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2017


December



Legume Legend

12/20/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Amjad Ahmad with chickpeasAmjad Ahmad (TPSS) recently received funding of $40,000 from the HDOA for a new legume project, “Evaluating Mechanical Harvest and Agronomical Treatments to Improve Legume Crops Growth and Yield in Hawaii.” Amjad plans to continue working on issues and questions that arose from his previous, and promising, chickpea project. He also aims to produce value-added products from chickpeas and has added two additional legume crops to his research. He hopes his project will support local growers, the sustainability movement, and food security in Hawai‘i...and looking at the success of his work so far, it already is!

From CTAHR to Japan

12/20/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Plate commemorating Crown Prince AkihitoMBBE grad student Rob Oda has been awarded the highly competitive Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship, which he will use to study Raman spectroscopy in Japan for a year. A research assistant at the Hawaii Center for AIDS, Rob has research interests in HIV and its association with neurocognitive disorders. He has worked on projects incorporating Raman spectroscopy, a technique to identify molecules by their structural “fingerprint,” with JABSOM/MBBE affiliate faculty Bruce Shiramizu. Congratulations, Rob!

Ahupua‘a in the Backyard

12/20/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Ilima Ho-Lastimosa and Ted Radovich with aquaponics systemCommunity coordinator Ilima Ho-Lastimosa is featured in a UH News video about the Ola HAWAI‘I Specialized Research Center, a multidisciplinary group that’s been granted $23M over the next five years to address disparities in health experienced by native Hawaiians and other disadvantaged populations. Ilima and Ted Radovich (both TPSS) are co-PIs on one of the six pilot projects of the Center, “Backyard Aquaponics: Promoting Healthy Eating among Native Hawaiian Families.” Along with PI Jane Chung-Do of UH’s Office of Public Health Studies, they are working to help families in the Waimanalo homestead lands to establish home aquaponics systems, allowing them access to healthy foods like fish and vegetables.

A Door Into the Holidays

12/20/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Alyssa Cho and grad students with Christmas doorTo get into the Christmas spirit, Komohana Research and Extension Center held a holiday door-decorating contest. Judges were Wayne Nishijima, retired plant pathologist and Associate Dean of Extension; Bernie Kratky, retired horticulturist; and Francis Zee, retired curator of the USDA Tropical Fruit and Nut Germplasm Repository in Hilo. The winners of the “Most Creative Door” were Alyssa Cho (TPSS, right) and her graduate students Colin Hart (left) and Russell Galenti (middle), for a “Komohana Kristmas List” door featuring self-harvesting mac nut trees, a rat lungworm antidote, forever-blooming anthuriums, and many more must-haves! Winners of the “Most UH Spirit Door” were Hawaiian Homelands agent Kiersten Akahoshi, Sharon Motomura (TPSS), and UHH student Matt Miyahara, while the winners of the “Most Resourceful” door were Joanne Imamura (TPSS) and assistant professor of plant breeding James Keach. What an a-door-able tradition!

Never OK!

12/14/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Helen Spafford at NeverOK tableIn an article for Entomology Today, Helen Spafford (PEPS) and co-author Michelle Duennes warn that bullying and other types of harassment are #NeverOK in the sciences, or elsewhere. At the annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), this year held in Denver, Colorado, Helen and her colleague collected signatures on a big banner and gave out buttons to raise awareness of the problem, which exists in the sciences and specifically in entomology as well as in other spheres where it has been more publicized, such as politics and entertainment. The two hoped to open a discussion about this important issue, and conference-goers responded positively. Now this article brings that conversation to a larger audience.

Diet for Health

12/14/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Kristina SalazarKristina Salazar (HNFAS) has been awarded the Carey D. Miller Memorial Scholarship for the 2017–2018 school year in the amount of $4000 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation. Kristina is pursuing joint degrees: a BS in nutrition and dietetics and a BA in American Studies; she’s a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, as well as CTAHR’s FSHN Council. She also works as a student research assistant at the UH Cancer Center, collaborating with registered dietitians in research and the creation of nutrition and lifestyle materials.

On the Fast Track

12/14/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Samantha AlvaradoSamantha Alvarado (NREM) is a recipient of the Mason Kekoa Memorial Scholarship for graduates of Mililani or Lahainaluna High School entering the UH System, as well as CTAHR’s Kenneth G. and Susan A. Cassman Scholarship for 2017–2018 and the CTAHR Achievement Scholarship for 2016–2017. Now she’s on track to finish her BS degree a year early! She plans to work as a land manager and educator and is grateful for the opportunities provided to her.

What to Do About Deforestation

12/14/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Sita EkaputriNREM PhD student Sita Ekaputri recently received a field scholarship as part of the Global Comparative Study on REDD+ work, assessing the performance of sub-national REDD+ and sustainable private-sector initiatives. REDD+ stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. Sita is one of about eight students from various universities who will be doing fieldwork in Brazil, Peru, and Indonesia. The study is undertaken by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). Since 2009, CIFOR has been examining how REDD+ initiatives at 22 sites in six countries have been designed and implemented, with a focus on whether they deliver a broad set of social and environmental indicators, from carbon effectiveness, cost efficiency, and equity among stakeholders to poverty reduction, tenure and rights clarification, and biodiversity protection. Working with selected PhD students, CIFOR aims to return to some of these sites in 2018 to improve understanding of local REDD+ impacts. Sita, originally from Indonesia, will focus her research on the Berau Forest Carbon Program, located in East Kalimantan in Indonesian Borneo.

A Credit to Her Mentors

12/14/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Lena AsanoCTAHR Notes caught up with ANSC alumna Lena Asano, who recently graduated from UH Hilo’s Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy and now is working in a doctor’s office in Hilo. When she applied, she was told her resume was “impressive,” though, modestly, she credits the “selfless mentorship” of mentors Harry Ako and Clyde Tamaru (both MBBE, retired) for that. She feels “beyond blessed” to serve her hometown while caring for her family and is grateful for the ways CTAHR and her CTAHR mentors helped give her a solid foundation academically and professionally. Lena worked in Harry’s lab for four years as an undergraduate research assistant; she says this work, and the work she did with Clyde, allowed her to be awarded the best scholarship offered by the College of Pharmacy. She enthuses, “Dr. Tamaru and Dr. Ako are ridiculously wonderful people. They are both Givers. I want to be like them!” Particularly, she adds, “Dr. Ako is a mentor in every sense. He teaches, coaches, corrects, opened doors to incredible opportunities, and continues to offer support even 15 years after I graduated! Dr. Ako is responsible for teaching me how to ‘think.’ My parents taught me to work hard and keep a clean heart while I’m at it, but Dr. Ako can take credit for any problem-solving skills that I may have.” What a great tribute! And it sounds like Lena is pretty impressive, too!

The Branch Is in Good Hands

12/14/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

John McHughCTAHR alumnus Dr. John McHugh has been appointed to the position of Pesticides Branch manager of HDOA, where he will oversee the program compliance office, chemical analysis section, registration and education section, case preparation section, and statewide enforcement offices of the branch. He received his BS degree in General Tropical Agriculture and his MS degree in Horticulture from CTAHR and has also taught at the college. Says Scott Enright, chair of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture, “The department is truly fortunate to have his experience, expertise and dedication in helping to move agriculture forward in our state.”

Kalo in NatGeo

12/14/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Picture of taro in National GeographicNoa Lincoln and Susan Miyasaka (both TPSS) are mentioned in this month’s National Geographic magazine in connection with the college’s efforts to breed taro resistant to taro leaf blight. The unfortunate fact that many native Hawaiian varieties are especially susceptible to this fungal disease is one reason why yields of kalo have been halved in recent decades, the article explains, and one reason why these breeding efforts are so critical.

Nalo Kalikimaka!

12/14/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CTAHR tractor in Waimanalo Christmas parade
Ted Radovich and Ilima Ho-Lastimosa (both TPSS) represented CTAHR’s holiday spirit in fine style at the Waimanalo Christmas Parade, driving in a “certified-organic” tractor loaded with gifts and cheerful candy-tossers that reminded onlookers of how long CTAHR’s been making life better for the community.

Living the Aloha Spirit!

12/14/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

FCE banquetThe Hilo Association for Family and Community Education (FCE) held their annual Installation and Recognition Banquet on Thursday, December 7. Their advisor Joan Chong (FCS) helped to install officers of 11 clubs comprising over 120 volunteer members. The mission of Hawaii FCE is to live the aloha spirit to strengthen individuals, families, and communities through continuing education, developing leadership, and community action. Hilo FCE has been a strong voice in caring for and promoting a healthier and better life for individuals, families, and communities. They deserve applause for their educational programs and projects to meet the needs of Hawai‘i’s families and communities.

Help for the Palms

12/14/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Severe CRB damage on palmZhiqiang Cheng and Michael Melzer (both PEPS) organized a symposium on palm pests at the 16th Pacific Entomology Conference, held on December 5–7 at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel. Ten speakers from CTAHR, HDOA, University of California Extension Services, and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology participated in this symposium, discussing important palm pests such as coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) and South American palm weevil. Zhiqiang and Michael, along with Daniel Jenkins (MBBE) and two PEPS graduate students, Bradley Reil and Megan Manley, presented their research on various aspects of CRB. Zhiqiang was also invited to present his research on Ficus pests at the Forest Health Symposium in the conference.

Ideas for the Future

12/14/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

UH CC counselor tourIn collaboration with the UH Transfer Coordination Center, the Academic and Student Affairs Office coordinated its second CTAHR Open House on Friday, December 8. There were 19 counselors from community colleges in the UH system, including counselors from the outer islands, in addition to three CTAHR student ambassadors. The event, a condensed version of the CTAHR Open House in July, gave community college counselors a preview of what CTAHR has to offer students in their institutions should they choose to transfer. The morning started off with refreshments and introductions, followed by a brief overview of all the undergraduate CTAHR programs. Counselors and ambassadors then visited with Catherine Chan (NREM) to learn about NREM, got to see the biosensors created in the Jenkins Lab (Biological Engineering), visited the snails and opihi in the Bingham Lab (Molecular Biosciences and Biotechnology), and were given a showcase of displays and demos from the Tropical Agriculture and the Environment program. The day ended with a visit the Insect Museum on the 6th floor of Gilmore Hall. The counselors enjoyed their brief but informative visit to CTAHR!

Convocation Fall 2017

12/14/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Convocation Fall 2017Nearly 200 CTAHR students, their families and friends, and faculty and staff attended CTAHR’s Fall 2017 Convocation. The celebration, co-emceed by Irene Morrow and Maile Sing, began with congratulatory remarks from Interim Associate Dean Ania Wieczorek, Dean Nicholas Comerford, and UH Alumni Association Vice President Paul Yokota. Fall 2017 student marshals Ana Delostrico (FSHN), Anna Tetsutani (FSHN), and Megan Manley (PEPS) were then recognized for their academic achievements, leadership, and service. Graduating students in CTAHR-affiliated student organizations were acknowledged, as were three graduating members of Phi Upsilon Omicron, one of CTAHR’s honor societies. Then 28 graduates were individually recognized, followed by refreshments and a chance to mingle and capture memories in the photo booth. Congratulations and good luck to the graduating students! A big mahalo goes to all those who supported the graduating students, including Commuter Services for providing parking passes for the graduates, Office of Admissions for use of the photo booth backdrop, CTAHR AAF for their support, Steven and Karen Sato for funding purchase of the lei, CTAHR scholarship recipients for volunteering, and ASAO for the CTAHR memorabilia and organizing the event!

Diversity Is a Winner

12/7/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Aimee UyeharaTPSS grad student Aimee Uyehara, mentored by Mike Muszynski, won the national prize for the Syngenta scholarship for her essay on diversity in agriculture. She originally won the regional contest, which netted her a $1000 prize and put her in the running for the national contest, and then for that she won an additional $6000! As she wrote in her essay, discussing the diverse members of the lab in which she works, “No one said working with diversity was easy.” However, “Our different experiences and personalities contribute to the overall strength of the lab. It is exciting to discover something new together, knowing that our work contributes to larger agricultural improvement. This is the picture I have for diversity in agriculture.” Great job, Aimee!

Poinsettias on Point

12/7/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

PoinsettiasCTAHR’s annual Poinsettia Sale, historically organized by the college’s undergraduate Horticulture Society, has been a holiday tradition for over 30 years. In 2016, the TPSS Graduate Student Organization (GSO), in collaboration with the Horticulture Society, revived the original practice of students growing the poinsettias themselves rather than purchasing them from local nurseries. Dummen Orange and Suntory Flowers provided unrooted cuttings of several different poinsettia cultivars and a new poinsettia hybrid, the ‘Princettia’ series. Unlike traditional poinsettias, ‘Princettia’ plants come in very bright pink shades and pure white. This was so successful that this year the GSO expanded production to 400 plants. Funds from the sale help to support student participation in educational activities. Last year’s funds helped students attend the annual conference of the American Society for Horticultural Science.

Learning From the Start

12/7/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Early learningThe Center on the Family has released their Hawai‘i Early Learning Needs Assessment, which provides good and bad news for early childhood care and learning: Hawai‘i has some excellent and innovative programs for keiki, but more are needed—there’s a major shortage of early childhood care. One reason for this may be that many care providers struggle to make a living wage while trying to keep costs affordable for their clients. An article in the Star-Advertiser and a UH News story discuss its findings. You can find the summary report here and the comprehensive version here.

November



Distinctive!

11/29/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Ju-Young Kang awardJu-Young Kang (FCS) was recently awarded the Paper of Distinction award for the consumer behavior track during the 2017 annual conference of the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA), for her paper entitled “Social-Local-Mobile Consumers’ Fashion Lifestyle and Omnichannel Shopping.” Omnichannel shopping, for those who haven’t heard the term before, is retailing that offers the options and ease of online shopping within brick-and-mortar stores, while “social-local-mobile” combines social media, location-based marketing, and mobile apps. This is Ju-Young’s second Paper of Distinction award since she’s been at CTAHR—she previously won this award in 2014. ITAA is the biggest professional conference in the textile, apparel, and merchandising disciplines in the U.S. They’ve got an eye for fashion…and they also know good scholarship when they see it!

Herds of Glory

11/29/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Heifers at Mealani StationThe Hawaii Tribune-Herald recently published a laudatory article about the Mealani Research Station’s highly rated cattle and the techniques that produce and nurture them: meticulous breeding, intensive grazing rotation, humane handling practices, and careful attention to each animal in the herd. This work and knowledge are paying off: some Mealani Angus cattle are among the top 1% in the country! Check out the recent Impact story about them as well.

Lynn Against the Lungworm

11/22/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Lynn Nakamura TenganLynn Nakamura-Tengan is featured in a recent article about rat lungworm in Hawaii Business News. She concedes that the recent outbreak of the disease will have an economic impact on local farmers but emphasizes that there are things that individual growers as well as consumers can do to minimize the danger. Consumers need to follow simple rules of food safety such as washing produce—even produce that will be peeled, such as bananas and pineapples, since contaminants on the outer surface of the skin can reach the inner fruit when the peel is opened. Growers should create and write down detailed safety plans, including increased inspection for pests in the fields, and be able to reassure buyers that all necessary precautions are being taken.

UnbeLEAFable!

11/22/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Andrea Kawabata with coffee leaf pest gameAndrea Kawabata and Jen Burt (both TPSS) hosted an educational booth at the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival’s Hoolaulea to meet farmers and visitors and talk about...what else? Coffee! Attendees were able to play the UnbeLEAFable Coffee Pests game, where they learned to identify different types of coffee leaf pests—those that are found in Hawai‘i and those that are not. They also learned how to take precautions to prevent the spread and transport of these pests, and farmers were provided laminated placards to use in identifying coffee insects and diseases in their fields. These placards, a collaborative effort with HDOA, can be downloaded here.

