support for each of the messages. Currently, over 1,300 daily tips are archived here, so using the site’s search feature can pull up a great deal of practical and scientific information on a topic of interest. Website visitors can even sign up to receive the daily tip in their email!

The Texture of a Life

10/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Barbara KawakamiBarbara Kawakami, a 1979 alumna of the Fashion, Design and Merchandising program in FCS, has donated the materials for “Textured Lives,” an exhibition of rare plantation clothing and artifacts accompanied by issei stories of life on the plantation. The exhibit runs through Oct. 15 on the first floor of the Castle Memorial Building at the Bishop Museum. Much of the material comes from her book, Japanese Immigrant Clothing in Hawaii 1885–1941, which first began as a term paper for Dr. Mary Ellen Des Jarlais’s course in East Asian Costumes. Barbara Kawakami grew up on an O‘ahu sugar plantation in Waipahu and entered the textile and clothing program after raising her children and spending many years as a dressmaker. Noticing a scarcity of information about clothing worn by immigrants living on Hawai‘i’s plantations, she began to research the topic, collecting rare samples of plantation clothing, artifacts, and photographs. Even more significantly, she collected 250 interviews and plantation life stories from elderly issei, first-generation immigrants from Japan, over 15 years. Her research has culminated in a book, DVD documentaries from the Japanese American National Museum, the “Textured Lives” exhibition, and numerous lecture requests. Now 91, Barbara is preparing her next book, on Japanese picture brides.

The Master Master Gardeners

10/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Maria Gallo addresses Master GardenersSeventy-six Master Gardeners, including 21 from neighbor islands, met recently to attend the 2012 Statewide UH MG Grow-Together Awards Ceremony & Lunch Banquet held at the East-West Center. Dean Maria Gallo welcomed the participants before the awards ceremony, followed by presentations by Clear Englebert on his latest book, Feng Shui For Hawai'i Gardens, and Matt Lynch of the Asia-Pacific Center for Regenerative Design on Permaculture: Going Beyond Organic.

Gene-iuses on the Move

10/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Boy at CTAHR Gene-ius DayAnia Wieczorek’s (TPSS) Gene-ius Day program, a series of science workshops for elementary-school kids, just got some enthusiastic reporting from Hawaii Public Radio. On a recent field trip to St. John, students looked at plant cells under the microscope, extracted DNA from papaya, and discussed the problems farmers face and the ways scientists can help. The kids have fun, learn information and skills related to their schoolwork, and are inspired about the future: One boy interviewed speaks knowledgably about nuclei and chloroplasts; another girl says she plans to be a scientist when she grows up. This workshop series and other outreach programs of the Genetics department have reached more than 4,000 students in the past 5 years, an impressive total especially considering that hands-on learning such as these classes offer has been proven to increase student success. The next Saturday Gene-iuses on a Mission installments take place Oct. 6, at which participants get more in-depth into DNA, and Oct. 20 and Nov. 17, where they’ll learn all about the “beautiful body parts of insects” and their relationships with plants and humans. Bzzzzz!

New Faces: Jinan Banna

10/2/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Jinan BannaJinan Banna joins HNFAS as an assistant professor in nutrition education. She earned her PhD in Nutritional Biology from the University of California-Davis and holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California-Santa Barbara. She is also a registered dietitian, and completed her dietetic internship at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Before coming to UH, Jinan held a research position at the Instituto de Investigacion Nutricional in Lima, Peru, where she focused on assessing the dietary intake of adolescents in a peri-urban area. Her research interests lie in the area of nutrition education in minority populations, and she is particularly interested in studying diverse adolescent populations. She is currently investigating the influence of cultural beliefs and attitudes on weight and dietary intake in adolescents in Hawai‘i. This semester she’s teaching FSHN 185, The Science of Human Nutrition, and co-teaching FSHN 451, Community Nutrition.

Chat With the Chancellor

10/2/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

UH Chancellor Tom AppleChancellor Tom Apple’s Talk-Story Session with CTAHR will take place on Monday, Oct. 29, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in Kuykendall 101. The meeting will also be made available via the UH Halawai (Adobe Connect) Web conferencing system. Participants with UH Usernames can log in here; participants without UH Usernames (guests) can log in here. You may start logging in from 1:30 p.m. Before the meeting, click on this link to test your connection. Need a tutorial on how to use the Halawai service? Any technical questions can be sent to halawai-l@lists.hawaii.edu; all other questions should go to chunm@ctahr.hawaii.edu. This is your chance to hear what the chancellor has to say about the University’s future, let him know what’s going on in the college, and ask any questions you might have, so make it if you can!

Web of Science

10/2/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Black spot fungus of papayaThere are a couple of new websites in cyberspace, offering timely, relevant, and extremely useful information—you may go to them for specific questions, but you’ll stay just to browse! Scot Nelson’s (TPSS) Hawaii Plant Disease site offers symptoms, sites, and vectors of plant diseases that may be encountered locally, along with photos to aid in identification, such as this image of Asperisporium lesions on papaya. Want to make sure you’re not inadvertently planting an invasive species in your garden, or looking for alternatives to the interlopers? Plant Pono: Making Good Decisions for Our 'Aina can show you the way, also with the aid of lots of photos. Both sites promise that even more content will be added periodically, so check back often!

Pests, Pests, Pests

10/2/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Invasive Aphids in Hawaii book coverWhat Russell Messing (PEPS), Keith Pike, and Robert Foottit know about Invasive Aphids in Hawaii could fill a book…and does! Check out this commodious compendium of all things aphid in the Islands, attended by lush color photos of all the thoraxes and antennae you could ever hope to see. Let’s hope you don’t see any of the “Coconut and Palm Pests” detailed in the brochure by Arnold Hara (PEPS) and Ronald Bento III—none of these creatures has yet been found here, and judging from the damage they do, it would be wise to keep it that way. You might think that creepy-crawlies were the worst you had to be wary of, but did you know you’ve also got to watch out for orchids? As authors Patti Clifford and Kent Kobayashi (TPSS) explain, orchids weren’t thought to be invasive species…but some are! Find out which and why and what to do about it in “Naturalizing Orchids and the Hawaii Pacific Weed Risk Assessment System”—before it’s too late!

