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CTAHR Notes

Issue 332   |   September 27, 2017   |   Archive

News & Events

Breeding a Better Taro

Taro pikoUH Hilo’s Michael Shintaku will be giving a seminar titled “Developing Genetic Tools for the Protection and Improvement of Taro” on Friday, September 29, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in St John 106 as well as via Zoom. Since Dr. Shintaku is applying as affiliate faculty in TPSS, all TPSS faculty are encouraged to attend. You can join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, or Android, by iPhone one-tap at +16699006833,,481818673# or +16465588656,,481818673#, or by telephone: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 646 558 8656. The meeting ID is 481 818 673. International numbers are available here.

Moving Towards Better Times

Aloha United Way Join the Movement graphicWhat things move you? If one of them is helping the most vulnerable members of our society, you’re in luck! The 2017 Aloha United Way #Join the Movement Campaign is underway, and it lasts through October 13. It focuses on three impact areas—education, poverty prevention, and safety net—working to prevent problems before they begin and help those who most need assistance now. Just by giving a small amount that you probably won’t even notice, you can change the lives of people in our community for the better! You can support the AUW in a couple of ways: pledge using the form that was distributed by your department coordinator or e-pledge through the secure online AUW site. Just use your UH email address and the temporary password auw2017 to set up your account; then you’ll be prompted to change your password. When you log in again using your UH email address and new password, the UHM AUW Welcome Page will be on your screen. Click on the “Pledge” tab in the main menu and choose method of payment, following prompts to complete your donation. Mahalo for making a difference and for joining the movement to create positive change in our community!

Spotlight on Our Community

Fire on the Mountain!

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.

Help for the Kupuna

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

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!

4-H and Fun

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!

OMG, TPSS (& PEPS) @ ASHS!

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!

Budding Horticulturists

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!

Before the Board

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!

Get the Poop

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.

New Publications

Managing a Wicked Problem

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!


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