Grow Safe, Eat Safe

11/22/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Food safety training classO‘ahu Extension conducted a grower training in early November that covered food safety practices and the Produce Safety Rule (PSR). Certified trainers included Extension agents Josh Silva, Jensen Uyeda, and Jari Sugano (Oahu CES); Lynn Nakamura-Tengan and Kylie Wong (Maui CES); Luisa Castro (HDOA); and Anny Bruch (HFUU). The PSR is one of several rules of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), a set of federal requirements aiming to prevent foodborne contamination and maximize farm food safety nationwide. Approximately 600 farms in Hawai‘i will need to comply with this rule, which includes completing a certified food safety training like this one. By successfully completing this all-day training, 31 farmers and ag professionals from Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and Hawai‘i islands fulfilled this educational requirement. Food safety topics included hygiene and sanitation, agricultural water, postharvest handling, and animal management. With new food safety techniques and perspective, farmer attendees can evaluate and incorporate food safety practices in their operations, producing safe fruits and vegetables for Hawai‘i consumers. If you are or know of a farmer who needs to attend this type of training, keep your eyes and ears open for a training scheduled for Kona in early February.

Well-Being in Adversity

11/22/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Loriena YancuraLoriena Yancura (FCS) is on the executive board of the team that just published a research brief on the health and well-being of children in low-income rural families. The brief highlights findings related to family influences on rural child health and well-being, derived from cross-sectional data included in the USDA Hatch-funded project “Rural Families Speak about Health (RFSH).” Over a three-year period, 440 rural mothers across 13 states, including mothers from Waipahu and Waimanalo, provided data about their experiences in the areas of finances, mental and physical well-being, health insurance, and family traditions. Findings suggest that food insecurity, poverty, family routines and rituals, parental mental health, and co-parent relationship quality are major concerns that affect the health and well-being of children living in rural, low-income families. Families that are able to maintain stability in the face of the adversities that poverty presents provide better environments for children’s health and well-being. The executive board guides all aspects of the research, from theoretical considerations through measurement, data collection, and dissemination through research and Extension channels.

Cattle to Octopus

11/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Student feeding cowTwenty CTAHR students and staff, including Dean Comerford, enjoyed CTAHR’s 14th Annual Meaningful Experience in Kona. They visited Mealani Research Station, where farm manager Marla Fergerstrom and other staff led the students on a tour. They learned about tea cultivation and picked their own tea leaves, then learned about Mealani’s award-winning cattle operation. The group hiked to the top of the flume system and floated down through the 110-year-old underground ditch system, learning about sugar plantation history, how the flume was built, and the area’s natural resources. The day concluded with team-building activities. The next day, the group woke early to tour NELHA and the many research and commercial facilities using the deep sea water. Students stopped at the massive Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion unit, which uses temperature differentials to generate power, then toured an octopus farm—the trip highlight for many was playing with and feeding these gentle and mischievous creatures! Then they headed for a tour of the UCC Coffee Farm, where they harvested coffee berries and saw how the beans are roasted and fermented. Thanks go to Marla and the Mealani staff for hosting the visit to their facilities, as well as to SAPFB and ASAO for supporting the students, and to the students who made this experience meaningful for the entire group!

Stoked, Soggy, and Soil Savvy

11/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Soil survey contestantsThe Kaua‘i High School land-judging team had a great time at the county Conservation Awareness Program (CAP) contest last week, getting hands-on soils experience and showing their enthusiasm even in the wet weather. Facilitated by CTAHR junior Extension agent Emilie Kirk, who cooperated with their local FFA teacher, NRCS, and East Kaua‘i SWCD staff, the students assessed and scored the soil and landscape at three sites in the Koloa area for potential homesites or agricultural use. All their diligent study and practice are really paying off as the team prepares to compete in the annual statewide Land Judging Contest in Maui later this month! Land-judging competitions are held all over the US and are an engaging way for high school students to learn about soil science and agronomy. The winning team from the statewide competition will have the chance to compete at the national level next spring in Oklahoma. Good luck, Kaua‘i High!

Strategically Sound

11/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

View of the Ala Wai canalCTAHR faculty are involved with four of the eight research projects selected for the inaugural UHM Strategic Investment Initiative, multi-disciplinary projects that focus on challenges facing Hawai‘i and the world. Melissa Price (NREM) is involved with Engaging Sustainability and Resilience of Island Ecosystems, Stewardship and Indigenous Sciences, while Mehana Vaughn, Carl Evensen (both NREM), and Noa Lincoln (TPSS) are involved with Ku‘oko‘a: Sustaining Abundant ‘Aina and Resilient Leadership. Carl Evensen is also a contributor to SMART Ala Wai, and Melissa Price is also involved with the Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds. The Islands will definitely be a better place once all these forward-thinking projects come to fruition. Congratulations!

The Perennial Solution

11/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Perennial sunflowersMichael Kantar (TPSS) is lead author of a recent article in the Annual Review of Plant Biology that discusses the ecological benefits of perennial crops. It explains that although today’s farming practices produce high yields, they can also contribute to ecosystem problems such as soil erosion, greenhouse gas emissions, and water pollution. One way to offset some of these problems is by growing more perennial and fewer annual crops, since perennials have a longer growing season and deeper root systems. They thus require less fertilizer, help prevent runoff, can be more drought tolerant than annuals, and need less tillage. Michael was interviewed about his work with perennial grain and oilseed crops, like these perennial sunflowers, in “Plant, reap, repeat — and now rethink” in Knowable Magazine.

Encounters in Forestry

11/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

forestry studentsTravis Idol, Kim Carlson, and Adel Youkhana (all NREM) recently hosted and gave presentations to forestry studies students and faculty from Japan’s Iwate University. The group is visiting Hawai‘i through Kapi‘olani Community College’s Paul S. Honda International Center to learn about forestry studies and projects, agriculture, community development, and Hawaiian culture.

Hapa Fashion

11/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

East Meets West exhibitCome check out 100 Years of East Meets West in Hawaii, the exhibition set up by the Costume Museum Management class (FDM 460) in the Bridge Gallery in Hamilton Library. It’s there till December 4, and it’s well worth a trip—it not only showcases vintage and fashion-forward garments chosen by the students from the Costume Collection to honor the theme and create a cohesive exhibit; each garment is also individually styled to showcase that inimitable blend of western and Asian cultures that is so uniquely Hawai‘i.

Brainstorming for the Future

11/8/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Strategic planning session for Big Island CTAHRHow many PhDs, MSs, and others does it take to plan for the future of CTAHR in Hawai‘i Island? That sounds like the start of a joke, but it’s serious business! Approximately 20 CTAHR faculty and staff devoted an entire day on October 31 to brainstorming how to improve aging infrastructure and increase funding. Assistance was provided from facilitator M’Randa Sandlin (TPSS, left), Dean Nick Comerford (2nd from left), and Interim Associate Dean of Extension Kelvin Sewake (third from left). Other participants shown here (clockwise from left) include J.B. Friday (NREM), James Keach (TPSS), Julia Zee (HNFAS), Joan Chong (FCS), and Randy Hamasaki (PEPS). If two heads are better than one, then imagine what twenty heads can accomplish!

Got ‘Ulu?

11/8/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Blaire Langston with uluGrad student Blaire Langston (NREM) was interviewed on HPR and Bytemarks Cafe to discuss the citizen-science project on ‘ulu phenology she is working on with Noa Lincoln (TPSS) in which members of the community are invited to adopt a breadfruit tree and observe and record its lifecycle changes. She explains that this project will help those who want to start growing breadfruit on a larger scale to know where are good areas for it and when they should expect their trees to fruit.

Ag Theft

11/8/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Ken Love checks fruitAgricultural theft of orchard crop commodities is a continuous issue that affects Big Island growers, creating hardship and difficulty in achieving sustainability. Last Friday at the Kona Extension Office, associate Extension agent Andrea Kawabata co-hosted a community meeting on agricultural theft with the executive director of the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers, Ken Love. A number of concerned farmers and agricultural associations gathered for the meeting to identify issues and to discuss solutions with US, State and county representatives. Guest speakers included Sen. Mike Gabbard, Rep. Richard Creagan, prosecuting attorney Mitch Roth and investigator Shane Muramaru, and community police officers. This meeting was sponsored by CTAHR, the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers, Hawaii Organic Farmers Association, the Kona Chapter of Hawaii Farmers Union United, and the Hawai‘i County prosecuting attorney.

Sunny Days

11/8/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Daniel Carroll cuts sunflowersThe beginning farmer-training program GoFarm is mentioned in a recent Star-Advertiser story about the acres of sunflowers that DuPont Pioneer is opening to the public for tours for the next two weeks. DuPont is partnering with GoFarm to raise awareness about eating local—the company’s lands also include some 400 acres planted in vegetables. Daniel Carroll, a program coach and coordinator for GoFarm’s North Shore operation, is pictured cutting sunflowers grown by a program participant.

A Cut Above

11/8/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Colin Hart and Russell Galenti with carved cacao podsPumpkin carving is passé! For Halloween, Colin Hart (left) taught attendees of the 1st Annual Cacao-Pod Carving Contest at Komohana Research & Extension Center how to remove seeds and pulp from cacao pods and then carve them into expressive and menacing faces. Russell Galenti (right) won the contest for Most Scary. Both Colin and Russell are TPSS graduate students of Alyssa Cho. It was a fun though fearsome event, hopefully the first of many!

Roots Research

11/8/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Okinawan sweetpotato in handSusan Miyasaka’s (TPSS) project “Improving Sustainability of Sweet Potato through Virus-tested, Tissue-culture Technology” has been granted preliminary approval for funding of almost $8000 from the Department of Research and Development to test tissue-cultured sweetpotato plants for resistance to a virus that is harming yields on the Hamakua Coast. This project, for which agents on neighbor islands are co-PIs , will “conduct farm trials comparing yields of sweet potatoes grown from a commercial source of cuttings with those of virus-tested, tissue-cultured planting materials, and graft plant material to multiply existing sweet potato viruses to reach detection levels.” The resolution still the needs the vote of the full council, but it’s a project well worth supporting!

Bee on Screen

11/8/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Screen capture from Odd Couples videoA video team headed by Ethel Villalobos (PEPS) just won two awards from the Entomological Society of America. “The Life History of Bees” introduces the viewer to a variety of bee species and their life cycles; although the emphasis is on honeybees, the video includes natural history information about wild bees in the tropics and temperate regions. “The Odd Couples” addresses the ancient relationship between flowering plants and pollinators. “The Life History of Bees” won first place in the P-IE Pollinator Video Competition, and “The Odd Couples” won second place—the Stinger Award—in the ESA’s 2017 Annual Conference video competition. These videos are the result of a group effort from graduate students, researchers, and a video editor/graphic designer. They collaborated in the script writing, voice talent, video and photography, and 2D and 3D animation. And the films are beautiful, informative, and fun to watch—check them out!

At the Meeting

11/2/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Emilie Kirk at Extension tableCTAHR was an integral part of the information-giving and the networking when the Hawaii Farm Bureau held its annual meeting in Lihu‘e on October 23. Featured at the meeting was a keynote speech by Dean Nicholas Comerford, in which he introduced himself and his leadership philosophy for CTAHR to the farming community. Also in attendance were Associate Dean for Extension Kelvin Sewake, Kaua‘i County Administrator Russell Messing, Associate Specialist Ted Radovich (TPSS), and Jr. Extension Agent Emilie Kirk (pictured here, staffing the CTAHR information table). Helping the HFB is just another way CTAHR helps local farmers, and in return its members support the college—win-win!

Farming With Vision

11/2/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Leonard Hall and Priscilla CarbajalGoFarm Hawai‘i participants Leonard Hall and Priscilla Carbajal appear in HDOA’s newest Buy Local, It Matters TV spot, explaining why they farm. As first-generation growers, they are motivated by their care for the land and the people and their hope for a healthier, happier, more sustainable future for everyone in the Islands. Good luck to them!

Where Have All the Insects Gone?

11/2/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Helen SpaffordHelen Spafford (PEPS) is quoted in an article in Entomology Today on a large and worrying decline in insects recently reported in a German study. Though not connected with the study, Helen was asked to comment because she had co-authored the Entomological Society of America’s 2017 position paper on endangered insect species and arthropod biodiversity. She agrees that the study should concern scientists and others, and that we need to act: “This study has sounded the alarm…. We need to wake up.”

New Faces: Pomai Weigert

11/2/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Pomai WeigertWelcome to Pomai Weigert, GoFarm Hawai‘i’s new agbusiness consultant! Pomai will be consulting with program participants, including beginning farmer-training students and agribusinesses statewide. She has extensive experience in marketing, community relations, agritourism, value-added production, and social media. She has served as a consultant to the Hawaii AgriTourism Association and as marketing and community relations director for Ali‘i Kula Lavender Farm. She was recently named one of the “5 Women Rocking the Food Scene in Hawaii” in Forbes magazine. We’re glad you’re here, Pomai!

He Likes Beef

11/2/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Screen capture of Derek Kurisu in CattlemanFormer CTAHR Outstanding Alumnus and KTA Super Stores Executive VP Derek Kurisu is featured in the new video “Where Local Beef Comes From,” produced by the Hawaii Cattlemen's Council and the Hawaii Beef Industry Council and funded partially by the HDOA. He explains that buying locally grass-finished beef for his stores is a win-win situation: the customers love it, and he’s assured of product in case a disaster hits the Islands’ shipping system. Most importantly, he gets to support the local producers, part of his community and ‘ohana.

Student Spotlight

11/2/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Lucia AmoreCTAHR dietetics alumna Lucia Amore is featured as one of the students spotlighted at the new UHM Admissions website. She celebrates the way the scholarships she earned allowed her to gain an education and maintain a high GPA without a high financial burden. During her time at CTAHR, Lucia was also a member of the FSHN Council, a student marshal, and a winner at the 2017 Student Research Symposium—a worthy ambassador for the college!

Pumped-Up Pumpkins

11/2/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Pumpkin carved with phoenixPEPS held its annual highly anticipated pumpkin-carving contest on Halloween, awarding certificates for the top three carving teams. Befittingly, there were a few insect-related entries, including a coconut rhinoceros beetle and a bat—an insectivore—but the winning work of vegetable art depicted another kind of creature entirely: a phoenix. The elaborate and beautifully executed piece was carved by Allen Yang and Meng Mao (pictured), along with Kirsten Poff, who can all be justifiably proud of their great squash-slicing skills! Thanks go to CTAHR supporter Aloun Farms, which supplied the pumpkins for the event.

Long-Term Termites

11/2/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Maria Aihara-SasakiMS grad student in Entomology Maria Aihara-Sasaki, the coordinator for the Termite Project, was interviewed for the most recent UH Alumni magazine about the persistence of termites in the Islands. Maria, who also has her undergraduate degree from PEPS, says she’s been working on termites at UH for more than 16 years, and while pest control is getting better, the insects seem to evolve to meet the challenge: “Unfortunately, I don’t think termites will be eradicated anytime soon.” But even controlling them better is a positive development, and that’s what Maria’s helping with!

Elder Affairs in Good Hands

11/2/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Sarah Yuan at governors commissioning ceremonySarah Yuan (COF) has been re-appointed to the State’s Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs (PABEA) for a second four-year term. PABEA’s main role is to advise the director of the Executive Office on Aging on policies, programs, and other issues concerning the well-being of older adults in Hawai‘i. In the past four years, she worked with the board members and other community groups to successfully advocate for funding and legislation to meet the rising needs for long-term support services, protect the safety and quality of life for frail seniors, and promote healthy aging. The board is composed of 14 governor-appointed and 8 ex-officio members, who are selected for “their ability to make contributions to the solution of problems relating to aging.” The majority of appointed members are required to be seniors themselves, so Sarah stands out as especially notable! She attended the Governor’s Commissioning Ceremony on Thursday, October 26th, at Hawaii State Art Museum downtown, pictured here with Governor David Ige (right) and associate judge Derrick Chan.

Haut, Haut Chocolat!

11/2/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Skip Bittenbender with cacao treesWe reported last week that Hawai‘i-grown cacao beans from Extension specialist Skip Bittenbender’s (TPSS) Hawai‘i State Cacao Trial project had been have been ranked among the top 50 samples for the 2017 Cocoa of Excellence Program. This week we’re glad to update that: they were selected as among the top three in the Asia, Pacific and Australia category and as among the eighteen International Cocoa Award winners chosen announced this week at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris! Congratulations—and can we have some of that chocolate?