Fun and Friendships in the Fields

10/2/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Cornfield at Waimanalo Research StationWaimanalo Research Station recently opened their doors—or the gates to their cornfields—to members of two Windward Community College groups. Hulili helps Native Hawaiian students transition from associate’s degrees at WCC to BAs at UH Manoa, while TRiO Student Support Services works to increase retention and graduation rates among students with disabilities. The students joined forces to host a fundraising food booth at WCC’s annual bon dance, and a big draw was the corn the students and volunteers had picked, shucked, cut, and grilled the same day. Roy Inouye of WCC writes, “We would like to express our biggest mahalo to you folks. We made $2,148 from our food booth, and a majority of that money came from the sale of your corn. Everybody went away happy and we made money to help pay for our various cultural events. What was more valuable than the money we made were the friendships and camaraderie in the picking, shucking, and tip cutting. That feeling of ‘wow’ that comes with first-time experiences—walking in a cornfield, picking the corn, and that ‘OMG I didn’t die’ feeling, with bugs, centipedes, and all. It was a lifetime experience for many, with stories to be passed down to our children and grandchildren.” Ted Radovich (TPSS) adds, “Thanks to Ray [Uchida, O‘ahu Extension] for approving the project and Roger [Corrales, Waimanalo’s farm manager] and crew for growing such a great crop of corn.”

September



Cool and Creamy

9/25/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Welcome Back Ice Cream Bash 2012At the recent Welcome Back Ice Cream Bash in the Sherman Courtyard, representatives from all of CTAHR’s departments and administration competed for best costume design and fastest ice cream-eating time at CTAHR’s 24th Annual Welcome Back Ice Cream Bash. Once the winners were crowned, CTAHR students, faculty and staff assembled to enjoy ice cream and popsicles, once again donated by Meadow Gold Dairies of Hawaii. Competing in this year’s contests were A’rel Boies (FCS), Maria Stewart (HNFAS), Eunsung Kan (MBBE), Molly Miller (NREM), Ikaia Leleiwi (PEPS), Gabriel Sachter-Smith (TPSS) and Kai Kunipo (Admin). Congratulations to Molly Miller for winning the costume contest and to Ikaia Leleiwi for winning the no-hands scavenger hunt ice cream-eating competition! The beneficiary of the monetary donations collected at this year’s event was the Lanakila Meals on Wheels Program, the only island-wide meal service for the elderly. Thank you to all who attended the bash, our contestants, and especially to those who donated to Lanakila Meals on Wheels. Big mahalos to Meadow Gold for its continuous support of CTAHR; SAPFB for funding a part of this event; special guests Dr. Lori Ideta and Rouel Velasco for serving as judges of the costume contest; Ryan Kurasaki and Charlie Nelson; the HNFAS and NREM departments; Ray Uchida of the Oahu Extension Office; and Lito Cacho and Richard Fisher of Pearl City Urban Garden Center; and our ice cream scoopers. Lastly, thank you to the committee, scholarship recipients, ASAO, and everyone whose efforts made the 24th Annual Welcome Back Ice Cream Bash a success!

New Faces: Selva Lewin-Bizan

9/25/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Selva Lewin BizanSelva Lewin-Bizan joins UH as an assistant professor in the Family and Consumer Sciences Department and a faculty fellow at the Center on the Family, bringing extensive experience in basic and applied research. Selva earned her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Boston College and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from Tel-Aviv University and the University of Chicago respectively. Before coming to UH, Selva completed post-doctoral training at the Child Development Department at Tufts University, where she also held a research position after completing the training. Her research interests lie at the interface of developmental psychology and social work, focusing on children, youth, and families, and on the social issues that affect them She is currently investigating how parents, particularly fathers, affect and are affected by their children, and the role of social stratification in determining the meaningfulness of father–child relationships. This semester she is teaching undergraduate courses on child development and contemporary societal issues that affect the lives of families.

Don’t Let the Vampires Get You on Halloween—

9/25/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Charly Kinoshita giving blood—save your blood to donate it at CTAHR’s Fall 2012 Blood Drive on Thursday, Nov. 8, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Executive Dining Room. The college has led two of the most successful Blood Drives, ever, at UH-Manoa and is hoping to continue in this tradition by again offering the gift of life. The Blood Bank has made recent changes that allow more to be eligible to donate, so please check your eligibility if you’re wondering. To schedule an appointment or get more information, please contact Sylvia Trinh at strinh@hawaii.edu or 956-8183. Sylvia will need your name, gender, phone number, and preferred appointment time, as well as either your date of birth or your Blood Bank of Hawaii I.D.#. No fangs required.

Sharing the Knowledge

9/10/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Gabriel Sachter SmithGabriel Sachter-Smith, a grad student in the Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, is one of 14 students in ag sciences nationwide chosen by the Trellis Fund to partner with nonprofit organizations in the developing world. The students travel to developing countries and work with smallholder farmers to solve problems with growing fruits and vegetables; Gabe will work with Gardens for Health International on intercropping in banana fields in Rwanda. In the first round of Trellis projects, completed earlier this year, 10 graduate students supported projects throughout the developing world with a combined 124 training meetings, 1,935 farmer participants and 10 demonstration plots. For each project, organizations are provided $2,000 to support their work, and graduate students are awarded travel funds plus $300 to continue providing horticultural consultation remotely throughout the year. The fund is administered by the Horticulture Collaborative Research Support Program at UC Davis with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Lifelong Love of Learning

9/10/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Jo Ann Murata, Yukiko Murata, and James KramerCTAHR classes are good for the whole family! Several of Skip Bittenbender’s TPSS courses, for instance, have been enlivened by the presence of three self-proclaimed “life-long learners”: Yukiko Murata, 97; her daughter Jo-Ann Murata, 68; and Jo-Ann’s husband James Kramer, 76. They share their hopes for Skip’s Introduction to Tropical Fruits, in which they are presently enrolled, with an enviable zest: “We are looking forward to the Tropical Fruits classes to experience new taste sensations, to sharpen our palate and to go where few seniors have gone before without leaving Hawaii.” And though they’ve taken courses throughout the university under the Na Kupuna program, which allows seniors to attend UH free of tuition, courses on topics ranging from future studies to Hawaiian language and culture, they’ve concluded, “Courses offered by CTAHR fit most closely the elements of our collective Life-long Learning philosophies. The course on Ornamental plants helped Yukiko improve her orchid and anthurium collections and aided Jim in landscape design. Jo-Ann applied the tools and techniques from the Herbs and Spices course to add variety to her culinary garden. But all three agree that the course on Beverages [another one of Skip’s] expanded our understanding and appreciation of how the creation of fruit, nut and root beverages impacted the religious and everyday lives of the many cultures in Hawaii.” And undoubtedly, as they learn from CTAHR’s professors, they are sharing important life lessons with their teachers and fellow classmates as well.