Feel-Good Reading

11/2/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Image of cover of third-quarter 2017 Impact ReportLooking for some news you can be proud of? Check out the two latest CTAHR Impact Reports, now published on the Web in pdf. The second-quarter report details several ways the college is working to mitigate the effects of climate change: by fine-tuning agricultural methodologies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, by empowering Pacific-area Extension staff and faculty to help their clientele deal with a warming planet, by teaching grade-school teachers how to teach climate change to their students, and by partnering with an NGO that has a unique method of increasing soil and plant resiliency against global warming: composting human waste! The third-quarter report looks at the many different ways CTAHR faculty and staff are working with animals, for their well-being and that of Hawai‘i’s people: by serving as state veterinarians, by researching the unique and beneficial bond between humans and dogs, by mentoring at-risk youth by teaching them to raise swine using sustainable and local methods, and by using cutting-edge breeding techniques to build an award-winning herd of cattle as well as compile essential information and elite genetic stock for local ranchers.

Control Your Fermentation

11/2/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Cacao pods with chocolateSkip Bittenbender (TPSS), Loren Gautz (MBBE), and colleagues have published a new paper, “Microfermentation of Cacao: The CTAHRBag System,” in the journal HortTechnology. The CTAHRBag system solves a common problem on the way to making chocolate among small growers and hobbyists, as well as scientists evaluating new varieties for quality and yield: many fermentation methods are inconsistent, especially when used with very small quantities. Their method uses clean, inexpensive, disposable polyethylene bags for fermentation vessels and replaces sun drying with drying in the laboratory for a flexible and reliable method appropriate on the small scale, helpful for a growing segment of cacao and chocolate producers.

October



They’re There at the College Fair

10/26/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Irene and student at College FairThe ASAO is continuing their fantastic recruitment efforts with tables at the College Fairs being held on all the islands this week. Here student advisor Irene Morrow and student ambassador Brent Shigano, a senior in MBB (not a junior, as was previously reported), invite highschoolers to find out more about the college’s many diverse offerings at the Honolulu National College Fair (not the Kaua‘i College Fair, as was previously recorded; advisor Maile Sing provided outreach at the Kaua‘i College Fair).

Hilo Tastes Great!

10/25/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

roast pigMembers of the CTAHR ‘ohana contributed to the 20th annual—and sold-out!—Taste of Hilo. Mike DuPonte was there to introduce event-goers to the extra-‘ono taste of pork that is raised using Korean Natural Farming methods—he says you can definitely taste the difference, and it’s delicious. These methods are also sustainable and locally focused, so it’s a win-win. Mike also premiered a video, featuring Animal Sciences student Keala Cowell, that describes the Ag in the Classroom project that the two, with 4-H agent Becky Settlage, have inaugurated in four Big Island schools. Mike says the video was so inspirational that one viewer immediately pledged $1200 towards the project!

Rock Stars

10/25/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Lyndsey Haraguchi-NakayamaTwo CTAHR-associated women are featured in Forbes Magazine’s article “Five Women Rocking the Food Scene in Hawaii.” Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama, a TPSS alumna, is the fifth generation to work at her family’s taro farm, W. T. Haraguchi Farm, and co-creator of the Hanalei Taro food truck. She explains the importance of history: “It is important for people to learn the history, culture, preservation and efforts that farming families do on a daily basis to bring sustainability to fruition.” Lani Weigert, an alumna of the Ag Leadership program and a founder of the successful agritourism venture Ali‘i Kula Lavender, is also mentioned in the article, though it focuses more on her daughter and partner, Pomai. As the article explains, the two created a concept, “sustainable aloha,” which guides their work in their community through educational stewardship and nurturing the planet for future generations.

Pest Control at the Next Level

10/25/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Dr. Qing LiQing Li (MBBE) was one of only three UH faculty invited to present their innovative research at the exclusive UH Tech Showcase. The innovators presented their cutting-edge ideas to an invitation-only audience of investors and entrepreneurs. Qing explained how his research in monoterpenoids from select essential oils could be used to develop insecticides for specific agricultural, storage and household pests. UH Vice President for Research and Innovation Vassilis L. Syrmos called the presenters’ work “examples of the world-class research” that is done at UH!

Double the Honor

10/25/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

The two posters that Samir Khanal co-authored and presented at the 15th International Water Association’s World Conference on Anaerobic Digestion (IWA-AD) in Beijing were both awarded outstanding poster! The conference, which was attended by over 1200 participants from around the world, is an international forum discussing state-of-art anaerobic bioprocesses, including wastewater treatment. These posters comprised two of the only 20 awardees chosen from nearly 600 poster presentations. One poster is entitled “Effects of hyperthermophilic temperature on biomethanation efficiency and microbial community during hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis,” and the other “Automated micro-aeration system for enhancing stability of anaerobic digestion at high organic loading rate.” The award includes a certificate and a cash prize—or is that two certificates and double the cash?

Food Is Good!

10/25/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Alyssa Cho (third from left) and her graduate students Colin Hart and Russell Galanti, along with Joanne Imamura (all TPSS), demonstrated how cacao and macadamia nuts are processed from raw fruit/nutNational Food Day, which supports and promotes local food and farmers, healthy foods, healthy eating, and safe food handling, was celebrated at KTA stores on the Big Island and featured educational displays and samplings of locally grown and produced food. Alyssa Cho (third from left) and her graduate students Colin Hart and Russell Galanti, along with Joanne Imamura (all TPSS), demonstrated how cacao and macadamia nuts are processed from raw fruit/nut crops into the iconic chocolate-covered mac nut. Julia Zee (HNFAS) promoted local produce with GET (Grow, Eat & Think) Local, as well as safe food handling and how to prevent rat lungworm disease. Michael DuPonte (HNFAS) and members of the Hawaii Swine Producers Cooperative served pork and Portuguese sausage…the sausage was so good that KTA vice president and former CTAHR Outstanding Alumnus Derek Kurisu signed a contract to distribute it on the spot! And East and West Hawai‘i Master Gardeners provided gardening information and assisted with the giveaway of free vegetable seedlings. What a great (food) day!

Haut Chocolat

10/25/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Hawai‘i-grown cacao beans from Skip Bittenbender’s (TPSS) Hawai‘i State Cacao Trial project have been ranked, along with two other Hawai‘i samples, among the top 50 samples out of 166, submitted from 40 countries, for the 2017 Cocoa of Excellence Program. Skip’s student Dan O’Doherty submitted the fermented, dried cacao beans from three locations of Skip’s trial on O‘ahu. These high-ranking beans were nominated for an International Cocoa Award, and the award winners will be announced at the end of October. The winner will be celebrated on October 30 at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris!

Making an Impact!

10/25/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Samir Khanal’s (MBBE) co-authored article “Nitrogen Transformations in Aquaponic Systems: A Review” was among the most recent top four most downloaded articles in the journal Aquacultural Engineering. As the article explains, studies on nitrogen transformations and nitrogen utilization efficiency in aquaponic systems have been very limited, despite the critical importance of N in such systems, so this paper fills an important gap. Another article Samir co-authored is “Anaerobic Digestion-Based Biorefinery for Bioenergy and Biobased Products,” appears in the Journal of Industrial Biotechnology’s list of High-Impact Articles.

Credit Where Accreditation Is Due

10/18/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Andy ReillyAndy Reilly (FDM) has been appointed to the Board of Commissioners for the Textile and Apparel Programs Accrediting Commission (TAPAC), effective January 2018. He will be responsible for reviewing accreditation reports and voting on accreditation. The TAPAC plans, implements, evaluates and monitors the accreditation of undergraduate textiles and apparel academic programs, and Andy will be instrumental to this mission. At the International Textile and Apparel Association meeting next month, members of the organization will have an opportunity to find out more about the newly created accreditation process.

Not Just Dirt

10/18/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Susan CrowSusan Crow (NREM) was recently interviewed on HPR with regard to soil and its capacity for mitigating global warming—if correctly managed—following the publication of a pair of papers on the subject that she co-authored. As she explains, it can store more carbon than plants and the atmosphere combined, but it needs to remain undisturbed; other ways to manage soil correctly include composting and using wood chips.

Extension at Kiwannis

10/18/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Kelvin Sewake at Kiwanis presentationAssociate Dean for Extension Kelvin Sewake was invited to speak at the meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Kane‘ohe regarding CTAHR’s Extension programs last week. Lisa Kitagawa-Akagi (seated), formerly with ASAO, is a member of the club. Kelvin (wearing the lei) gave an overview of the history of land-grant universities and of UH, explained the mission of CTAHR and the Cooperative Extension Service, and described CTAHR’s many Extension programs being conducted across the state. The members hadn’t realized the breadth of the college and were especially curious about what the Human Resources side of the name was all about. Kelvin also answered many other good questions about invasive species, agriculture in the classroom, and the differences between the various UH agriculture programs. At the end, the members all expressed their appreciation for his presentation!

Mark at Monsanto

10/18/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Mark DragichAlumnus Mark Dragich recently checked in about his activities since graduating with an MS from TPSS in 2008. He’s now an agricultural research associate at Monsanto, in the operations team of the company’s breeding organization. He leads a team in field technology implementation and also works on field trials for fertilizer, water use, and other agronomy-related topics to help maximize yields and minimize costs. As a grad student at CTAHR he worked in Janice Uchida’s lab, studying the management of fungal diseases in basil and papaya. He liked that, since he was dealing with real issues that growers had, and his work had the potential to impact local producers positively. What he does now is similar in that respect, he explains, but there’s much more diversity in the projects. Working in industry is also much more fast paced and requires much more responsibility than in grad school, so it’s more challenging and exciting. He would like to thank all the faculty in the Plant Pathology grad group and many in the Entomology group for their roles in fostering his development, especially Janice for setting high standards and finding applied projects for him to work on, Chris Kadooka for teaching the technical skills that he needed to succeed, Scot Nelson for having the most “real life applicable” classes and for his mentoring, and current MS student Gerald Crank for assisting with his experiments, even on the weekends!

The Ocean Inside

10/18/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Cliff KaponoCliff Kapono, who received both his BS (MBB) and MS (MBBE) from CTAHR and who is now a PhD candidate at UC San Diego, has been in the news for the fascinating project he has created: the Surfer Biome Project. As he travels around the world to surf, he takes samples from surfers’ bodies and boards which are analyzed to see how intensive exposure to the ocean may alter human microbiomes—and how their bodies change the biome of the particular area of the ocean that they enter. As an article in the New York Times explains, Cliff is looking for evidence that surfers are being exposed to genes for antibiotic resistance in the ocean; he hasn’t found these yet, but he has found evidence that surfers in the same area do have similar microbiomes associated with their bodies, and he’s noticed that his own microbiome changes depending on where he’s been surfing. Hawaii Business also has an article on this fascinating project. Stay tuned for more information on this global quest!

Congrats to Kylie

10/11/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Kylie WongYay for Maui County junior Extension agent Kylie Wong, who received a Roy A. Goff Memorial Scholarship in support of her pursuit of an MS in Food Safety from Michigan State University! Kylie’s Extension program focuses on farm food safety and sustainable agriculture, particularly soil nutrient management, pest management, and supporting Hawai‘i farmers in growing crops and producing value-added products. The Goff Memorial Scholarship, in memory of county Extension agent and acting Extension director Roy A. Goff, supports professional development of CTAHR Extension faculty and staff and is managed by representatives of Epsilon Sigma Phi Extension fraternity, Hawai‘i Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, Hawai‘i Association of Extension 4-H Agents, and Hawai‘i Association of County Agricultural Agents.

On His Own Turf

10/11/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Zhiqiang ChengThe Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii (LICH) annual conference is Hawai‘i’s premier green industry education event, attended by approximately 250 landscape and turf professionals each year. The 2017 LICH conference was held on October 5 in Blaisdell Center. There Zhiqiang Cheng (PEPS) presented a seminar on his latest research results on the management of several key landscape pests, including coconut rhinoceros beetle, lobate lac scale, and Ficus stem and leaf gall wasps, as well as his upcoming research project on the control of frit fly, a common turfgrass pest affecting multiple golf courses in Hawai‘i. Over 50 people, including landscapers, arborists, HDOA staff, City and County of Honolulu staff, and CTAHR specialists and agent, attended this seminar, for which Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credit was offered. Students in Zhiqiang’s Turfgrass Pest Management class this semester also attended the afternoon session of this conference as a part of their class field trip.

Yay for the Bay

10/11/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

NREM/PEPS classes collecting invasive algaeThe students in NREM/PEPS 210 Introduction to Environmental Science have been busy this semester. A group of students travelled to Kane‘ohe Bay early Saturday morning and collected invasive seaweed and trash from the bay. Efforts from the students of NREM/PEPS 210 are impacting the amount of seaweed in the section of the shore that the students clean. The patches of invasive seaweed were smaller this year. The Waimanalo Research Station takes the seaweed to compost and use in organic plots. Another group of NREM/PEPS 210 students spent their Saturday morning collecting trash from Manoa stream near the Magoon Research facility. The students join Janice Uchida and Brent Sipes to give their Saturday morning as a service learning project for their Environmental Science class.

Safe, Not Sorry

10/11/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Aurora Saulo at Rotary ClubAurora Saulo (TPSS) addressed the Rotary Club of Honolulu on a topic that is a current and ongoing community concern. The title of her presentation was “What’s All the Fuss about Food Safety—Aren’t Our Foods Safe?” She was invited to speak to the club by Emeritus professor and past Club president Samir El-Swaify. Aurora discussed some fundamental issues about consumer preferences; summarized the likely hazards faced in consumer handling of food commodities and manufacturing of commercial products, especially in Hawai‘i’s tropical environment; and responded to specific questions about the diverse varieties and sources of foodstuffs and the rules and regulations designed to protect consumers. She then signed the “book of the week” which the Club donates to Jefferson Elementary School toward the enhancement of the school’s library. The Club members not only learned a lot, but they were highly complimentary of Aurora’s factual presentation when it came to particularly sensitive issues.

To Kaua‘i via California and Southeast Asia

10/11/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Emilie KirkWelcome to Emilie Kirk, who has joined the UH Cooperative Extension team in Kaua‘i County as junior Extension agent and Master Gardener coordinator. She will provide Extension program leadership on edible crops, food safety and security, ag education and production, and leadership development. Her stakeholders include commercial and subsistence agricultural producers, urban and residential gardeners, and youth education programs. Emilie has a BS in International Agricultural Development and an MS in Soils and Biogeochemistry, both from UC-Davis. She also has specialized training in tropical agriculture and permaculture design. As a grad student, Emilie worked with a large interdisciplinary research team alongside academics, private industry, government researchers, and land managers on a rice research project in the California Delta. She has also worked with Australian researchers and the Lao government Agricultural Extension service in southern Lao PDR as part of a research-for-development project there, assessing impacts of on-farm research and Extension capacity-building efforts as well as designing and delivering training workshops for junior Extension staff. She is looking forward to contributing to the many challenges facing agriculture on Kaua‘i. Get in touch with her at 808-274-3478 or at erkirk@hawaii.edu.

The Golden AGHE

10/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Loriena YancuraLoriena Yancura (FCS) was elected member-at-large for the national board of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE), a membership organization of colleges and universities that offer education, training, and research programs in the field of aging. As member-at-large, Lori joins the leadership team to help foster the commitment of higher education to the field of aging through education, research, and public service. AGHE currently has more than 160 institutional members throughout the United States, Canada, and abroad.

Cleaning the Green

10/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Volunteers raking the St. John CourtyardVolunteers gathered to help clean up the St. John Courtyard garden and then enjoy the free pizza that followed while discussing how best to showcase this under-used and overgrown oasis. The cleanup was a collaborative effort of the Horticulture Society, Botany Department, Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences Department, Landscape Services and UH Manoa Campus Arboretum. The volunteers did a great job--the Courtyard is much improved, with more sunshine coming through the canopy, new plants growing in pots, and much of the wildly proliferating undergrowth pruned away.

Extending Knowledge and Plants

10/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Participants in sweetpotato growersSharon Motomura-Wages (TPSS) and Kiersten Akahoshi (PEPS) organized a sweetpotato growers’ meeting in Hilo with over 20 attendees, approximately half of them commercial growers. The workshop featured Christopher Clark and Arthur Villordon from Louisiana State University, who discussed their program in Louisiana to produce virus-tested sweetpotato planting materials for commercial growers. Then Hawai‘i County administrator Susan Miyasaka (TPSS) talked about recent research results that demonstrated it was possible to nearly double yield by using virus-tested ‘Okinawan’ planting materials rather than those from a commercial source. Other speakers included Marisa Wall (USDA ARS DKI PBARC) and Ishakh Pulakkatu-Thodi (PEPS). Virus-tested, tissue-cultured ‘Okinawan’ plants were distributed to growers who attended the meeting.