Environmental Care and Team Spirit

9/10/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

NREM Governors Award Team nomineesThe Natural Resources and Environmental Management Team has been selected to represent UH as its nominee for the 2012 Governor’s Award for Team Excellence Award of Merit (Team of the Year). The awards are “designed to honor employees and managers who exemplify the highest caliber of public service and dedication to serving the people of Hawaii,” says the call for nominations, and this award in particular is bestowed annually on a team that has made significant contributions to the state of Hawai‘i and has worked together to accomplish a common goal. Besides fulfilling the college’s land-grant mission, the department’s aims further several of the goals laid out in the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan: to help ensure that natural resources are used responsibly and respectfully; that the community is strong, healthy, and nurturing; and that the economy is diversified, locally sustaining, and globally competitive. The team was nominated by department chair Catherine Chan-Halbrendt. Some members were photographed at the August 2012 BOR meeting at Windward CC, where they were recognized. From left to right, they are Chi Ming Chan, Kirsten Oleson, Steven Nagano, Ali Fares, Debbie Wong, Catherine Chan-Halbrendt, and Creighton Litton. Also pictured to the right are President M.R.C. Greenwood, with BOR Chair Eric K. Martinson behind Dr. Greenwood, and Roxanne Adams, Employee of the Year. The 2012 Governor’s Award Ceremony will be held Friday, Sept. 28, 2:30–3:30 p.m. in the State Capitol Auditorium, where the team and other teams from the state will be recognized. Doors open to the public at 1:30 p.m. Remember, as well, that Arnold Hara (PEPS) and his team won this university-wide award in 2010!

Banding Together Against the Coming Storm

9/10/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Sarah Henly-ShepardNREM PhD candidate Sarah Henly-Shepard is working on the North Shore of O‘ahu to pilot a community-based coastal storm hazard- and climate change-resilience project to help ensure our communities are proactive, rather than reactive, in reference to the increasing disasters due to global climate change. The community of Hanalei, Kaua‘i, and NREM faculty Steven Gray and Linda Cox are also involved in this extensive effort.

Stem Cells in Space

9/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Nora RobertsonThree MBBE students are featured in a news clip highlighting a contract awarded to a local biotech company. Tissue Genesis is being funded by NASA to refine the bioreactor they invented, which will allow scientists to do tissue culture experiments and test human stem cells in space. Nora Robertson (pictured), an intern for Tissue Genesis, graduated with a BS from the Biological Engineering program in Spring 2012 and will be joining the BE grad program this fall. Edward Drielak graduated from the BE undergrad program in 2011 and is also currently in the BE graduate program, while Angela Rodke is in the BE undergraduate program. The bioreactor will be delivered to the International Space Station in 2014 aboard the SpaceX Dragon.

Give Peace Day a Chance

9/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Peace Day 2012 logoThe Pearl City Urban Garden Center (UGC) will be celebrating Peace Day Hawai‘i 2012 on Sunday, Sept. 23rd, with the theme of cultivating peace by introducing peace gardens at the Center in educational partnerships with schools and community. The UGC will be open to the public 1–5 p.m. to explore the gardens, while the formal inauguration ceremony will be 3–4 p.m., with the dedication of the Peace Gardens Pathways, program announcements, entertainment, food, and the launching of the first 3 peace gardens. Parking is available on the grounds. Seating is limited, so bring outdoor seating as well as sun protection as needed. For questions, please contact Jeannie Lum at jlum@hawaii.edu.

Waimanalo No Ka Oi

9/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

UH-CTAHR Waimanalo Research StationCTAHR and the Castle Foundation have committed $75,000 for infrastructure improvements to enhance the capacity of Waimanalo Research Station as a center of excellence and learning for the Waimanalo community. Funded projects include installation of an aquaponic facility, the initial phase of which is completed; renovation of classroom space, which is underway; and reconstruction of an outdoor classroom in the certified organic plots. The primary goal of these projects is to improve the station’s ability to support Waimanalo community groups and institutions such as Pope School, Kailua High School, and God’s Country Waimanalo in their efforts to provide the Waimanalo community with educational programs focused on healthy food production and consumption. Public activities planned in the next few months include an open house and movie night as well as a catfish-spawning workshop and an aquaponics field day. Additional activities for the near future include educational activities for school and community groups and the establishment of a master gardener desk to handle home garden questions.

Seeds of Sustainability

9/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Orville Baldos, Joe DeFrank, and Scott LukasTPSS grad students Orville Baldos (left) and Scott Lukas (right) knew they had a good idea when they adapted the technique of hydromulching—spraying seeds mixed with water and paper slurry—to seed and stabilize areas previously assumed to be waste spaces, such as roadsides, with native Hawaiian plants. They were sure of it when their video Native Hawaiian Plants for Established Use: Seed Production and Establishment describing their technique and vision was awarded 2nd place in CTAHR’s first Entrepreneurial Competition. But if they needed more proof that theirs is an idea whose time has come, they got it when they entered the video in the Sustainable Agriculture Video Contest of the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program and it won that contest as well. It will be posted on Western SARE’s Web site, and the two may be featured in the organization’s newsletter Simply Sustainable. Here Orville and Scott are pictured with their mentor Joe DeFrank (middle) next to Scott's research plot of endangered native Hawaiian kakonakona grass, but they’re also researching pili grass, akiaki, and other native plants. Their project could lead to large-scale revegetation efforts and the development of a seed-production industry for native plants that would create local jobs and increased self-sufficiency.

The More We Get Together, the Happier We’ll Be

9/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Graphic advertising Get-TogetherThe 2012 CTAHR Alumni Association and Friends Get-Together will take place on Sept. 28 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Magoon Research Facility, 2717 Woodlawn Drive, across from Manoa Marketplace. Street parking available—do not park at the shopping center, or you may be towed. Come for dinner, fellowship, and useful information: tour the Magoon Facility; learn about aquaponics, tropical ornamental plant breeding, and the Student Organic Farm Training (SOFT) Program; consult the Plant Doctor on your home garden; enjoy soothing live music; and compete in the Hawaiian-style bocce ball tournament! The cost is $25, with checks payable to CTAHRAA. Mail form and payment by Sept. 14 to CTHAR Alumni Association c/o UH-Manoa, 3050 Maile Way, Gilmore 210, Honolulu, HI 96822. Questions? Just ask Kourtney Inoue at 432-7777 or satokk@hawaii.edu.

A Bushel Basket of Information and a Chance to Applaud

9/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Donna ChingThe Hawaii Agriculture Conference, which will take place at the Hawai‘i Convention Center on Sept. 20 and 21, is right around the corner. (Yes, for those with appetite, enthusiasm, and a plane ticket, it is possible to make it to both the Ag Conference and the Taste!) The conference offers a staggering array of ag information from farmers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and policymakers on such subjects as biotech, funding, food commons, labor relations, school gardens, and more. This year, CTAHR’s own Donna Ching (FCS) will be honored with the “Monty” Richards Leadership Award at the Conference’s All Hawaii Products Awards Luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 20. Those who have already registered or plan to register for the conference, or who plan to attend only the Thursday luncheon, are invited to join at a CTAHR table to cheer on Donna, who has played a major role in cultivating so many of Hawai‘i’s agricultural leaders for so many years. If you would like to be part of CTAHR’s table, please let Charly Kinoshita know at your earliest opportunity, at kinoshitac@ctahr.hawaii.edu or 956-6997.

Eat the Islands

9/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Mealani Taste of the Hawaiian RangeIf you haven’t yet got your tickets for Mealani’s Taste of the Hawaiian Range, now’s your chance. Now in its 17th year, the delightful Taste extravaganza offers an ‘ono and satisfying array of locally produced food prepared by more than 30 of the state’s top chefs. You can sample different cuts of local, grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, mutton, goat, and wild boar, plus a bounty of fresh, island-grown fruit and veggies. It will take place Friday, Sept. 21, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island. Watch for ticket giveaways and event updates on Facebook at Taste of the Hawaiian Range and Twitter #TasteHI. For general event information, phone (808) 969-8228 or visit TasteoftheHawaiianRange.com.

Caretakers of the Forest

9/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

First class of Forest Stewards on Hawaii IslandCTAHR’s Forestry Extension program congratulates its first group of Forest Stewards, 15 landowners from Hawai‘i island. Participants successfully completed a 30-hour intensive training program held August 23–26 at Kilauea Military Camp, in Hawai‘i National Park at Volcano. Morning and evening sessions were taught by J.B. Friday (NREM), Extension forester, and local experts on topics such as Hawaiian culture and natural history, wildlife habitat, invasive species, forest management and protection, koa forestry, agroforestry, taxes, estate planning, and financial matters. Afternoon field trips to local managed private forests provided valuable experiences to balance the class sessions. The new graduates are committed to giving back to their local communities through activities such as hosting field days on their own property and other efforts to help landowners manage their forests.

UH Food Day

9/4/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Corrilee Watters with UH Food Day 2012 participantsCorilee Watters (HNFAS, left), with the assistance of senior dietetics student Erika Chinn-Galindo (right) is leading the second annual UH Food Day, the local manifestation of a nationwide event geared towards increasing awareness of local food sources while promoting healthy eating and supporting sustainable farms. To celebrate Food Day, on October 24 at the Campus Center dining room from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. there will be an exciting array of presentations by Corilee and by Dr. John Kaneko, MS, DVM, program manager for the Hawaii Seafood Council (HSC), and local farmer and CTAHR alumnus Fred Lau (second from left) from aquaponic farm Mari’s Gardens. Following the presentations will be a food demonstration by Philip Shon (second from right), UH Sodexo executive chef, in collaboration with Donna Ojiri, RD, general manager of Sodexo and CTAHR alumna. Also available will be food tastings, booths on careers in Food and Nutrition, and student research projects. You won’t want to miss out on the chance to taste delicious food from our local farms and celebrate the efforts to promote positive changes in the food system. So please come and learn how to make healthy eating choices while helping to build the food movement bringing locally farmed foods to our tables and ensuring the sustainability of our food supply in Hawai‘i.

August



White House Executive Chef in the Making

8/27/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Stefani S-S4-H member Stefani Shimomura-Sakamoto accepted an invitation from the White House to attend the first Kids State Dinner. Stefani entered her creations Scrumptious Salmon Salad and Strawberryana Smoothie in the Healthy Kids Recipe contest, which drew 1,200 submissions, and was one of 54 budding chefs between 8 and 12 years of age to win the honor of being recognized at a luncheon in the East Room of the White House. President Obama even visited the luncheon and singled out Stefani for special recognition as representing his home state.

Other Things That Can Harm Your Plants

8/27/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Papayas with boron deficiencyWarning: there’s even more out there ready to menace your green companions than you knew! Some are big enough to see with the naked eye, which might be a comfort if the damage they caused weren’t also so visible. You know those huge, fleshy snails in your garden? Don’t let them near your papaya crop! Scot Nelson explains in Injuries Caused by the Giant African Snail to Papaya just what the hazards of that are. Scot also offers methods of dealing with other plant and produce devourers in Rat-Feeding Injury to Plants in Hawai‘i,” along with ways to distinguish marks made by rat teeth and claws from those made by bird beaks. Speaking of claws, if your papaya’s leaves are becoming brittle and clawlike, and its fruit lumpy and bumpy, that’s the sign of another type of problem—a mineral deficiency. Lack of boron, to be exact. Deal with it by drenching in Borax—for specifics, read Scot’s Boron Deficiency of Papaya,” co-written with his student Erik Patnude. Another mineral problem is Potassium Deficiency of Palms in Hawai‘i,” also by Scot and Erik—the scorching and yellowing this deficiency causes are less dramatic but just as urgent. Your plants need you—make sure you have the tools to defend them!

Get It Before It Melts!

8/27/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Students eating ice cream at Welcome Back Ice Cream BashJoin your friends in launching the new academic year at CTAHR’s annual Welcome Back Ice Cream Bash on Monday, Sept. 10, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Sherman Courtyard. You can meet new and old friends and cheer on your department’s contestant in CTAHR’s famous WBICB Costume Competition and Ice-Cream Eating Contest. Your contestant will need your support to win! Better yet...contact your department immediately, and volunteer to represent your department in this famous epicurean challenge! Indulge in free decadent ice cream sundaes and other cool treats, generously donated by Meadow Gold. And while taking part in the frosty festivities, please help us support Lanakila Meals on Wheels, Hawai‘i’s largest and only island-wide meal service for seniors, by making a monetary donation (checks may be made out to Lanakila Pacific). Good food, good fun, and good deeds—we can all scream for that.

Little Grass Shack

8/20/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Joe DeFrank and Orville BaldosJoe DeFrank (TPSS) was honored at the dedication ceremony of the Robert Louis Stevenson “Grass Hut” held at the Wai’oli Tea Room Campus of the Salvation Army for his role in growing and donating the pili grass used to construct the hut. Pictured here with his PhD student Orville Baldos, who works on pili grass establishment protocols and the physiology of pili grass seed dormancy, Joe’s also honored in the commemorative plaque that stands by the hut. Joe demonstrates that there’s agricultural potential in the unlikeliest of places—pili grass is one of the native plants that he’s growing in what was previously considered waste space by roadways, replacing non-native Bermuda grass. And unlike Bermuda grass, the native plants will keep the roadways green without requiring irrigation, mowing, or other expensive and polluting upkeep.