Passion for Fashion Innovation

10/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Body-scan fashion avatarShu Hwa Lin (FDM) shared cutting-edge fashion technology with fashion design students in UH Maui College’s Fashion Technology program during the recent International Symposium on Wearable Computers (ISWC) Conference. She volunteered to conduct body scanning and demonstrated the use of shared public-domain software to edit the fashion “avatars” created by the scans, digital figures that can be used to help with fit when designing clothing. Students were excited to use the 3D printer in UHMC’s library to print 7-inch statues of their own scanned figures!

Cowpeas—Not Just for Cows!

10/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Jensen Uyeda with cowpeasJensen Uyeda (TPSS) led a cowpea field day at the Poamoho Research Station last week that offered its 15–20 participants food for thought and for the ‘opu. The legumes have low water requirements and are nitrogen fixing, so they can be used as a cover crops or as part of crop rotations. They also have commercial potential: while Hawai‘i cannot compete on the commodity scale, Jensen is examining their potential for the local niche market, including high-end restaurants. Cowpeas come in various flavors and colors; a commonly known variety is black-eyed peas, but they can also be eaten green, like edamame, or in the pod like green beans. To show how good they can be, guest chef Dr Lauren Tamamoto from the KCC Culinary Innovation Center prepared cowpea salsa, salad, and other dishes for the participants. In her Asian Cowpea Rice, green cowpeas are combined with white rice, nametake, and furikake for a locally inflected taste sensation. Check out cowpeas today!

Bad News From the ROD Squad

10/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rapid Ohia Death imagesDespite the tireless efforts of the ROD Squad, members of the college and collaborating institutions tasked with containing the spread of Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death, the devastating disease was recently found in North Kohala, which means that it is now present in every district on the Big Island. Extension forester J.B. Friday (NREM) was interviewed for this Hawaii Tribune-Herald article on the discovery, explaining that there’s still hope that the disease can be contained and will be manageable, and work will continue to make sure that happens.

All Creatures Great and Small

10/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Raquel WongCTAHR alumna Raquel Wong, DVM, was on hand to educate the public at last month’s Ag 2017 conference. Raquel, the State Veterinarian and the administrator of the Animal Industry Division of the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, is tasked with protecting Hawai‘i’s livestock and poultry industries through the control and prevention of pests and diseases. This includes maintaining the animal quarantine program and the State Veterinary Laboratory, as well as providing aquaculture and livestock support services. This ANSC grad is in charge of disease investigation for both livestock and domestic animals, with both keeping out diseases we don’t have in the Islands and dealing with those we do. Thanks, Raquel!

Conservation for the Community

10/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Frankie KoetheCTAHR Notes had the pleasure of running into NREM alumna Francesca “Frankie” Koethe at the recent statewide ag conference. Now a conservation assistant with the O‘ahu Resource Conservation and Development Council, Frankie did her MS research under the mentorship of Linda Cox, focusing on the sustainability and environmental health perceptions of a rural community in Kaua‘i, while her BS was in zoology and animal biology. While at CTAHR she worked as a teaching assistant, and now at O‘ahu RC&D she helps farmers to steward natural resources and supports agriculture and conservation throughout the island. She’s helping to promote a series of workshops for women farmers sponsored by the Council, which will be held October 10, 12, 17, and 19 on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Maui, and the Big Island respectively. Her energy, enthusiasm, and expertise fuel her outreach to the community, and O‘ahu RC&D is lucky to have her!

September



Managing a Wicked Problem

9/27/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

NewellThere’s a special collection of papers titled Scaling Up Restoration Efforts in the Pacific Islands co-edited by Melissa Price (NREM) that are published in “early view” form in the journal Pacific Science (scroll down). The collection features five articles co-authored by current and former NREM faculty including Clay Trauernicht, Creighton Litton, Kirsten Oleson, and Chris Lepczyk, who’s now at Auburn University. Current NREM students and alumni represented include Matt Lucas, Julia Rowe, Lisa Ellsworth, and Selita Ammondt. The papers’ subjects range from the economics of dry forest restoration to the impact of endangered seabirds on nutrient cycling and the problems of nonnative ungulates. The collection comprises “a call for clear management objectives, targeted research to minimize uncertainty, and innovative solutions to a wicked problem,” and it’s well worth a read!

Get the Poop

9/27/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rebecca RyalsThis week’s installment of the NREM seminar series featured Rebecca Ryals, who presented “Closing the Poop Loop: Transforming human waste to combat climate change and enhance resilience of agroecosystems.” As Rebecca explains, “Over 2.6 billion people lack access to improved sanitation, leading to millions of tons of nutrient-rich, but pathogenic, fecal waste being discarded into urban and rural ecosystems every year. Ecological sanitation (EcoSan) attempts to repair the broken water, nutrient, and carbon cycles associated with this waste stream, while simultaneously eliminating pathogens and producing organic amendment resources.” Her lab is collaborating with the NGO Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL) in Haiti to quantify the climate benefits of EcoSan through soil carbon sequestration and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Before the Board

9/27/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Sugarcane at research stationUH President Lassner’s most recent report to the Board of Regents included two CTAHR-associated projects and initiatives: the research into native sugarcane that is being undertaken by Noa Lincoln and Ted Radovich (both TPSS) at the Waimanalo and Poamoho research stations and the UH systemwide student food security study that, though he does not mention it, was spearheaded by HNFAS students Surely Wallace and Danita Dahl based on a project they undertook in Joannie Dobbs’s class on food systems. Great work, CTAHR!

Budding Horticulturists

9/27/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

TPSS grad students at ASHSTPSS graduate students attended the recent ASHS conference in droves, partly thanks to Robert Paull, who secured travel grants from ASHS, and to grad student Kauahi Perez, who successfully competed for a grant from the SAPFB. Aside from being an immense help at the registration table, TPSS graduate students shared their research: Aimee Uyehara, Tia Silvasy, and Kauahi Perez gave oral presentations, and Roshan Paudel, Dylan Oates, Emily Teng, Russel Galanti, Mitchel Loo, Peter Toves, and Colin Hart presented in poster sessions. A.J. Lindsey, mentored by Joe DeFrank and Zhiqiang Cheng (PEPS), won 2nd place in the Graduate Student (M.Sc.) Poster Competition with his presentation on “Response of Seashore Papalum, Bermudagrass, and Goosegrass to Post-emergent Herbicides.” Kauahi also participated in Scholars Ignite! and Teachers Ignite! TPSS alumni Scott Lukas and Gabriel Sachter-Smith also made an appearance, presenting their research findings at this conference. Way to go!

OMG, TPSS (& PEPS) @ ASHS!

9/27/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Eric Tanouye and Kelvin SewakeThe American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) held its 114th Annual Conference at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. TPSS faculty and students were standouts, bringing recognition and visibility to Hawaiian horticulture. A team led by Kent Kobayashi offered the “Welcome to Hawai’i” session. Jonathan Deenik was honored with the plenary address, offering a talk on “Atolls to High Volcanoes: Soil Diversity and Agricultural Adaptation Across Micronesia.” Noa Lincoln won the award for best Early Career Presentation with a talk on “Reviving Indigenous Crops and Cropping Systems.” AD for Extension Kelvin Sewake (right) and CTAHR’s 2017 Ka Lei Hano award winner Eric Tanouye (left) gave a talk at the ASHS Extension Division Luncheon on “The Importance of Partnership for the Hawaii Floriculture Industry: An Extension and Industry Perspective.” A host of other TPSS faculty and staff, including Tessie Amore, Orville Baldos, Alyssa Cho, Joanne Imamura, Andrea Kawabata, Kent Kobayahi, Ken Leonhardt, Richard Manshardt, Susan Miyasaka, Cynthia Nazario-Leary, Robert Paull, and Ted Radovich, offered presentations and posters. PEPS was also ably represented by Zhiqiang Cheng, who joined with Rich Criley (TPSS Emeritus) to present on propagation and pests at the Ficus Workshop. ASHS was lucky to have them!

4-H and Fun

9/27/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

4-H giant vegetable competitionEast Hawai‘i 4-H made a great showing at the 67th Hawai‘i County Fair, which ran September 21-24. Forty-five 4-H members and leaders each completed one or more 4-hour shifts during the long weekend. Hawai‘i County Extension agent Becky Settlage said “it was a productive but fun 4 days!” They set four state records in the Giant Fruit & Vegetable Contest, including a giant kalo (20.86 pounds), watermelon (59.3 pounds), bushel gourd (137.6 pounds) and tomato (2.23 pounds)! Over 1000 children went through the 4-H petting zoo, meeting baby chicks, ducklings, rabbits, goats, sheep, and horses. From the petting zoo, children were sent to Germ City, where 4-H members taught them the importance of proper hand-washing. 4-H'ers also had a Make & Take craft area where participants turned beads into floral and gecko key chains. Equally well attended was the Wii Games area, where as part of a 4-H Healthy Living program called “Get Moving for Health (GM4-H),” visitors were welcome to play a round of Wii tennis, bowling, baseball, or golf. When they were done, they could sign a pledge “to Make Being Active Part of My Every Day Lifestyle.” Of course, one of the best ways to stay active is by joining 4-H!

Help for the Kupuna

9/27/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Samantha TioCTAHR Notes recently caught up with Fam-R alumna Samantha Tio (Tsoi), LSW, who’s the director of social services at Hale Ho Aloha Nursing Home. Samantha’s been in this personally and professionally fulfilling position for almost ten years now, and she credits her professors and program at CTAHR with getting her started on her journey. She graduated with a B.S. and a Certificate in Aging in 2004, worked at an adult daycare for a year, then returned for her MSW with a concentration in Gerontology and LSW at UH. She writes, “My undergraduate degree paved the foundation for where I am today. It enticed me to get into gerontology and constantly stimulated me to want more. The FAMR—now HDFS—professors were so involved and encouraging during my studies. I never tired of learning because they made learning fun and interesting; they knew how to keep things exciting. They were very hands-on and gave sound advice. I learned the importance of networking and being involved within the community. Plus, I felt like I came out of my shell more; I was less shy and more assertive with what I wanted in my life.” The kupuna of our community must be grateful that Samantha discovered what she wanted to do with her life—to make their lives better!

Fall Fun & Games

9/27/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Tropical Agriculture and the Environment table at Fall FairCTAHR Fall Fair, the college’s 27th annual fall welcome-back event, drew over 200 students, faculty, and staff, including Dean Comerford. Representatives from CTAHR’s departments and clubs vied for votes with cool demos, fun activities, and awesome giveaways, while students fiercely competed in the ice cream-eating competition—Rodolfo Ramirez, the winner of that contest, earned the Ice Cream party for FSHN. The Biological Engineering Student Association won $500 for having the “Best Table,” and the Tropical Agriculture and the Environment program won $1000 to use towards student activities for “Greatest Attendance.” And six lucky folks won raffle prizes. Throughout the festivities, students, faculty, and staff enjoyed free food, as well as ice cream and popsicles generously donated once again by Meadow Gold Dairies of Hawaii. Thank-yous go to all who attended the bash, especially the outstanding contestants! Big mahalos go out to Meadow Gold for its continued support; Joannie Dobbs; the NREM department for the use of their facilities; Ray Uchida of the O‘ahu Extension Office and Lito Cacho and Richard Fisher of Pearl City UGC for tent coverage and tables; Ryan Kurasaki for tables; co-emcees Cody Ching and Michelle Au for keeping it lively; and all other volunteers!

Fire on the Mountain!

9/27/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Clay Trauernicht on HNNClay Trauernicht (NREM) was interviewed for Hawaii News Now’s story on a wildfire that is threatening Kaua‘i’s Na Pali coast, one of several wildfires that have recently hit the state. Clay points out that although much of the state has been under drought conditions since July, this area of Kaua‘i is not officially designated as drought stricken, but it was still dry enough to spark the fire. It’s not that the trees themselves dry out, he explains, but the underbrush beneath them that acts as tinder and catches flame. The Kalalau Trail has been closed, but the fire is not directly menacing it at this time.

Looking Like a Victim?

9/20/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Transgender youth bulliedAndy Reilly (FDM) has co-authored a new publication, “Dress, Body, and Experiences of Victimization,” published in the journal Fashion, Style & Popular Culture. It elucidates perceived relationships between aspects of appearance and experiences of any form of victimization from the perspective of survivors. He and his co-author Kim Johnson addressed three research questions: (1) what connection, if any, did survivors draw between their appearance and their experience of victimization? (2) What changes, if any, did survivors make to their appearance after their experience(s)? And (3) what advice on appearance, if any, would survivors give to others as a result of their experience? Five women and three men completed interviews. Participants identified appearance cues as stimuli evoking others’ behaviors towards them, and both general appearance attributes and specific attributes were credited with eliciting negative behaviors. The authors discovered that experiences with victimization often occurred when the individual was attempting to move into a culture that was new to them and that most participants altered or made adjustments to their appearance as a result of their victimization experience.

4-H Is Growing

9/20/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

4-H Grows training sessionHawai‘i 4-H launched the 4-H Grows Campaign this past Saturday when leaders from the four major Hawai‘i 4-H affiliate groups came together for an amazing 4-H Grows training session, which should have a significant impact on the future of Hawai‘i 4-H. A big thank-you goes to National 4-H Council staff Jen McIver and Andrea Omer, who came out to O‘ahu to conduct this valuable training. Check out the 4-H Grows Here video here!

A Plethora of Pests

9/20/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

WAA meetingAttendees learned about important new landscape pests in Hawai‘i at the Waimanalo Agricultural Association’s bi-monthly meeting, held at the Waimanalo Research Station. Zhiqiang Cheng (PEPS) was invited to present a seminar, at which he discussed several key new and troublesome landscape pests to the Islands, including Ficus stem and leaf gall wasps, lobate lac scale, and coconut rhinoceros beetle. About 20 participants, including landscaping/ornamental nursery owners, farmers, and Hawaii Farm Bureau staff, also got hands-on experience with real pest specimens Zhiqiang brought. The meeting host was Shannon Alivado, a UHM alumna and an associate in the 2013 Windward GoFarm program, in which Zhiqiang had taught a class.

Getting to Know the Garden Isle

9/20/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Dean ComerfordDean Comerford, along with Interim AD for Extension Kelvin Sewake, visited Kaua‘i on September 7 to meet with faculty and staff, inspect CTAHR facilities, and become acquainted with stakeholders and clientele. High points included stops at Kauai Coffee Company (the largest coffee farm in the U.S.), the Cooperative Extension office in Lihu‘e, the Ornellas Tropical Fruit Farm, and the Kaua‘i Agricultural Research Station in Wailua. The visit concluded in late afternoon with a traditional pau hana, where the Dean got to meet with members of the Board of the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau, the Kaua‘i Office of Economic Development, the 4-H program, the Master Gardeners’ program, the Taro Growers’ Association, Kauai Invasive Species Committee, and other farmers and CTAHR supporters in the community. Here Dean Comerford speaks with John Gordines, president of Kauai County Farm Bureau, at the pau hana.

Bee at Home

9/20/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Yellow-faced beeCTAHR alumna and Star-Advertiser garden columnist Heidi Bornhorst has written a column about the native yellow-faced bee, including things we can do to help protect this endangered and beneficial insect: plant native plants, volunteer to restore coastal ecosystems, and don’t break the branches off coastal trees, which might be harboring bee eggs. She also discusses Jason Graham’s (PEPS) research and outreach concerning the bees, including work he recently did with ‘Iolani students to use 3-D printing to make egg-laying structures for the artificial nest boxes he is creating to protect the solitary bees from invasive ants!

Flying High With Fruit Flies

9/20/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Ernest J. HarrisCTAHR’s 2017 Outstanding Alumnus Ernest J. Harris has been inducted into the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Hall of Fame, which recognizes scientists for their innovative and impactful scientific contributions to the nation and the world. Dr. Harris has certainly made those—after receiving his degree in Entomology from CTAHR, he went on to become internationally recognized for his innovative and effective methods for controlling tephritid fruit flies, a major agricultural pest worldwide. The honor is also mentioned in the Star-Advertiser. The award is only the latest for Dr. Harris, who received a Congressional Medal of Honor last year for helping to break the racial barrier as one of the first African-American Marines, and other honors.

Volunteers Extraordinaire

9/20/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Glen Fukumoto teaches compost techniques in MyanmarGlen Fukumoto and Jonathan Deenik (both TPSS) were jointly named the Winrock Volunteers of the Month for their educational and inspiring trip to Myanmar to offer workshops and demonstrations on composting and soil health. Winrock International posted a laudatory article about the positive qualities that make them such influential and requested volunteers (this is the third time they’ve gone to Myanmar!): they have “strong technical expertise, high cultural sensitivity, the ability to adapt to and understand local farmers’ needs, an impressive teaching style, and complimentary qualities to form an effective team.” Great stuff! The humble pair characteristically are quoted as praising their hosts in Myanmar and the Winrock program. Their advice to other would-be volunteers? Be patient, be open minded, and remember to have fun! They also share more details about soil quality and resilience in a blog post here.

Eat Local—but How?

9/13/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Ken Grace on Island InsightsKen Grace appeared on PBS Hawai‘i’s show Island Insights to speak on the question “Can We Double Local Food Production by 2020?” Also on the panel was CTAHR alumna Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser, the deputy director of the HDOA, who has a BS in Animal Sciences and farmed for over 30 years. The panelists discussed the need for increasing food production; the many obstacles, such as access to land, water, and labor, that are working against this goal; and ways to address these constraints, including more government support. One panelist in the discussion also brought up the importance of farmer-training programs such as GoFarm in helping to grow local farmers.

Swine in Samoa

9/13/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Halina ZaleskiHalina Zaleski (HNFAS) returned to American Samoa to help the Agriculture, Community and Natural Resources Division (ACNR) of the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) to conduct a swine disease survey. As she explained, “This project helps us to understand the health concerns and other challenges farmers face, and to increase the experience of students in some of the practices to care for and understand the health of the pigs.” No such swine disease survey had been conducted in American Samoa for 20 years. Halina and a fellow Extension swine specialist colleague from Nebraska, Thomas Petznick, also conducted a swine management workshop which offered helpful health management tips and discussed observations from local pig farms. She had previously visited in 2016 to provide help with an artificial insemination project that was a collaboration between ASCC-ACNR and Samoa’s Department of Agriculture.

He Shows Heart

9/7/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Eric Tanouye holding CTAHR’s 2017 Ka Lei Hano award winner Eric Tanouye, the president of Green Point Nurseries, was recently featured on KHON’s Living808 program in a segment on Hawai‘i-made and Hawai‘i-grown products participating in HDOA’s seal of quality program. Eric talked about the UH anthurium-breeding program, mentioning that a UH-developed variety, ‘Marian Seefurth’, was one of the first varieties that his father had grown, and he also showed some other UH-developed varieties that Green Point had entered in cut-flower competitions. Eric continues to be a true supporter of CTAHR—like his father before him, previous Ka Lei Hano honoree and Green Point president Harold Tanouye.

All’s Wells That Ends Well!

9/7/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Wells Internation Program studentsThis past summer, faculty, staff, and graduate students of CTAHR had the pleasure of mentoring high school students from the Wells International Research Bridge Program. Now in its fourth year, the program brought 16 of the best and brightest students from Wells International School in Bangkok to work on summer projects in TPSS, PEPS, MBBE, and HNFAS labs. Throughout this 6-week program, students learned from their mentors how to conduct solid scientific research in biological engineering, plant pathology, animal science, and plant science. Both the students and the mentors had a valuable and meaningful experience. Many thank-yous go to Ray de la Pena (whose father was part of CTAHR on Kaua‘i) and PEPS alumnus Clesson Higashi, now at University of Georgia, for their continued support in coordinating this program between Wells and CTAHR. A big mahalo goes as well to all the CTAHR mentors for their continued support of this program!

Great Garbanzos!

9/7/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Amjad Ahmad with chickpeas at Poamoho StationAn article in the Maui News about local chickpea-snack company Chic Naturals highlights Amjad Ahmad’s (TPSS) role in researching garbanzos in the Islands. Amjad partnered with Chic Naturals co-owner Shaun Bayless to win a Specialty Crop Block Grant to study which varieties of chickpeas grow best in different parts of five islands. He also helped to broker a deal with Pacific Biodiesel whereby the legumes will be used as a rotational crop with the sunflowers that Pacific Biodiesel is growing, while Chic Naturals will use the company’s sunflower oil on their snacks—a win-win-win situation!

If Cane, Cane

9/7/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Sugarcane stalks with cane knifeNoa Lincoln and Ted Radovich (both TPSS) are interviewed for the recent UH News story “Sugarcane Is Not Dead, Just Different.” The story describes how Noa is studying the place that cane held in native cropping systems, particularly as an intercrop with ‘ulu, as well as its place in the larger culture and mythology. Ted is quoted as saying that sugarcane “has become a high-value horticultural crop as opposed to a low-value economic or plantation crop”; that is, different, and often native, varieties of cane are being used in products that celebrate and showcase their unique properties. Both are optimistic about the place of sugar in the Islands post-plantation, and they are doing their best to make its future bright.

Quarantine on Guard

9/7/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Kent Dumalo and Christopher KishimotoTwo CTAHR alumni, now both working in the Plant Quarantine division at the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, attended the recent AG2017 agriculture conference to share the dangers of invasive species to Hawai‘i’s ecosystem. Kent Dumalo (left) graduated from TPSS in 2006; he began as an inspector but now is doing community education and outreach for HDOA. While he loves his work, he doesn’t want to entirely give up growing plants, what originally led him to CTAHR; he still has a thriving collection of succulents and air plants. Christopher Kishimoto, also a TPSS alumnus, works as an entomologist for Plant Quarantine. Some of the strangest insects and other organisms that have been found during inspections include endangered giant clams, huge and deadly scorpions—imported as pets!—and Madagascar hissing cockroaches—ditto! We’re lucky these two are on the job to help make sure these strange creatures don’t start spreading throughout the Islands!

August



Get Your Natural Resources Policy On

8/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Chennat GopalakrishnanProfessor Emeritus Chennat Gopalakrishnan is continuing as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research, though the journal, currently published by Taylor & Francis, has been taken over by the Pennsylvania State University Press. Volume 8, Number 1 will be published in April 2018, and the journal is looking for manuscripts dealing with every aspect of natural resources policy. For details, please see the new call for papers. The publisher of his 2016 hardcover book Classic Papers in Natural Resource Economics has also just announced that a paperback edition will be published in November 2017, and the book has been received very well in academic circles.

Bioresources Bonanza

8/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Samir Khanal working in labSamir Khanal (MBBE) has been appointed as associate editor for the scientific journal Bioresource Technology starting in January 2018, due to his international reputation as a researcher in environmental biotechnology, bioenergy, and anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology is one of the best journals in the field, ranked No 1 among agricultural engineering journals on bioenergy and the environment, and with an impact factor of 5.651. The journal appoints only seven associate editors globally, so this honor helps to put UHM in the global road map of research excellence and recognition in the field!

Highlights of Hydroponics

8/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Screen capture showing hydroponic peppersEmeritus professor Bernie Kratky has produced an entertaining and educational YouTube video on growing tomatoes and peppers at the Komohana Research and Extension Center using a suspended pot, non-circulating hydroponic method (commonly referred to as the Kratky Method) which provides automatic bottom irrigation and does not require electrical power and pumps. He explains how to construct the tank, formulate and regulate the nutrient solution, and make sure mosquitoes don’t breed in the system, and the fruits he harvests look luscious!

New Ways to Teach

8/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Kauahi PerezKent Kobayashi and grad student Kauahi Perez (pictured) (both TPSS), members of the American Society for Horticultural Science Teaching Methods Working Group, have published articles on horticulture pedagogy in HortTechnology. Kauahi’s article, “Learning by Doing: Applying the Concept of Pollen Viability in a Horticulture Classroom,” describes a classroom activity that exposed undergrad students in a horticulture course to the concept of pollen viability and its application. As she explains, learning by doing helps students to gain conceptual understanding. Kent’s article, “Using Flipped Classroom and Virtual Field Trips to Engage Students,” describes the use of a “flipped classroom” in an undergraduate tropical production systems course. In it, students read lecture materials outside of class, reviewed materials in class on smart devices, searched for new information on the Internet, and participated in small group discussions. This added to student engagement, as did the virtual field trip assignment, in which each student visited a commercial farm or nursery, interviewed the owner or manager, and gave a presentation to the class about the enterprise’s operation and sustainable pra

Have Nematodes, Will Travel

8/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Nematology students at Society of Nematologists meetingThis summer, Lilly Fatdal, Josiah Maquez, and Philip Waisen, all PEPS Tropical Plant Pathology graduate students studying nematology, attended the Society of Nematologists meeting in Williamsburg, VA, along with their advisors Brent Sipes and Koon-Hui Wang. The students participated in the Nematology Jeopardy Game (Cobb Bowl), received travel awards to present their papers, and enjoyed an information exchange with nematologists gathered in the colonial town. Philip Waisen, on the right, received a Western Region Sustainable & Agriculture Research and Education Graduate Student Grant supporting his PhD research on “Cover Crop 5-in-1 Approach for Nematode Management Using Mustard and Oil Radish.”

Okinawan Sweetpotato in Okinawa

8/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Surely Wallace at IBCELCSurely Wallace (HNFAS), a Nutritional Science graduate student of Yong Li, recently attended the International Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering and Life Science Conference (IBCELC) in Okinawa, Japan. Her oral presentation “Prebiotic potential of Hawaiian purple ‘Okinawan’ sweetpotato and rice starch with Lactobacillus paracasei” discussed the impacts of sweetpotato flesh and skin on the growth of probiotic bacteria in an in vitro setting. Here she is pictured receiving the certificate of presentation. Surely has been invited to return for the 2018 IBCELC conference in Okinawa as a workshop chair, as well. She was also the winner of 2017 CTAHR Best MS Poster Presentation and Best MS 3MEP Presentation.

Get It Watered, Get It Covered

8/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Andrea Kawabata teaches irrigation techniquesAndrea Kawabata, Alyssa Cho, Jen Burt, Marc Meisner, and Nick Yamauchi joined with staff from USDA NRCS Kealakekua and Kamuela as well as SiteOne Landscape Supply to host a Hands-On Irrigation and Groundcover Workshop at the Kona Cooperative Extension Office and Research Station. Orchard crop growers learned about how NRCS programs can provide them with financial and technical support for conservation practices. Additionally, NRCS staff presented about on-farm irrigation establishment and conservation groundcovers. During the hands-on activity at the research station, participants set up several variations of irrigation lines, including drip, pigtail, and spray emitters, and learned about the latest tools and supplies available. Here Andrea teaches a participant how to add a spray emitter. Growers were also provided a variety of groundcover starts to test out on their farms. These and other helpful and important hands-on workshops have been funded by CTAHR supplemental funding, for which PIs Andrea and Alyssa extend their gratitude.

No Taste This Year

8/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Taste of Hawaiian RangeSusan Miyasaka was interviewed by West Hawaii Today about the Taste of the Hawaiian Range, which is taking a hiatus this year because of the loss of some key partners and collaborators. She explains that the college is hoping to continue the wildly popular 21-year event in the future, especially if organizations such as the Hawaii Farm Bureau and the Food Basket are interested in becoming more involved. The Taste of the Hawaiian Range was first organized at the Mealani Research Station as a way to introduce consumers to the possibilities of grass-fed beef, but it has expanded into a celebration of all things eating local.

The Cornucopia of Life

8/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Claire FallonGoFarm alumna Claire Fallon is featured in a Star-Advertiser article that tells how the go-getter moved from sports and dance through acting and directing to yoga and religion and thence to farming. As the article explains, Claire saw the TEDx talk that Steven Chiang, then director of the highly successful beginning farmer-training program, gave in 2015, and was inspired to enter the program herself. The story has a happy conclusion: “Today she leases a quarter-acre plot in Waimanalo to which she devotes upward of 20 hours per week raising pumpkins, corn, okra and other delectables that she sells to local restaurants.” Claire is quoted as saying that she’s always looking for “new things to explore,” and it sounds like farming has provided that for her.

Soil to Riches

8/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Jonathan Deenik leads soil fertility workshopThis summer, Glen Fukumoto and Jonathan Deenick participated in technical-assistance assignments in Myanmar funded by US AID and coordinated by Winrock International. They engaged some 130 farmers and local government and NGO professionals in a series of workshops, with Glen covering small-scale composting technology for treating poultry waste and Jonathan addressing tropical soils and fertility management. Besides attending presentations on technical aspects of compost production and its environmental and socioeconomic benefits, participants in Glen’s workshops constructed compost bins using local materials. The highlight of Jonathan’s workshops was his traveling soils lab, which tested farmers’ soil samples for pH, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Analysis results showed the farms’ soil fertility status and guided the farmers on nutrient-management practices to improve the crop yield. Both of their topics were of critical importance to participants: implementing small-scale composting operations can help solve a multitude of critical environmental, economic, and social challenges facing rural farmers, while proper soil fertility is the fundamental requirement for a good crop yield and increased food security. US AID’s John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program provides assistance to developing countries to promote sustainable capacity build

Better Living Through A.D.

8/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Graphic showing how household digesters provide several productsAnaerobic digestion technology is improving the quality of life of Cambodian farmers, and Samir Khanal (MBBE) is helping to make that happen. A few years ago he conducted a 4-day workshop on anaerobic digestion technology for field staff from Southeast Asian nations, at which he learned about the popularity of household digesters in Cambodia. Subsequently he was invited by the National Biodigester Program (NBP) of Cambodia to discuss and train NBP staff in the use of AD technology and digestate utilization, and this year he returned to visit three farmers who have adopted A.D. technology. Cambodia is one of the least developed countries in Southeast Asia, depending primarily on agriculture. Household digesters are becoming increasingly popular among farmers in its rural regions, with some 30,000 digesters in use in various provinces of Cambodia. Most are fed with cow/buffalo dung; after digesting it creates biogas, which can be used for cooking, and nutrient-rich digestate, which can be used as a biofertilizer, composted, or used for aquaculture applications to grow algae for fish feed. The quality of life of rural farmers has been positively impacted by biodigester technology, which contributes to increased income, reduced deforestation, the curtailing of greenhouse gas emission, improved health and hygiene, and time saved for other productive activities.

The Weed Warrior

8/23/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Daniel OwensDaniel Owens (MBBE) recently received the Arthur C. Neish Young Investigator Award from the Phytochemical Society of North America, which included presenting a paper at a symposium at the PSNA’s annual meeting. The title of his award presentation was “Identification and Mode of Action of Herbicidal Natural Products.” As he explained, weeds are considered to be of the greatest concern to farmers of all agronomic pests worldwide, causing more than $40 billion in annual agricultural losses. This is particularly problematic in Hawai‘i, where they don’t die off during the winter. Developing herbicidal products with novel modes of action as part of an overall integrated pest management strategy to combat weed and invasive plant infestations as well as continued problems with evolving herbicide resistance is a critical challenge, and plant natural products are a valuable source for the discovery of new herbicidal compounds. Daniel’s lab is investigating the herbicidal potential of natural products from allelopathic tropical and subtropical plants, for activity against broadleaf and grassy weeds. Congratulations!

Honoring an Innovator

8/23/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Qing X. LiQing X. Li (MBBE) is in Washington, D.C., to receive the AGRO innovation award at this year’s American Chemical Society AGRO division conference, which runs August 20–24. This division of the American Chemical Society brings together a worldwide community of scientists and stakeholders to advance knowledge and promote innovative solutions for the protection of agricultural productivity, public health, and environment. This prestigious award recognizes his outstanding and innovative work over the years in pesticide chemistry, work which has significantly enhanced agricultural management and productivity. Qing’s research focuses as well on agricultural chemistry and the fate of agrochemicals, functional foods, and food safety. Great work!

Welina CTAHR

8/23/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

ASAO staff in "Grow With Us" framCTAHR advising staff Maile Sing, Irene Morrow, and Kalai Castro are featured, along with student services specialist Lisa Kitagawa-Akagi, on the mahalo card sent out by the Vice Chancellor for Students in acknowledgement of university groups’ participation in Welina Manoa: And the Adventure Begins 2017, an event that welcomed students to the Manoa campus and the Fall semester. CTAHR alumna Tracyn Nagata in another photo on the card, so the college is well represented!

Whooo’s Seen a Pueo?