Kids Count on KIDS COUNT

8/20/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Cover of KIDS COUNT Data BookCTAHR’s Center on the Family is the state’s affiliate for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which just released its 2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book. COF’s Ivette Rodriguez Stern, director of Hawai‘i KIDS COUNT, says of the data collected therein, “We’re encouraged by the gains made in the education domain in recent years, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.” Hawai‘i is still in the bottom third in the nation education-wise, and KIDS COUNT data also indicate problems in the areas of economic well-being, health conditions, and family and community well-being. Interim Director of COF Grace Fong cautions, “Compared with other states, Hawai‘i ranks somewhere in the middle on overall child well-being, indicating that much more can and needs to be done to create a better future for Hawai‘i’s children. We need to focus our attention on the future by strengthening family economic opportunity and building supportive communities that nurture our children and families.” An important first step for that is finding out where the problem areas are, so they can be strengthened, and what’s working, so that it can be continued, and the Data Book is instrumental in that.

Getting Exposure

8/20/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Hawaii Landscape Magazine cover with Beatrice KraussCTAHR’s been in the media lately: Not only does the August/September issue of Hawaii Landscape Magazine mention our recent USDA anniversary tree dedication and include Associate Dean Carl Evensen’s article on 1996 Outstanding Alumna Beatrice Krauss (pictured); the college is also lauded in Outside Magazine as offering a good way to learn about the natural environment of the Islands while enjoying it at the same time. Prepare for an influx of outdoor enthusiasts!

The Local Boy

8/13/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Derek Kurisu on PBS Long Story ShortCTAHR's Outstanding Alumnus of 2002 Derek Kurisu (BS ‘74) was recently interviewed by Leslie Wilcox on PBS’s Long Story Short about his journey from son of a plantation worker to vice president of KTA Super Stores, TV personality, and supporter of the buy local/eat local movement since long before the word “locavore” was coined. It’s all about community, Derek explains; on the plantation, those who could help aided those who needed help, just as they would members of their family. After the plantations started closing, Derek knew that he wanted to help the workers and their families, just as he had been helped as a boy and young man. One of the ways he chose to do so was by creating the Mountain Apple brand, exclusive to KTA, in the early 1990’s; it offers around 240 locally grown and manufactured products from 60 local producers. This was another way of building community, showing the producers that they would be more successful banding together than competing against each other.

Learning the Ropes

8/13/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CTAHR New Student Orientation 2012CTAHR’s New Student Orientation this week provided a great introduction for incoming freshman and transfer students to our college. CTAHR’s increasing undergraduate student enrollment in the past few years has been reflected in increased attendance at the orientation, with over 50 incoming students representing all nine undergrad programs participating this year. The day kicked off with a few warm words of welcome from Dean Gallo, who pointed out that she, too, is a new member of the college. Then, after a human bingo icebreaker, Charly Kinoshita discussed the four main values of our instructional philosophy: Scholarship, Ethical Behavior, Diversity, and Service. Lisa Kitagawa-Akagi gave a presentation on academic requirements, and current students April Williams-Johnston and Shelley Wong shared personal experiences concerning a few of the critical skills and competencies they’ve gained in their college career. Incoming students then got to learn about the various CTAHR clubs and organizations and opportunities to get involved. Afterwards, students were divided into groups to meet with their academic advisors for guidance on what classes to take and what to expect in college, followed by a delicious lunch. This orientation would not have been possible with the assistance of many individuals—a big thank you to Dean Gallo, the student committee members, faculty advisors, and student club and organization representatives!

New Faces: Eunsung Kan

8/13/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Eunsung KanEunsung Kan joins the university as an assistant professor of environmental bioengineering in MBBE, bringing extensive experience in government, academia, and private industry. Eunsung earned his PhD in chemical and environmental engineering from UC-Riverside and holds an MS in chemical engineering from Pohang University of Science and Technology in Korea. At the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University, he developed new technology that employed fungi to produce biodiesel from waste material. At the United Arab Emirates University, his research focused on innovative bioenergy production from sewage by dark anaerobic fermentation. At the US Environmental Protection Agency he developed methods for treating contaminated groundwater and wastewater and detoxifying soils contaminated with oil; and at the Environment and Biotechnology Research Center of the Hansol Paper Company, he conducted research using bioreactors to synthesize natural cholesterol-lowering drugs. What will he do now that he’s at CTAHR? Besides continuing his research, Eunsung will teach undergraduate and graduate courses in the critical areas of environmental and sustainability engineering, bioenergy, and waste bioremediation.

4-H+TAG

8/13/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

4-H group and New Zealand youth group listening to farmerThis summer East Hawai‘i County 4-H Agent Becky Settlage and three 4-H members hosted 10 youth and 2 adults from the New Zealand Young Farmers Teen Ag (TAG) Association, returning the hospitality after a Hawai‘i 4-H contingent visited New Zealand last year. The locals and the visitors toured the Arizona Memorial and the UH-Manoa campus, walked around Waikiki, and competed at the annual 4-H livestock judging contest at Kualoa Ranch as part of the state 4-H Farm Fair. Then they toured such 4-H hotspots on the Big Island as the historic Parker Ranch, Pukalani Stables, Cloverleaf Dairy, and operations of other local farmers. They managed to get to a few non-ag-related sites as well: Waipio Valley, the City of Refuge, Volcano National Park, and some beaches. 4-H and TAG also helped to vaccinate, worm, and bleed sheep for Puuwai Farms as a community service project, while extension agent Mike DuPonte educated the group about Natural Farming methods and took the group to see a piggery and a fruit farm that use these techniques. Pictures of the program can be viewed on Facebook.

Fun and Focus

8/13/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Campers at Hawaii Adventure CampThao Le (FCS) and Claire Nakatsuka (4-H military extension) provided two mindfulness-based adventure camps to 73 military youth (ages 13-18) in June and July on the north shore at Camp Erdman. The campers came from Hawai‘i, Japan, Korea, and Guam for activities such as team building, low and high ropes courses, surfing, paddle-boarding, beach hiking, archery, campfires, and a visit with the Bird Guy, who brought many different species of parrots. The kids also learned about mindfulness (the ability to focus and attend to the present moment with acceptance and awareness) in small-group sessions. Military youth are often considered an at-risk population due for many reasons, such as having to deal with the absence of one or two parents, frequent family and school transitions, and higher anxiety and depression rates. The purpose of this camp was to provide them with important strengthening and resiliency skills, and to help create strong bonds and connections. As indicated by their comments, the camp was indeed a valuable and transformative experience for them; more than 85% said they’d like to return next year.

Hangin’ With the Hillies

8/10/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Liz Andrews (Master’s student, MBBE) has been accepted to talk with Hawai‘i’s congressional representatives at the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s Hill Day in Washington, DC, Sept. 10-12, with all expenses covered. The ASBMB’s Public Affairs Advisory Committee sponsors a Hill Day every year, when students and postdocs from around the country partake in a “policy 101” training session and attend a day of congressional meetings. “This event,” says the ASBMB Web site, “serves to get young researchers involved in science advocacy and also to expose them to how the government works.” But Liz plans to show how her departments works as well, presenting a slideshow and video she and her advisor, Jon-Paul Bingham, have prepared, illustrating graduate student research and training at MBBE.

July



Grand Champion Carcass

7/23/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

4-H Grand Champion SteerThe 55th Annual Hawai‘i County 4-H Livestock Show & Sale was held at the Mealani Research Station, in Kamuela, where community support brought in $47,434.50 to support area youth. This year 4 steers, 24 hogs, 11 lambs, 1 goat, and 3 rabbits sold. Awards for the best animals were given by judge Dr. Paul Kuber, 4-H Youth Development Livestock Specialist with the Ohio State University. Pictured is the Grand Champion Steer, which was afterward also chosen the Grand Champion Carcass.

How to Keep Your Food From Sticking

7/23/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Natthakan Rungraeng with award-winning posterNatthakan Rungraeng (Ph.D. candidate, MBBE, pictured), working in the food engineering laboratory of Soojin Jun (HNFAS), recently won first place in the Student Division Competition of the 2012 meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists. His poster presentation was on “Superhydrophobic and Superhydrophilic Nanocomposite Coatings for Preventing Microbial Adhesion in Liquid Food Flow Channel.” Natthakan received $1,000 and recognition by Phi Tau Sigma, the Honor Society of Food Science and Technology. The Institute of Food Technologists is the primary international professional association for food scientists; this year’s annual meeting hosted over 20,000 food scientists, students, R&D professionals, suppliers, marketers, and others involved in the food industry.

Ag Community Get-Together

7/23/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Agriculture Conference logoDon’t forget that the 2012 Hawaii Agriculture Conference, this year themed “Leveraging Partnerships for Profit,” will take place Thursday and Friday, Sept. 20-21, at the Hawaii Convention Center. And don’t wait to sign up, either—take advantage of the special rates for early bird registration, available before Aug. 1!

A Range of Delights

7/23/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Roast boar at Taste of the Hawaiian RangeDid you just hear something? Maybe it was your stomach growling in anticipation of the 17th Taste of the Hawaiian Range, which Mealani Research Station will be hosting at the Hilton Waikoloa on Sept. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. You won’t want to miss this delectable event, where you’ll get the chance to sample grass-fed meats and many other locally grown products prepared by 30 of the Islands’ best chefs, so get your ticket today and save $20 off the door price. Happy eating!

Eat Your Nummy Veggies...

7/23/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Kauai Farm to Keiki programExtension specialist Laura Kawamura, with program coordinator Tiana Kamen, recently led 2 nutrition and gardening workshops as a culmination of the successful first year of the Farm to Keiki Preschool Program that she helped to create on Kaua‘i. Nineteen preschools received a curriculum and supporting materials to use in the 52-week program designed to help young children and their parents to eat more healthfully by growing and cooking their own food, a recent article in the Garden Island explains. And the program will be continued and expanded this coming year, due to the very positive response it has received from schools and families. Right now it’s only available on Kaua‘i, but it sounds like it would be a force for good on all the islands.

Got Goat?

7/23/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Maria Gallo and MRC Greenwood with 4-H participantsDean Maria Gallo visited the 4-H Livestock Show, part of the Hawai‘i State Farm Fair, with UH President Greenwood on July 7, giving her a view of the great work the youngest members of the CTAHR community are doing under the guidance of the college’s 4-H agents and leaders. Dr. Greenwood also blogged about the event, at which a wide variety of livestock, from pygmy goats to rabbits, were exhibited and sold by the 60-plus competitors. Competitions were held in live animal exhibiting, 4-H showmanship, and livestock judging; the winning team, from Hawai‘i county, will represent the state in a national competition this fall. Ten 4-H youth from New Zealand also participated. Attendance was estimated at between 10,000 and 15,000 over the 2-day event (people, not livestock, that is).

E Komo Mai!

7/23/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Tom Apple and Maria Gallo at welcome receptionWelcome to Dr. Maria Gallo, new dean of CTAHR! On her first day, she and Dr. Tom Apple (pictured), the new chancellor of UH, joined CTAHR leadership and community partners at a welcome reception hosted by outgoing interim dean Sylvia Yuen, who will now be serving as President Greenwood's special assistant for food security and safety. The gathering featured locally sourced foods from Ho Farms, Shinsato Farms, and CTAHR’s own Mealani Research Station, combined into such mouthwatering concoctions as blueberry-haupia float with calamansi syrup, while the gracious rooms of College Hill were brightened by Magoon-grown orchids and anthuriums. Maria is also soliciting creative thoughts from the CTAHR ‘ohana via an “Ideas” portal at ideas@ctahr.hawaii.edu—help our new dean guide the college to become even stronger and more productive by making your voice heard!

June



CTAHR Goes to DC

6/25/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

USDA 150th anniversary logoA team of CTAHR aquaponics aficionados will be going to Washington, DC, for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, a week-and-a-half-long celebration that this year will include a commemoration of the 150th anniversaries of the USDA and the Morrill Act. The team plans, in fact, to set up a fully functioning aquaponics system, complete with fish and vegetables, right on DC’s National Mall as an illustration of the beauty and efficiency of this space- and resource-saving agricultural technique. Recent coverage by Hawaii News Now and UH System News tells the story. Other groups representing CTAHR include the Honeybee Project headed by Ethel Villalobos (PEPS) and the programs for Native Hawaiian farmers in Moloka‘i led by Glenn Teves. CTAHR can be proud to be represented by such a diverse array of researchers, educators, and contributors to community outreach.

Get Your Tree On

6/25/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Sylvia Yuen and Diane Ley mulching treeA tree dedication ceremony marked the 150th anniversary of the creation of the land-grant university system and the US Department of Agriculture, as well as CTAHR’s long and beneficial relationship with USDA. On June 21, a non-native wiliwili tree, grown from seed by Richard Criley (TPSS), was dedicated in honor of these agriculturally important institutions next to Gilmore’s Butterfly Garden. Speeches from Sylvia Yuen and Diane Ley, the director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency, were followed by the ceremonial mulching of the tree and the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the event. The dedication site sign, plaque pedestal, and “gold”-plated shovels were created by Ryan Kurasaki, Terrence Kai, and Charlie Nelson, while Koon-Hui Wang, Donna Meyer, and the rest of the butterfly garden team brought the butterfly garden to greater heights of beauty and educational use with bright informational signage. Tesse Amore provided the flowers that decked the food tables, and food was provided by Gilmore administrative staff and USDA, while OCS’s Miles Hakoda and Iwalani Sato brought the whole festivity triumphantly together.