8/23/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

The Pueo Project, headed by Melissa Price and Javier Cotin (both NREM) and fueled by citizen scientists, is the subject of an enthusiastic article in MidWeek Magazine. The article mentions that already more than thirty sightings of the native owl have been confirmed across O‘ahu, from Nanakuli to Kailua to Kahala. Members of the community are invited to check out the project website to find out more about the pueo and to report any sightings of the little-known bird; there are also opportunities for dedicated bird-watchers to contribute more time in field surveys.

Horsin’ Around With 4-H on the Big Island

8/23/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

4-H participants on horsebackWith the help of a community, this year the Na Lima A Me Na Pu‘uwai O Kohala 4-H Club completed a very big, and very special goal: a horse facility for the keiki of North Kohala! Big Island 4-H families and the community celebrated by having their new riding pen blessed and then holding their year-end horse show in it. Many helping hands came together to make this project, and this event, major successes, from working to build the pen to monetary and material support from almost 70 business and individual sponsors and donors! Families and community enjoyed the new facility, laughing and having fun, while 4-H members competed in Western and English riding classes, trail riding, dummy roping, barrel racing, and team penning. Other festivities of the day included a steak barbecue, pony rides, animal display, and carriage rides! Photos from the happy day can be viewed on the East Hawaii 4-H Facebook page.

Getting Certified

8/17/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

LICT students at Waimanalo StationThe Waimanalo Research Station hosted a practice exam for the 2017 Oahu Landscape Industry Certified Technician (LICT) Program this past Saturday. The LICT certification is a national testing program administered by the National Association of Landscape Professionals, currently offered in 28 states and in Canadian provinces. The Exterior Certification consists of four modules: Turf Maintenance, Ornamental Maintenance, Irrigation, and Softscape Installation. In Hawai‘i, the LICT program is administered by the Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii and the Hawaii Landscape and Irrigation Contractors Association (HLICA). Approximately 50 landscapers took this exam. Representing CTAHR, Zhiqiang Cheng (PEPS) assisted with exam setup and was one of the exam judges.

Circle of Life

8/17/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Varney Circle planting projectIn collaboration with the Buildings and Grounds Management Office, and aided by a grant from the Women’s Campus Club, Orville Baldos’s (TPSS) lab has established a research and demonstration site at Varney Circle for underutilized native plants. To the pohinahina that’s already planted there they have added ‘aweoweo, ‘ilima, and kawelu for a mixture of texture, height, and color contrasts. Orville (far right) is pictured here (left to right) with volunteers Aleta Corpuz, Nolan Johnson, Rachelle Carson, and Alex Lindsey at the planting event on Monday.

Rat Lungworm Online

8/17/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rat lungworm@import url(/Site/css/cute_editor.css); Cooperative Extension, HDOA, and HDOH will be hosting an online presentation on Rat Lungworm Prevention: Management Strategies for Rats, Snails and Slugs on August 25 at 3:00 p.m. Dave Moore of Neudorff North America will present on snails and slugs as agronomic pests and vectors of human and plant pathogens in Hawai‘i, including host sites and vectors/vehicles, snail biology/ecology and reproduction, and slug and snail management strategies. Christopher Jacobsen of HDOH will present on rats and environmental and crop pests and as carriers and transmitters of human and plant pathogens in Hawai‘i, including management strategies: traps, baits, rodenticides, and other technologies. Presentation locations are Hilo DOH Conference Room and UH MC Community Service Building. Those on O‘ahu who are interested in the presentation can register on Eventbrite to participate via Zoom (online video conferencing). Those with an HDOA Pesticide License will earn 2.0 HDOA Agricultural Pesticide Applicator CEUs for attending the entire presentation. The event is free, but you do need to register. For more information, you can contact Lynn Nakamura-Tengan at 808-244-3242, ext. 233 or lynnnaka@hawaii.edu.

A Brand-New Look

8/17/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Screen capture of new CTAHR websiteGreat news: the new CTAHR/undergraduate academic programs website is up and running—check it out! All of the pages relating to the undergraduate academic programs (prospective students and current students) are new and re-done. Many thanks go to those who worked with Interim Associate Dean Wieczorek on this project to get it completed, especially to Kellie Taguchi, Elsie Kawahara, the department chairs, the Academic and Student Affairs office, and all the faculty who put in so much time and effort into this endeavor over the summer!

Greenhouses for Green Production

8/9/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Les FuchigamiCTAHR alumnus Les Fuchigami is mentioned in the Star-Advertiser’s front-page story about Lana‘i’s plans for high-tech agriculture. Les, who grew up on Lana‘i, earned a degree in Horticulture with a minor in Plant Pathology from UH and also served as Department Head of Horticulture and Interim Associate Dean of Extension. He is partnering with Larry Ellison, the owner of most of Lana‘i, who plans to create giant sustainable greenhouses to grow cheap, fresh local produce.

Pick Up the Pine!

8/9/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Brent Sipes in Bangladesh with Winrock InternationalBrent Sipes (PEPS), professor of Tropical Plant Protection, recently offered a 2-week training course on environmentally sound and safe pineapple cultivation for a group of ethnic-minority Garo people in rural Bangladesh. The Garo’s current pineapple production utilizes pineapple grown as an intercrop in combination with banana, ginger, and under-forest trees, and the fruit is generally sold into the fresh market. The assignment was sponsored by Winrock International.

Giving Back to the Soil

8/9/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Participants in Big Island composting workshopCooperative Extension’s Andrea Kawabata, Jari Sugano, Alyssa Cho, and Ted Radovich (all TPSS) organized a Hands-On Composting Workshop and Mini Ag-Pro event at Organic Matters Hawaii (OMH), a commercial composting facility in Kona. Participants, including 24 orchard crop farmers and 13 CTAHR faculty and staff, learned how to properly use mulch and make quality compost from their farm’s green and brown waste. Presentations from CTAHR, OMH, and USDA NRCS included not only an overview on composting basics, feedstock calculations, biochar, and mortality composting (composting animals or animal parts), but also information on the Department of Health’s compost regulations, NRCS’ soil conservation, and cost-share programs. In addition, participants had the opportunity to tour the facility, observe the turning of compost on a commercial scale, and then get their hands dirty by making their own compost piles. This event, which was funded by OMH, SOAP, and CTAHR, provided farmers and Cooperative Extension the opportunity to connect, network, educate, and learn.

Follow That Fish!

8/9/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Reef fishingShanna Grafeld and Kirsten Oleson (both NREM) are co-authors of the study “Follow that fish: Uncovering the hidden blue economy in coral reef fisheries,” just published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE, which examines the monetary, social, and cultural importance of Hawaiian near-shore fisheries. The researchers conducted a multi-year study tracking the commercial and noncommercial value chains for reef fish. They explain that it is necessary to fully appreciate the many and varied benefits that the near-shore fishery provides to society in order to move towards sustainable management. For instance, did you know that small-scale fisheries support the well-being of millions of people around the world? Important benefits include monetary value, the potential to provide millions of meals a year, and cultural benefits such as the perpetuation of culture, community cohesion, and sharing knowledge with the next generation.

Essay Excellence

8/9/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Aimee UyeharaAimee Uyehara, a grad student in TPSS, has been chosen as Regional Prize Winner for the essay she submitted to the Syngenta Agricultural Scholarship program. She was awarded $1,000, and her essay now advances to the national round of judging to compete for the National Prize award of $6,000. Aimee is studying leaf growth of corn with Michael Muszynski, and also won the Gamma Sigma Delta MS Student Oral Presentation award at the 2017 SRS.

Hope for Alzheimer’s Studies

8/9/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Qing Li and Zhibin LiangZhibin Liang (MBBE), a PhD student of Qing Li, has been named a Young Investigator Scholar for 2017 by the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation! This prestigious scholarship recognizes early achievements and encourages the career development of the next generation of Alzheimer’s research scientists. Zhibin will present a poster entitled “Selective GSK3β inhibitors reduce tau and amyloid burdens: Promising drug candidates help fight Alzheimer’s” at the 18th International Conference on Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery in New Jersey. This isn’t Zhibin’s first honor—he recently won the Lynn Brady Student Travel Award for Natural Products Chemistry from the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) and presented a talk at the 58th Annual Meeting of ASP in Oregon in July. He was also the winner of 2017 CTAHR Best PhD Poster Presentation and Best PhD 3MEP Presentation. Qing and Zhibin believe that disseminating their research findings at professional forums is a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas and seek collaborations with worldwide scientists.

Funding Celebration

8/3/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Turmeric rootsCongratulations to all CTAHR faculty who were successful in the recent Maui County FY18 grant competition! A total of 16 proposals were submitted, and support was provided for the top-ranked 8 proposals. These successful projects, and their project managers, are as follows: “Field Demonstration on the Effectiveness of Using Oleander, Nerium oleander, as an Axis Deer Hedgerow-Fence to Protect Interior Farm Cash Crops,” Alton Arakaki; “Management of Frit Fly, a Challenging Turfgrass/Golf Pest, on Maui,” Zhiqiang Cheng and Norman Nagata; “Maui County Coffee Grower Training on Integrated Pest Management of Coffee Berry Borer,” Andrea Kawabata, Kylie Wong, Robin Shimabuku, and Alton Arakaki; “Grower and Community Evaluation of New Taro Varieties on the Islands of Maui and Molokai,” Susan Miyasaka, Robin Shimabuku, Alton Arakaki, and Sharon Motomura-Wages; “FSMA Water Requirement Compliance Research and Outreach,” Lynn Nakamura-Tengan, Jensen Uyeda, and Kylie Wong; “Youth Bee-Keeping Workshop Series,” Cynthia Nazario-Leary and Nancy Ooki; “GET Local Maui Nui,” Nancy Ooki, Lynn Nakamura-Tengan, and Kylie Wong; and “Expanding Turmeric (Curcuma spp.) Production in Maui County,” Kylie Wong, Ted Radovich, and Sharon Motomura-Wages.

AgDiscovery and the Alumni

8/3/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CTAHRAA and AgDiscovery participantsFor the seventh year in a row, the college’s alumni association contributed to the Hawai‘i AgDiscovery program for local teens. CTAHRAA participated in the opening and closing ceremonies, the Ala Moana beach barbecue, and song and hula lessons. TPSS grad student and former CTAHRAA president Kauahi Perez taught a hula to the 10 AgDiscovery participants, which they performed dressed in sarongs at the closing ceremony. The hula was simple and upbeat, and the performance was excellent—they even sang while dancing! The beach barbecue is a popular event, at which the high school students get to meet various CTAHR alumni. Much appreciation goes to board members Steve Sato, Linda Ogata, and Susan Yasuda for their donation of food, desserts, and supplies, and for setting up and cleaning up. A big mahalo to the CTAHR alumni for making Hawai‘i’s AgDiscovery Program one of the best in the nation, year after year!

A Waimanalo Welcome

8/3/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CTAHR faculty and David Lassner at WaimanaloThe Waimanalo Research Station hosted UH President/UH Manoa Chancellor David Lassner on July 28. He was greeted with chants by Malama Honua Charter School students, who use the site, and with a welcome from from Interim Dean Rachel Novotny and Malama Honua Executive Director Herb Lee. The tour included stops at GoFarm plots, demonstration screenhouses, the Station’s extensive taro collection, the corn-breeding project that is the source of so much delightful sweet corn (as well as much useful research), and aquaponics activities. The visit ended with a pau hana dinner under the tent and, certainly, gave Dr. Lassner lots of food for thought!

July



Movin’ on Up…

7/13/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Promotion and tenure graphicCongratulations to those who triumphed in the recent promotion and tenure review! Jinan Banna and Rajesh Jha (both HNFAS) and Ju-Young Kang (FCS) are now associate professors, while Creighton Litton (NREM) and Lori Yancura (FCS) have been named full professors. The university is lucky to have them! Congratulations also to Soojin Jun (HNFAS), who was promoted to professor, and Kirsten Oleson (NREM), who gained tenure and was promoted to associate professor, and many apologies that these names were not in the original story!

Getting Funded…by the NSF

7/12/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

NSF speakers at CTAHROn June 29th, NSF program directors Dr. Charles Cunninghan, Dr. Mamta Rawat, Dr. C. Eduardo Vallejos, and Dr. Tom Okita visited the university and talked about funding opportunities in various NSF programs. The visiting directors strongly encouraged faculty and students to take advantage of NSF funding opportunities and provided tips about how to position projects to be funded. They also met with graduate students and post-docs for lunch where they shared advice and stories from their careers. Pictured here are Kauahi Perez (TPSS), Kevin Schneider (MBBE), Charles Cunningham (NSF), Dan Laspisa (MBBE), Ray Zhang (MBBE), Elizabeth Feldeverd (MBBE), Sumin Guo (PEPS), Aimee Uyehara (TPSS), Alyssa MacDonald (MBBE), Tom Okita (NSF), Mamta Rawat (NSF), and Joey Ooka (MBBE). Mahalo to CTAHR for providing lunch, Mike Muszynski (TPSS) for moderating, and the TPSS faculty ‘ohana for their guidance and donations.

June



Aloha, Henke

6/28/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Louis HenkeDoug Vincent (HNFAS) penned a touching tribute to Henke Hall, once the home of CTAHR’s Animal Sciences, Food Science and Human Nutrition, and Agricultural Biochemistry Departments before their move to the Ag Sci building, and now slated for demolition to make way for the new Life Sciences building. It’s named after Louis Albert Henke, an animal scientist who pioneered the use of agricultural wastes from sugar cane and pineapple as low-cost animal feed. Read more and see pictures of the building in the UH News story here.

Heights of Fashion

6/22/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CTAHR Fashion Show 2016The annual rankings are out from Fashion-Schools.org, and FDM is rising! In fashion design, it’s now in the top 25% (#32, up from #42) of schools nationally), in the top 25% (#16) nationally among public schools and colleges, and #6 among schools on the West Coast. In fashion merchandising, it’s #33 nationally and #25 among public schools and colleges, in the top 30% of schools considered in both categories, and it’s #6 on the West Coast.

PEPS Meets Pasefika

6/22/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Pasefika groupFaculty, staff, and graduate students from Sustainable Pest Management in PEPS, including Koon-Hui Wang (left of center), spent an afternoon on June 13 with a group of 9th- to 12th-grade students from the Pasefika summer program, sharing the fun and rewards of agricultural research. The Pasefika Passion Pipeline (3P), which is operated by the UHM Office of Multicultural Students Services, promotes the importance of a college education for non-Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander students.

Bee Resilient

6/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Scott NikaidoScott Nikaido of the UH Honeybee Project has been in the news lately; he’s interviewed on both KITV and KHON concerning the recent pollinator-awareness event at the Urban Garden Center. He explains that the bee populations in Hawai‘i are actually doing better than they have been for a number of years; in fact, Hawai‘i is one of the largest producers of honey per hive in the country! And this is in large part due to the research and outreach of the Honeybee Project, which has given beekeepers the knowledge and tools they need to control the pests that were lowering their numbers.

How the Kids Are Doing

6/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Image from cover of 2017 Kids Count Data BookThe Annie E. Casey Foundation, for which the Center on the Family is the state’s designated project grantee, recently released the annual KIDS COUNT Data Book for Hawai‘i, which uses 16 indicators to rank the state across four domains that represent what children need most to thrive. The data show that economic conditions may finally be improving for Hawai‘i’s children, and families continue to offer them a strong foundation. The Data Book, which examines trends in child well-being, found that Hawai‘i now ranks 23rd in child economic well-being and 17th for child well-being overall. However, despite some improvements on individual indicators, Hawai‘i is lagging in the area of education, 36th overall. There have been some improvements in reading and math proficiency, but Hawai‘i’s children are still below national proficiency rates, and more than half of 3- and 4-year-olds are not enrolled in preschool programs. The Star-Advertiser also published an article on the Data Book’s findings.

Corn Knowledge

6/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Corn chormosomes with centromere region highlightedProfessor Gernot Presting and two postdoctoral scholars in his lab, Kevin Schneider and Thomas Wolfgruber, are contributors to an historic release of a new, high-quality corn reference genome sequence that shows reasons why corn can be adapted to such a wide variety of growing conditions. Their findings were published in the journal Nature. Genome analysis has become an indispensable tool for plant improvement by breeding. The newly released sequence fills in ~100,000 gaps left in the initial genome sequence released in 2009. This additional information leads to a much fuller understanding of the genetic structure of this culturally and economically important crop. Most significantly, the findings show that the corn genome is very “flexible,” or adaptable. This flexibility will have potential benefits in the advent of climate change. This genome assembly includes high-quality sequence of many corn centromeres, which have been very difficult to sequence because they are composed of highly repetitive DNA.