Varroa Investigation

6/15/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

honeybees on honeycombEthel Villalobos and Scott Nikaido of the UH Honeybee Project teamed with researchers from the UK to study the connection between the Varroa mite and the changes it causes in bees and bee colonies. The mite only appeared in Hawai‘i in 2007, which makes this area helpful for studying its effects. Primarily, it appears to alter and accelerate the spread of a debilitating bee disease, Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). The research paper, just published in Science, has generated a lot of, shall we say, buzz, due to its implications for the dreaded Colony Collapse Disorder that has decimated so many hives, though it does not exist here. The story was also picked up by KITV.

Investing in the Environment

6/15/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Hauoli Mau Loa logoThree NREM Master’s students, Jon Lance, Alex Lau, and Nicholas Ray Wilhoite, have been awarded graduate assistantships through the Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation, which has pledged to support UH students committed to careers in conservation in Hawai‘i. Three students from UH-Hilo’s Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science (TCBES) program also received the awards, which include a tuition exemption, regular stipend, and funds for professional development. The Foundation hopes to help increase the number of qualified Hawai‘i students/professionals pursuing environmental resource management careers, which Sylvia Yuen calls “An investment in our future.”

What's in Your Mouth?

6/15/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

electron microscope image of norovirusYou can never be too safe when it comes to food, and here are some ways to keep what you eat and drink healthy and wholesome. Jim Hollyer, Lynn Nakamura Tengan, Donna Meyer, Vanessa Troegner, and Luisa Castro offer a helpful survey that shows how GAPs make good sense in “Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs): A Consumer Discovery Tool for Learning About Risk-Reducing Behaviors on Commercial Farms and in School Gardens.” Hopeful tea processors who need to know how to keep their future drinkers safe will be glad to know “Some Minimum Physical Requirements for a Commercial-Scale Dried Loose Leaf Tea-Processing Facility in Hawai‘i” and “Required and Optional Labeling for Loose Tea for Sale,” both by Jim Hollyer, Marla Fergerstrom and CY Hu. There are good reasons for what may seem like picky requirements, and you’ll find them all here. Finally, Aurora Saulo’s “Reusable Grocery Bags and Norovirus Transmission” gives a scary wake-up call to those who are going green by bringing their bags to the supermarket. Remember to wash them periodically, as they might be harboring some very creepy creatures!

Garden Woes

6/15/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

corky bark disease of rambutanHow does your garden grow? Not so good? Read on. Scot Nelson comes to the rescue of those suffering from “Corky Bark Disease of Rambutan” (with students Bruce Combs and Mark Nickum),“Ant Damage to Banana Fruits by Abdominal Secretions” (with Glenn Taniguchi), or “Powdery Mildew of Poinsettia” (with Sterling Thomas). The fixes for these problems may surprise you. Did you know that black trails on banana are probably caused by stressed ants spraying formic acid defensively? Possible solution? DON’T STRESS YOUR ANTS! If you have powdery mildew, caused by overly humid conditions, the solution might be, paradoxically, to spray your poinsettia with water. As for the disturbing black galls caused by cork bark disease, there hasn’t been enough research done yet on rambutan to give conclusive recommendations, but you’ll probably be all right following general guidelines for fungal diseases. If instead of diseases or critters what ails your landscape is too many plants—of the wrong sort—you’ll be grateful for the useful compendium of weed-killers and weed-killing methods “Practitioner's Guide for Effective Non-Restricted Herbicide Techniques to Control and Suppress Invasive Woody Species in Hawai‘i,” written by James Leary, Jane Beachy, and Amanda Hardman. Not included, unfortunately: how to shoot them with a paintball gun.

Gunning for Invasive Species

6/4/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

James Leary shooting Herbicide Ballistic Technology pellets at miconiaJames Leary’s pesticide-shooting paintball gun irresistibly captures the imagination. Picture it: using specially formulated capsules of herbicide and an ordinary paintball gun, weed-control specialists using “Herbicide Ballistic Technology” can target invasive species with “surgical” precision, minimizing collateral damage to surrounding plants, and they can also get at hard-to-reach plants on steep cliffs or mountainsides. And those who’ve tried it say not only does it work; it’s also a whole lot of fun! The latest innovation is shooting the herbicide pellets from a helicopter, so as to get at invasive miconia lurking in even more inaccessible locations, as detailed by Maui Time and shown first-person-shooter-style in this video. Wildly creative, ecologically sensitive, effective, and fun—what more could one ask of an herbicide? Or indeed of a weekend outing, for that matter?

Keep Your Walls Standing

6/4/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Cartoon of dead termiteCTAHR’s Termite Project is offering a free informational seminar on, you guessed it, termites, on Thursday, Jun. 7 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Windward Community College. The free public seminar will provide termite facts and tips, including how to identify what’s eating your house and how to prevent it from doing so. UH termite expert Julian Yates will also provide a Q&A session for more specific answers. The UH Termite Project: Educate to Eradicate addresses research, extension and instruction, and brings scientists together with the community in an effort to control termite damage to residences and public buildings. Registration is required: Contact Windward Community College Continuing Education at 235-7433 or visit their Web site.

Images of Celebration

6/4/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Paul Singleton and his familyThis year’s sold-out Awards Banquet did more than give folks a good time: it honored the talented, hardworking, and dedicated recipients of numerous awards, and it raised $35,000 to create an endowed scholarship for the Mary and Marie Blanco Scholarship Fund. See what you missed or just relive the memories with these great photos from UH Foundation. You can also check out the videos commemorating the two highest honorees, Paul Singleton (pictured, with family), winner of the Outstanding Alumnus award, and Marie Blanco, winner of the Ka Lei Hano award.

New Horizons

6/4/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Sylvia Yuen and M.R.C. GreenwoodWhen she leaves the CTAHR Dean’s position on July 15, there will be no time for rest and relaxation for Sylvia Yuen as she begins her new position as President M.R.C.Greenwood’s Special Assistant the following day. President Greenwood’s aim is to have the UH’s research enterprise become a driving force for economic growth in the state of Hawai‘i. To achieve that aim, collaborations are needed not only across university campuses but with the business community, state agencies, and policymakers as well. Because of her experience and proven abilities, Dean Yuen was requested to serve on the President’s leadership team, where her focus will include food security and safety, among other issues. The good news is that she will continue to be a part of CTAHR, and the college will continue to be a central focal area in her future work and endeavors.