The Bee’s Knees

6/7/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Bee Hui working on hivesScott Nikaido (PEPS) is featured in a UH News story about the importance of pollinators to Hawai‘i crops and the things people in the community can do to support pollinator health. It’s best to use fewer insecticides, Scott explains, and to plant more pollinator-friendly plants. It’s also helpful for beekeepers when people buy their locally produced honey. In fact, honey production in Hawai’i is the highest in the nation, according to the USDA, so let’s keep it that way! The story also highlights the Bee Hui, a volunteer group trained by the UH Honeybee Project and based at the Urban Garden Center—check out some pictures of their work here! For more pollinator-themed activities, remember to check out the Second Saturday event hosted by the Bee Hui at the UGC this Saturday, June 10, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

May



Full of Options for a Fulbright

5/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Fulbright map graphicApplications are being accepted for about 800 lecturer/research awards in over 125 countries through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Opportunities are available for college and university faculty and administrators, artists, journalists, scientists, independent scholars, and many others. Fulbright awards are normally granted for periods ranging from three to twelve months, but Flex Awards allow grantees to complete a grant in two or three shorter segments. Fulbright also offers opportunities for multi-country grants through enhanced global and regional awards, including the Fulbright Global Scholar Award. The Fulbright Core Scholars Award is a prestigious recognition of faculty accomplishment and potential for international impact. The application deadline for most awards is August 1. The financial support provided varies, so awardees should work closely with their department chair and dean to develop a plan that fits their particular situations. Call (202) 686-7877 or email apprequest@cies.iie.org for more information.

Pacific Islands Environmentalists

5/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Tuvalu islandsThe U.S. Department of State Bureau of East Asia Pacific Affairs is accepting applications from organizations for a series of small environmental awards to support local and regional small-scale environmental projects in eligible Pacific Island countries, at up to $24,999 per award, via the Regional Environmental Office in Suva. Projects should address one or more of the following environmental areas of focus: food security; sustainable economic development; adaptation to changing environmental conditions; waste management, including marine litter; air quality; maintaining biodiversity and healthy ecosystems; creation and/or management of marine protected areas; environment- or health-related education; capacity building for scientific research on environmental issues; and use of new technology for application to environmental issues. Projects may propose activities targeted in the following countries: Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, or Vanuatu. Proposals for $25,000 or over will not be considered. Please contact Aloysius Peckham at 679-331-4466 or PeckhamAT@state.gov with any questions.

Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship

5/31/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Farmer in GuatemalaThe USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) has announced the availability of funding through cost-reimbursable agreements for the Scientific Cooperation Research Program (SCRP). The objective of SCRP is to reduce global poverty and hunger by supporting applied scientific research, Extension, or education projects that address challenges faced by small farmers in emerging economies. For the purposes of this announcement, small farmers are those who own or lease less than 124 acres of land. This land must be used to support subsistence or cash-crop farming. The selected countries are Bangladesh, Ghana, Guatemala, Kenya, and countries that are part of the East African Community Region and the Central America Region. The deadline is June 4, so hurry!

Getting Them Prepared

5/17/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

4-H MyPI trainingThree 4-H agents were among the eight adult instructors who completed a comprehensive certification and training workshop for the Hawaii Youth Preparedness Initiative, or MyPI Hawaii program last month on Maui. Hawai‘i is the second state to undergo training under the national project pilot, developed at Mississippi State University. 4-H agent Nancy Ooki will be the MyPI Hawaii State Program Coordinator. Over the next two years, MyPI Hawaii will be offering an innovative youth-preparedness program to approximately 125 teens across the state in which trained adults instruct teenagers to complete the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency-certified Teen CERT training, including CPR and AED usage. They will also learn to use ham radio, NOAA weather radio, and smart phone apps and social media for emergency preparedness. The teens then undertake a family and community service project in which each they help to develop emergency supply kits and emergency communication plans for their family, as well as for additional families or households. Nancy says, “The applied knowledge, community service, and leadership components make it an excellent connection to the 4-H program. I am excited to share this with Maui County youth and across the state of Hawaii.” 4-H agents Becky Settlage and Laura Kawamura will also offer the training on the Big Island and Kaua‘i.

CBB on the Web

5/11/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Andrea Kawabata giving coffee reportCongratulations to Extension agent Andrea Kawabata, who has been selected by the Hawai‘i Association of County Agricultural Agents (HACAA) as their candidate for the national organization (NACAA)’s Communications Award in the Website category. Andrea serves as a key member of the multiagency team working to halt the spread of CBB across the Hawaiian islands and help farmers deal with this damaging coffee pest. As part of that outreach, she has created a website which serves as a valuable educational resource to growers, researchers, Extension faculty, students, and the general public.

Highlights of Glory

5/11/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

3MEP logoIf you’ve got a fever and the only cure is more 3MEP, you’re in luck, because the highlights video for this inaugural competition—first aired at the recent CTAHR Awards Banquet—has now been posted. Let it inspire you to get involved with the competition next year, whether as a participant, judge, or enthusiastic audience member. Check it out!

Herbavore

5/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Robert SaitoBS and MS alumnus Robert Saito (TPSS) is founder and CEO of Herbavore, a company that designs and sells horticultural hand tools that can be tailored to the user and are of higher quality than what’s presently on the market. He and his company recently got a boost through the XLR8UH competition, when Herbavore was one of the eight teams selected for the accelerator startup investment program. Congrats, Robert!

CTAHR at the Science Fair

5/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Sunny Sakai and Kauahi PerezMore than a dozen CTAHR faculty, staff, and grad students volunteered as judges in the 60th Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair recently held at the Convention Center. The volunteers were wowed by the accomplishments of Hawai‘i’s best and brightest middle- and high-school students. Special thanks are due to those who mentored the next generation of local scientists and engineers! With funding from USDA-NIFA, and on behalf of all campuses in the UH system, CTAHR presented a $500 award to Sunny Sakai, a twelfth-grader at Hilo High School (pictured here with CTAHR Alumni Association president and TPSS grad student Kauahi Perez), for her excellent research project, “The Effect of Mycorrhizae on Hydroponic Lactuca sativa ‘Manoa’.” Sunny’s research showed increased yield in lettuce grown hydroponically when it is treated with mycorrhizae, fungi that are usually associated with root–soil interactions. They weren’t thought to be important in soilless agriculture, but her research clearly showed that even here mycorrhizae play a critical role in the nutrient absorption by roots. Sunny did her research under the mentorship of Hilo High School teacher Nyra Dee and UH Hilo’s Dr. William Sakai, long-time CTAHR colleague and former TPSS graduate faculty—and, coincidentally, Sunny’s grandfather!

Probiotics Pros

5/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rob BarrecaCTAHR loves fermentation! An article in the Star-Advertiser is focused on the local pickle and kimchee company Counter Culture and its co-founder Rob Barreca (pictured), triumphantly successful graduate of the college’s GoFarm and Ag Incubator programs. The article also quotes HNFAS MS student Surely Wallace about the care and feeding of probiotic cultures and the important role they play in gut health. Surely is the winner of this year’s CTAHR Student Research Symposium Best MS Student Poster Presentation and CTAHR’s inaugural Three-Minute Elevator Pitch MS Student Presentation.

Are You Secure?

5/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Food insecurity survey pictureThe Animal Science/Nutritional Sciences graduate course in Food Systems (ANSC/FSHN 601) chose food insecurity on campus as their class project. Understanding that fixing food insecurity is not easy and would require University support, they decided to reach out to other students to help get adequate information so the administration could develop the right plan. They collected more that 800 student signatures on a petition that suggested creating a survey and also made a video for President Lassner regarding the #FeedtheDegree campaign. This project was a follow-up to a 2006 food-insecurity study conducted by Pia Chaparro for her MS project, for which Joannie Dobbs (HNFAS) was on the committee. Based on USDA’s criteria, at that time 24% of students were found to be marginally food secure and 21% to be food insecure (15% had low food security and 6% very low food security). However, there were only 408 responses to this study, too few to develop a plan. Other universities and colleges nationwide are now determining the food-security needs of their campuses, and four senators, including Elizabeth Warren, have requested a study of food insecurity at American colleges and universities.

Prevent the Parasite

5/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Jari Sugano discusses rat lungwormIn the wake of new cases of rat lungworm that have been discovered in the Islands, Extension agent Jari Sugano was featured on Hawaii News Now offering some tips on reducing the risk of the disease. Control the rats that carry the parasite with traps and baits; control slugs and snails using beer, salt, or commercial molluscicides; don’t eat produce that looks like it’s been eaten by snails; and carefully rinse the produce you do eat. The Waimanalo Research Station also offered a field day for backyard gardeners this past Saturday on things they can do to stop the spread of the disease, and the Manoa Minute radio spots will provide common-sense tips for the garden and the kitchen.

April Showers

5/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

GoFarm students with wonbokThe beginning farmer-training program GoFarm Hawai‘i has been showered with financial support this month, receiving grants from the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, Hawai‘i Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, and Kamehameha Schools. The funding totals $377,680 in all—wow! And you know this highly successful and effective program will make good use of the grants to keep creating new farmers for Hawai‘i!

Giving Good Advice

5/3/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CTAHR advisers at college fairCTAHR’s academic advisors engaged prospective students across the state during college fairs organized by Hawaii Association for College Admission Counseling. They made new connections with students at Kealakehe High School, Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Kamehameha Schools Hawaii Campus, and Maui High School. High school outreach concluded at the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s National College Fair at the Hawaii Convention Center. Advisor Irene Morrow, peer advisor Hailey Pederson, and student ambassador Kimber Troumbley greeted 5,000 prospective students at the CTAHR information booth. They were also busy with transfer student recruitment efforts at UH Maui College, Leeward Community College, and Windward Community College. CTAHR ASAO looks forward to seeing a new crop of bright and talented students in the years to come!

Engineering a Great Program

5/3/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Biological Engineering team-building exerciseTwenty biological engineering (BE) students and six faculty and staff from the BE program, along with CTAHR’s ASAO, braved foreboding weather at the BE Undergraduate Team-Building Event on Saturday, April 29. The group toured Kualoa Ranch in a rustic WWII-model bus, learning the rich history and heritage of the Ranch. The group also took part in challenging activities that honed teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills, followed by lunch and a facilitated evaluation of the BE academic program. The students offered very insightful feedback on what they liked about the program as well as possible ways to improve it. The Kualoa activity was successful and fun in every respect, demonstrating that BE students are, indeed, among the best problem solvers at the university and shattering the stereotype of engineers as reclusive and sedentary! Mahalos go to the ASAO and USDA-NIFA for supporting the team-building event and to Ryan Kurasaki for planning it, and to the BE students for their great energy and engagement! Check out the pix’n’videos here.

April



Telling the Sophomores How It Is

4/26/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Brent Sipes and Jenee OdaniExtension veterinarian Jenee Odani (HNFAS) and Brent Sipes, professor in PEPS, shared their undergraduate and faculty experiences with students during “Fraps with Faculty,” an event sponsored by the Manoa Sophomore Experience (MSE). MSE helps transitioning freshmen and sophomores navigate academic requirements and campus life so they become engaged with our campus community and invested in their college experience.

“Paint Your Pet”

4/26/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Paint Your Pet portraitsLast Friday, 30 current and potential ANSC undergraduates and faculty participated in a focus group session to discuss possible means of effective recruitment and retention in the Animal Sciences program. The planning committee included Extension veterinarian Jenee Odani, Pre-Vet Club adviser Douglas Vincent, and ANSC undergraduates Megan Williams and Tally Nakamura. An art instructor from Honolulu’s Wine & Design led a painting class with the participants, which resulted in these amazing portraits of a wide variety of animals! This event was sponsored by the Office of Academic and Student Affairs.

Can-Do at Purdue!

4/26/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Jordan OshiroDietetics alumnus Jordan Oshiro, who’s now earning a PhD in food science at Purdue University, has been honored with a graduate student award at the Experimental Biology meetings. He received a Neolife/GNLD Phenolic Student Research Award from the Plant Phenolics and Human Health Research Interest Group, for his work on the “Impact of Piceatannol and Resveratrol on the Proteomic Profile of Caenorhabditis elegans.” Congratulations, Jordan!

Jeepers Peepers!

4/19/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

World Peeps dioramaPEPS’ annual Peeps Diorama Competition drew eight creative entries, using marshmallow characters to illustrate events and pop-cultural concepts from “Pokemon Peeps” and “Wild Peepachu” to the viral visions of a HNFAS cat lady. Winner of the juried competition was an OCS/ASAO team effort, “Hokuleia Visits Easter Island.” Second place was awarded to a Korean Peninsula nuclear meltdown titled “I Have One, You Have One, Let’s Play Together,” while Honorable Mention went to the evolutionary “Peep Queen Hypothesis.” The online audience-choice voting weighed in with hopeful views of the future: the run-away lead (we won’t ask about voter fraud) went to the PEPS department office’s entry, “World Peeps,” with “Peeps March on Washington” coming in second. View the entries here, and start planning your 2018 entry!

Science for All

4/6/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

March for Science Hawaii logoUH Manoa’s faculty, students, and staff will be participating in the International March for Science on Earth Day, April 22. This event is a celebration of the tremendous impact that science has had and continues to have in terms of enriching and preserving life, sustaining our communities, and protecting our environment. As one of the nation’s premier public research universities, and as a land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant, and sun-grant university, the University of Hawai’i at Manoa is uniquely positioned to lead, and anyone who wishes to participate in the events of the day is invited to do so.

March



Diving for Success

3/29/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Ken Grace at Deep Dive eventAssociate Dean Ken Grace had a “Deep Dive Conversation” onstage with Meli James, XLR8UH program director, at the InnovateUH Showcase at the UH Cancer Center last week, at which he talked about big needs and hot trends in agriculture, food systems, and natural resource management, and the amazing work of CTAHR's faculty. At the Showcase, UH inventors and entrepreneurs had an opportunity to pitch their latest discoveries to an appreciative crowd of investors and fellow scientists at the event. The XLR8UH program is open to UH faculty, staff, students, and alumni with an interest in commercializing their innovative ideas—get more information and apply here!

Fight the Itch

3/29/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Taro leafAlan Titchenal and Joannie Dobbs (both HNFAS) gave a shout-out to colleague Bob Paull (TPSS) in their Health Options column in the Sunday Star-Advertiser. The article, “Varied Diet Offsets Harm From Natural Toxins,” corrects a longstanding misapprehension about why taro can’t be eaten raw, explaining, “Anyone who has tried it will describe the dreaded ‘taro itch’ that feels like something is really wrong in the back of your mouth and throat. For a long time people thought this was caused by microscopic spiky-looking calcium oxalate crystals in the plant. However, cooking does not change these much, and based on research by Dr. Robert Paull and colleagues at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the ‘itch’ is caused by an offending protein that, unlike the oxalate crystals, is altered in cooking.” Good to know!

Vaya a Mexico

3/29/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

University of GuadalajaraThe General Coordination for Cooperation and Internationalization (GCCI) at the University of Guadalajara (UDG) is offering a Summer Spanish-Language Program for both undergraduate and graduate students at schools that are members of the Association of Public Land-grant Universities (APLU), as UH is. The program, which runs June 23–July 28, consists of 5 weeks of Spanish instruction, 20 hours of Mexican History and Culture, 20 hours of a mix of reading and oral expression workshops, and ample 1-on-1 conversation activities with local students. It will take place on two university campuses, the University Campus of Economic and Managerial Science and the University Campus of the Coast at UDG. The program fee is $2,500 USD, covering tuition, room, board, and transportation to and from the airport in Guadalajara, but UDG is offering 50% scholarships to the first 100 students. With this scholarship, the cost would be $1,250. The contact person for the program at the UDG is Alonso Ramírez Ruíz (alonsor@cgci.udg.mx or [52] (33) 3630 9890 ext. 12905).