Another Quick CTAHR Response

6/4/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Basil growingIn recent weeks, four O‘ahu farms have been identified as using illegal pesticides on basil. This reduced the supply of basil to consumers, and farmers suffered financially when their crops were plowed under, a loss to everyone. When the crisis was first discovered, CTAHR went into action. Jim Hollyer, Janice Uchida, Barry Brennan, and Mike Kawate (all PEPS), as well as Dean Sylvia Yuen, met with key officials from the Hawaii Departments of Health and Agriculture and the US Food and Drug Administration to collaborate on a comprehensive strategy for solving the problem. The goals were to keep the food supply safe and to prevent such occurrences from happening in the future. CTAHR’s Farm Food Safety and Local & Immigrant Farmer Education (LIFE) programs have proactively begun to address the need for information on the subject. Jari Sugano, Steve Fukuda (retired), Koon-Hui Wang, and Donna Meyer quickly convened a meeting with basil farmers, many of whom are non-English-speaking immigrants. With student Shuya Lou as interpreter, the farmers identified problems that caused the misuse of pesticides. Mike Kawate, Cathy Tarutani, and Charlie Nagamine (all above are PEPS) of the CTAHR Pesticide Education Program, along with plant pathologist Janice Uchida, are providing support on proper pesticide choices and pest management. The CTAHR team is developing a flyer, with across-agency information, that will help growers access information on pesticides and their proper use. CTAHR will continue to work collectively within the college and with its state and federal agency partners to help farmers understand their responsibilities and options for pest control.

May



The SOFT-er Side of Monsanto

5/16/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Gabriel Sachter-SmithThe 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.

Help in the Struggle

5/16/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Image of family from Center on Family reportCOF 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.

Number the Stars

5/16/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CTAHR students at 24th Annual Awards BanquetThe 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.

Greens Harvest

5/16/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Noelani girls harvesting kale at Magoon Research and Teaching FacilityNoelani 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?

Sharing the Experience

5/1/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Tomato with blossom-end rotWe 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.

For the Wetlands

5/1/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Bradley "Kai" FoxBradley “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!

“Leveraging Partnerships for Profit”

5/1/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Hawaii Agriculture Conference logoThe 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.

4-H Outreach

5/1/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Kulia I Ka NuHawai‘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.

Don't Cry Over Onion Virus

5/1/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Field of onions with Iris Yellow Onion WiltCTAHR’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.

Banquet Countdown

5/1/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Paul SingletonThe 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.

April



Natural Style

4/24/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Inspired by Nature eventAPDM 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.

Web of Science Mentorship

4/24/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

4-H students being mentored in scienceThe 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.

A Goal Achieved

4/24/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Sylvia Yuen, Susan Yasuda, and Diane ChungThe 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.

Mentorship Has Its Privileges

4/24/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Summer Mundon giving poster presentationEight 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.

Garden Guru

4/24/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Corinne Villa-Riese in her gardenA 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.

Maria Gallo

4/24/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Dr. Maria GalloIt'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!

High-Tech Dietetics

4/18/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Corrilee WattersCorilee 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.

Who's Got Cred?

4/18/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CTAHR dietetics program accreditation teamCTAHR’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).

For the Love of Olives

4/18/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Olive treeCTAHR’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.

Eat With the Elite

4/18/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Sylvia Yuen and Derek KurisuThe 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.

Easter Service

4/18/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Kids enjoying 4-H Easter gamesAs 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.

A Detective Story With a Happy Ending

4/18/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Boy at Gene-ius DayAnia 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.

Presenting the Pickleworm

4/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

PicklewormRosalie 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.

Purple People Pleaser

4/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Operation: Military KidsIn 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.

Greening While Graying

4/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Lecture on healthy communitiesAndrew 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.

Ag at the Capitol

4/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Sylvia Yuen, Ethel Villalobos, Clift Tsugi, Scott Nikaido, Jensen UyedaDuring 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.

Get Down With the Dignitaries

4/9/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Ashley StokesOur 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.

CTAHR in Translation

4/2/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Dr. Chennat GopalakrishnanA 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!

Party With the Paragons

4/2/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

David ChristopherIt’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!

March



Fashionistas

3/26/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Calisa and Gabby, APDM winnersCongratulations 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.

Blueberries for All

3/26/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Blueberries at CTAHR Volcano research stationInterested 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.

Runner's Nutrition

3/26/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Joy GallowayJoy 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.

A Fresh Face

3/26/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Center on the FamilyThe 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!

Pink Slime Is Fine

3/26/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Alan TichenalBrent 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.

Introduced Species That Are Better Than the Coqui

3/26/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Maui Master Gardeners presenting canoe plantsOn 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.

Tapping a Vein of Support

3/26/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

UH Alumni helping with CTAHR blood driveCTAHR 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.

Spawning for Fun and Profit

3/19/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Clyde TamaruClyde 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.

Aquaponics for the Pacific

3/19/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Harry AkoHarry 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!”

Seeing the Forest and the Trees

3/19/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rodolfo Martinez MoralesRodolfo 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.

Eat With Care

3/19/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Aurora SauloAurora 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!

Will Work for (Safe) Food

3/19/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Luisa Castro and other food safety teamLuisa 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.

Parenting—Hana Hou

3/12/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Logo of HiHi‘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.

Invaders From Down Under

3/12/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Australian acaciaTPSS 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.”

Allergies Away

3/12/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Ashley StokesAshley 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.

Doctor in the Making

3/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Nobuhis MorimotoNobuhisa 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.”

No Simple Solutions

3/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rebecca ColeThe 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.

The Smell of (Phew!) Success

3/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Devin Takara demonstrating bioenergy 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!”

Keeping the Records Straight

3/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Risk Management School LogoThe 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.

Financial Acumen

3/5/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

FCS Scholarship winnersFAMR 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.

February



The Next Generation of Aquaponics

2/26/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Harry Ako with Sean Short Demonstrating Aquaponics SetupAbe 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.

A Rose Blooms in Pearl City

2/26/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

RoseThe 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!

Artful Dodgeballers

2/26/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Mark Chynoweth, Mary Younkin, Rafael BergstromCTAHR 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.

Keep Your Ginger Happy

2/26/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Ginger growers holding gingerCommercial 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.

Black Rose

2/26/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rose leaves with black spotRose 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!

Tea Party

2/11/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Hawaii-Grown Tea logoRisk 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.

A Forest of Possibilities

2/11/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

FBRI logoThis 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).

Camps for a Cause

2/11/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Claire NakatsukaThao 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.

Locavore and More

2/3/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Milton Yamasaki at MealaniThe 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!

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

2/3/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Noelani students at MagoonFirst-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!”

Mango Sightings

2/3/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Jayme GrzebikHave 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.

Fountain of Youth?

2/3/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

David Christopher and ABE teamDavid 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!!

January



Rainbow(-Painting) Warriors

1/17/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rotaract club members painting doorOn 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.

A Fish Tale

1/17/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

WikiCommons image of tilapiaClyde 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!

SoYummy

1/17/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Jennifer Shido on Lei ChicKulanui, 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.

Da Tax Man

1/6/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Risk Management Hawaii logoThe 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.

Oil Your Joints

1/6/2012  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Alan Titchenal on KHONHarry 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.