It’s a Maize, Maize World

3/23/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Transgenic and non-transgenic maize image from paperMichael Muszynski (TPSS) is a co-author of a paper on maize genetics recently published in Nature Communications. Mike’s lab, including his graduate student Aimee Uyehara, studies the basic molecular mechanisms regulating growth in plants, and they use maize (corn) as the model system as it has many genetic and genomics tools. They collaborate with a maize group led by Dirk Inze and Hilde Nelissen at the VIB in Ghent Belgium, who led the study. Their work has characterized a maize gene that significantly increases plant growth and seed yield in maize. Mike’s lab led the growth and yield studies in the U.S., and they continue to work with this group to understand growth-control mechanisms, identify genes affecting growth and yield, and test these genes to see if they improve agronomic performance. This type of research is important, since crop growth and yield decline under extremes in weather, which are becoming more common due to climate change.

On-Campus Circles of Life

3/23/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

TPSS 491 classThe TPSS 491 Special Topics in Sustainability students have been awarded $5000 for a project to compost food and green waste on campus to grow veggies for dining halls under President Lassner’s Green Initiative. Brian Turano will be their faculty advisor. Pictured left to right are Mahealani Wilson, Shaina Epstein, Laura Biles, and Madeleine Gumbrecht; not pictured, but part of the team, is Tyler Jewel. The Student Organic Farm Training (SOFT) program has also been awarded a Green Project Implementation Award of $10,000 from the Johnson Controls for their “Sustainable Food Production” project, a sustainable food system on the UHM campus that repurposes food waste for food production. Congratulations—and mahalo—to both groups!

Getting Ready for the Season

3/23/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

CBB workshop participants calculate spray scheduleFrom January to March, Andrea Kawabata hosted 11 (!!!) CBB Integrated Pest Management workshops on Maui and the Big Island to prepare coffee growers for controlling CBB for the new season. Presentations were given by representatives from CTAHR, HDOA, SHAC, and USDA PBARC. The workshops included updates on CBB research and the CBB IPM recommendations as well as information on current Beauveria subsidy programs that are available to growers. Farmers were also able to practice a little math and make their spray decision skills during the workshop’s sampling exercise (pictured). Each farm was provided a take-home CBB recordkeeping binder to use as a resource towards better understanding CBB activity on their farm throughout this season and into the next.

Engaging Dads

3/23/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Father with baby textingSelva Lewin-Bizan (FCS), in collaboration with Maui Family Support Services, is inaugurating a new project to deliver parenting ideas and support for low-income fathers via text-messaging. Single, never-married, noncustodial fathers face all sorts of barriers to positive emotional bonding and long-term involvement in their children’s lives, and while there are programs that promote the participation of fathers in the lives of their children, these fathers are unlikely to participate in traditional interventions due to competing demands on their time and resources. Selva has developed a 12-week text-messaging intervention curriculum offering information about child development, tips about ways fathers can become engaged with their children, and encouragement of men in their roles as fathers, as well as pre- and post-program assessments, focus groups, and brief questionnaires. The study is funded by the Fatherhood Research and Practice Network.

Nutrition for the Body and the ‘Aina

3/23/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Participant with tray of vegetable seedlingsCTAHR Master Gardeners and Extension agents are highlighted in a recent article in the Garden Island. March is National Nutrition Month, and CTAHR is helping to make sure it’s a month of fun and education. The MGs set up a booth at the Kauai Community Market this past weekend, offering help to home gardeners with plant-related questions; they will also be hosting a presentation given by Extension agent Laura Kawamura and HDOA’s Rachelle Bachran entitled “What in the World Is That Produce?” on Saturday, March 23, at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. at the Kauai Community Market at Kauai CC. They’ll also be participating in the Garden Fair at KCC on April 8. And junior Extension agent Joshua Silva and Kaua‘i MG Samantha Henriques will give another presentation, “Garden with Soil, Plant-derived Pots,” on April 22, which will show how to make garden pots using soil, compost, and peat moss. This is nutrition the fun way!

Have Maize, Will Travel

3/22/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Aimee UyeharaGrad student Aimee Uyehara (MS, TPSS), mentored by Michael Muszynski, was awarded a MaGNET (Maize Genetics Network Enhancement via Travel) Award to attend the 59th Maize Genetics Conference held in St. Louis, Missouri, from March 9 to 12. This support allowed Aimee to travel to her first professional research conference, where she presented both a poster on her MS thesis research and a short talk summarizing the entire lab’s research progress at a “pre-meeting” for researchers focused on maize developmental genetics. Both her short-talk and poster were well received by the conference researchers, and she made many new professional connections with maize research faculty at top-ranked universities. Not to mention, Aimee experienced a real Midwest snowfall for the first time!

Teaching Sustainability

3/22/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Brian Turano receiving awardBrian Turano (TPSS) has been given a President’s Leadership in Sustainability Award, which is given to staff and faculty who demonstrate leadership in sustainability-related activities. He is honored for pioneering the development of a sustainability curriculum, one which will extend the ideal of sustainability and the practical tools to bring it to life, to the next generation.

Help Where It’s Needed

3/22/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Student being counseledFeeling overwhelmed, or just want someone to talk to? The Counseling and Student Development Center (CSDC) at QLC 312 offers mental health and wellness services for all UHM students. They offer personal counseling, couples and group counseling, assessment-based career counseling, peer fellow support services, psychiatric consultation, and emergency/crisis response, helping students meet their emotional, academic, career, and personal goals. They also have therapy groups: Healthy Relationships Group, Multicultural Women’s, Grad/Older than Traditional Age Students Co-ed, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and Pride Process (LGBTQI+). They also offer drop-in workshops on Guided Mindfulness, Meditation, and Anxiety/Stress Management. Students are encouraged to call 956-7927 to schedule an appointment or for more information on programs and services, but the CSDC also welcomes walk-ins. You don’t have to do it alone!

Hospitality on the Garden Isle

3/22/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Farm Bureau meeting at KARCRussell Messing, Joshua Silva, and the Kaua‘i Agricultural Research Center hosted the spring general membership meeting of the Kauai County Farm Bureau last weekend. About 50 local farmers gathered to talk story, compare notes, and discuss upcoming events and agriculture-related bills pending at the State Legislature (including funding for CTAHR Extension agents!). Attendees enjoyed grilled beef donated by Makaweli Ranch, java from Moloa'a Bay Coffee, and a variety of Kaua‘i-grown vegetables from local farms. Many people commented on the fine upkeep of the research station. CTAHR continues to play a central role in the tight agricultural community on Kaua‘i!

Professional Grade

3/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

NREM faculty measure a treeNREM’s got options for everyone, and now it’s got the degree titles to prove it! The department is altering the name of one of its master’s degrees to reflect its professional focus: the Plan B Master of Science in Natural Resources and Environmental Management—the professional, non-thesis option—will now be a Master of Environmental Management (MEM). In keeping with its professional focus, this degree requires a practicum or internship providing real-world experience. Plan A, the academic option, which requires students to do research and present their findings in a thesis, will remain an MS in Natural Resources and Environmental Management, as will Plan C, which incorporates exceptional incoming students’ previous professional experience. Proponents of the alteration believe that this name change will not only make graduates more competitive in the job market, by providing them with a degree title that clearly describes their preparation as professional in environmental management; it will also attract more students who are looking for precisely that focus.

Connecting the Dots in DC

3/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Rachel Novotny, Mazie Hirono, John MorganDean Novotny and Hawai‘i CARET delegate John Morgan, the president of Kualoa Ranch, visited with Senator Mazie Hirono while attending the 35th Anniversary CARET/AHS meeting. This year's theme was Connecting the Dots by Helping Others Tell Our Food and Ag Story. The meeting was held in early March and brought together CARET/AHS members to Washington, DC, to carry the 2018 budget recommendations of the Board on Agriculture Assembly along with CTAHR's initiatives to the First Session of the 115th Congress. In addition to Senator Hirono's office, they visited Senator Schatz's office and the offices of Representatives Tulsi Gabbard and Colleen Hanabusa.

Fertile Ground

3/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Tia Silvasy with cornThe Radovich lab, including grad student Tia Silvasy and her corn (pictured), was featured in Western SARE's 2016 annual report. The article notes that the Western SARE conference held in Hawai‘i highlighted the importance of using local inputs to create fertilizers rather than relying on imports, leading Ted Radovich to research them in greater depth. He explains in the story that commercial green-waste composts, rendered animal products, and invasive algae from coral reefs are possibilities. He created a project to test a variety of locally sourced inputs and discovered that they can increase crop yield and quality and also that some former problems that were keeping local fertilizers from being widely used are being solved.

How Not to Get Invaded

3/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Ken Grace at HISC awards ceremonyAssociate Dean Ken Grace represented the college at the governor’s proclamation of Invasive Species Week and the Hawaii Invasive Species Council’s awards ceremony, pictured here with a (not-so-) Little Fire Ant and a Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle. As one way of raising awareness of the potentially devastating impact of invasive species, the Council has sponsored a series of videos, Line in the Sand, about particularly damaging pests, to which CTAHR faculty and alumni have also contributed. Mike Melzer (PEPS) lends his expertise to the video on Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle, as does HDOA biocontrol expert—and former PEPS Entomology APT and grad student—Darcy Oishi. Extension forester JB Friday (NREM) discusses Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death, and CTAHR alumnus Neil Reimer, now retired from HDOA, gives information on the Little Fire Ant. Check them out!

Wearable History

3/9/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Dress worn at Doris Duke partyThe Costume Collection has received a donation of some historical as well as elegant garments: Linda Sanford provided several of her mother’s dresses, including a holoku and a qi pao that she had worn to a party hosted by Doris Duke—plus photos from the event taken by a Time-Life photographer. Sanford characterizes the clothing as examples of extraordinary work by Japanese dressmakers in Honolulu from the 1930s through the 1950s. Also donated were garments worn when she worked in Gov. Ariyoshi’s office between 1974 and 1986. Contact Shu Hwa Lin (FCS) at shulin@hawaii.edu to schedule a visit to the Collection to check them out—along with so many more of Hawai‘i’s sartorial glories!

February



ARCS Loves CTAHR

2/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Carolyn Uehara and Will HainesCTAHR alumnus Will Haines was the featured speaker at the ARCS Foundation Honolulu Chapter’s annual Heart of Gold Luncheon. Since launching the Pulelehua Project, Will has established the Department of Land and Natural Resources insect-breeding program at Kawainui Marsh to boost populations of rare and endangered endemic arthropods, including the Kamehameha butterfly. In keeping with the Valentine’s Day theme, his description of the state insects’ life cycle included mating behavior (they get frisky in the evening). He also described efforts to ensure survival of the Orangeblack Hawaiian damselfly, which was designated as an endangered species last year. Will received the Maybelle C. Roth ARCS Scholar Award in Conservation Biology in 2006 while pursuing his PhD in PEPS. In the audience for his talk was Caroline Uehara, pictured here with Will, whose husband, CTAHR soil scientist Goro Uehara, was named an ARCS Scientist of the Year in 1983.

Nature Index Loves UH

2/15/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Dan Rubinoff with pulelehuaUH has been ranked 12th in earth and environmental sciences internationally among universities according to Nature Index, which rates institutions based on the number of research papers published in Nature and other prestigious journals. Publications by NREM and MBBE researchers in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) contributed to that ranking! The UH video celebrating this achievement also mentions CTAHR as one of the units contributing to this achievement and shows footage of Dan Rubinoff (PEPS) working with Kamehameha butterflies and J.B. Friday (NREM) surveying forests affected by Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death. Check it out!

Hearts of Gold, or Yellow, or Orange and Black…

2/8/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Will Haines with pulelehuaWill Haines (PEPS) will be the featured speaker at ARCS Foundation Honolulu Chapter's annual Valentine’s Day Hearts of Gold luncheon on Feb. 14. ARCS supports UHM graduate students in STEM fields, and Will was a 2006 ARCS Scholar himself! He manages the captive breeding program for rare and endangered Hawaiian insects for the Department of Land and Natural Resources and continues to work with CTAHR’s Pulelehua Project. He will talk about conservation work to protect the Kamehameha butterfly, the orange-black Hawaiian damselfly, and yellow-faced bees. Check out the ARCS website for more information.

Everyone Loves a Carnival

2/8/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Students at Spring EventCTAHR held its fifth annual carnival-themed Spring Event last Friday, when over 200 students, faculty, and staff came out for free food, fun, and games. This year’s booths featured a Bug Hunt, Fishbowl Toss, Ring Toss, and Rainbow Roulette Trivia, and the dunk booth tradition triumphantly carried on, thanks to intrepid dunkees Lisa Kitagawa-Akagi (ASAO), Jenee Odani (HNFAS), Dan Jenkins (MBBE), Mark Wright (PEPS), and Interim Associate Dean Ania Wieczorek. Donations totaling more than $150 supported CTAHR’s Biological Engineering Student Association! Mahalo to Ryan Kurasaki for assisting with food arrangements, and special thanks to Janice Uchida (TPSS) for donating potted plants for prizes. Mahalo goes to the Spring Event student committee, scholarship recipient and student ambassador volunteers, and ASAO for their time and dedication in making this a smooth and successful event. Lastly, thanks go to everyone who attended and donated to this year’s cause and made this year’s carnival another memorable CTAHR event!

Get the Arsenic Out

2/6/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

NanoNose filter pitcherCTAHR alumnus Liangjie Dong (MS MBBE ‘06), previous winner of PACE’s Business Plan Competition, is in the news for his new invention, the NanoNose Pitcher Filter System. Dong is now CEO of Mesofilter Inc., which has just unveiled the first ceramic filter that reduces arsenic in water to at or below levels recommended by the EPA and the World Health Organization (WHO). Dong first began working on the technology that led to this breakthrough filtration system while at CTAHR. According to the WHO, more than 200 million people globally are at risk of being chronically exposed to arsenic in drinking water, which can lead to chronic arsenic poisoning and some cancers. Way to go!

Sustaining Info

2/6/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Flat head cabbage trialsThe latest issue of Hanai‘Ai, the newsletter of the SOAP program, is out, offering lots of great news you can use about Extension variety trials of flat-head cabbage (pictured), control of cabbage webworm on daikon, DIY screenhouses for insect management, and cover crops and solarization for nematode control. As always, the newsletter also includes a profile on a local grower to provide tips and inspiration, and notice of events of interest to the organic and sustainable growing community. Check it out today!

Real Meal on the Table

2/6/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Healthy mealJinan Banna, along with co-authors Lora Beth Brown and Rickelle Richards from BYU, recently published a paper in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior discussing the concept of a “real meal” and how it can be deployed to help college students to eat more healthily. The paper, “College Students' Perceived Differences Between the Terms Real Meal, Meal, and Snack,” explained the results of a survey that was given to college students: the students considered a “real meal” something that was nutritious and healthy and that met dietary recommendations, while a “meal” was considered anything to eat. Telling students that they should be eating more “real meals,” therefore, may be an easily understandable way of conveying nutrition information and recommendations to them. Ingenious!

January



This Summer, Just CHL

1/25/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Child in CHL programA preview of courses offered through the Children’s Healthy Living (CHL) Summer Institute is now available! Do you want to learn more about nutrition and child health, or perhaps how to measure and evaluate child growth? Have you ever wondered why nutrition needs vary across the lifespan, or how to prevent child obesity? Are you interested in becoming a more culturally grounded health professional or looking to develop your professional and technology tool kit? If so, check out the courses offered in Summer Session 1 and 2! All are available online, providing you the greatest flexibility in completing your coursework, and a majority of the courses also meet UHM general education requirements. They’re open to anyone from within or outside of the UH system. There are $1200 Merit Scholarships available for freshman and sophomores, and over $500,000 in summer 2017 financial aid available for those who qualify. Find complete details and applications for scholarships and financial aid here.

A Great Opportunity in Child Health

1/4/2017  Source: Office of Communication Services, CTAHR

Little girl in CHAP programThe Child Health Assessment in the Pacific (CHAP) Undergraduate Summer Fellowship Program is looking for undergraduate applicants from UHM to participate in a summer training opportunity. Students enrolled in programs such as nutrition, nursing, early childhood education, public health and other degrees are encouraged to apply by February 15. The program will run from mid-May through mid-August. Fellows will receive a $2,100 stipend, plus all travel, meal, and housing expenses for a 7-day training opportunity, plus a scholarship to cover tuition and fees for 4 credits of coursework through the UH Outreach College, and the resources and support to complete a mentored field experience related to diet or anthropometry field assessment techniques for children. Check out this video and then see what previous fellows have done on the CHAP YouTube Channel. For more information, see CHAP’s Facebook page or email chapac@hawaii.edu.