Issue 136 | October 31, 2013 | Archive
News & Events
Getting Ghoulish
Lana‘i Power!
Byron Washom will
discuss “Sustainable Energy Systems for Lana‘i” on Thursday, October 31, at 3:30
p.m. in St. John 11. He is on leave from his position as Director of Strategic
Energy Initiatives at the University of California at San Diego to assist the
company Pulama Lana‘i (formerly Lana‘i
Resorts) to achieve energy sustainability on the island. He will discuss the
initiatives on Lana‘i to reduce the island's dependence on external energy
sources, including solar and hydroelectric.
Science Is Communicable
Students and recent graduates will be interested in a talk
that Dr. Dione Rossiter of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS) will be giving from noon to 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 31 in
POST 414 (IPRC Conference Room). Dr. Rossiter will describe how she made the
switch from science to science outreach/education/engagement and why, explain
the opportunities that exist in and outside of AAAS, including opportunities specifically
for women and minorities in science, and discuss alternative careers in
science. Snacks will be provided!
Get to the Root of Sustainability
In a fruitful collaboration, the Sustainable Pest Management
Lab, the Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program, Local and Immigrant
Farmer Education (LIFE), and Risk Management Hawaii are presenting a CTAHR Sustainable
Agriculture Workshop with a special focus on sweet potato production. It all
comes together on Tuesday, November 5, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon in the Aupuni
Center Conference Room at 101 Pauahi St. in Hilo. This workshop will provide fresh produce growers
with new approaches for managing risk through the use of sustainable
agriculture farming strategies and reduced pesticide use, focusing on using
locally available inputs and conservation practices. There will be an
evaluation of 60 different sweet potato cultivars by Susan Miyasaka (TPSS), a survey of post-harvest treatments, and a
guide to pest identification. Koon-Hui Wang and Jane
Tavares (both PEPS) will speak on “Sustainable
pest management strategies using insectary settings for insect pest management
and solarization mulch for weed control,” while Amjad A. Ahmad, Ted Radovich, and Nguyen V. Hue (all TPSS) will
discuss “Nitrate release dynamic from four organic fertilizers.” Archana Pant (TPSS) and Ted Radovich
will look at the “Beneficial
use of locally produced inputs for plant growth, crop quality, and soil
biological activity,” and Koon Hui Wang will explain “Nematode management with
organic approaches.” If you love sustainable food production or sweet potatoes,
don’t miss it! To RSVP, call Didi or Perci at 887-6183
or email mddiaz@hawaii.edu.
Grants & Awards
New Funding Opportunities Newsletter October 29, 2013
Spotlight on Our Community
The Great Pumpkin Does Exist, Charlie Brown!
East HawaIi 4-H and the 4-H Junior Master Gardener Program joined
with the Waimea Town Market at Parker School and the Hawaii Island School
Garden Network to organize the Fifth Annual Big Island Giant Pumpkin Contest at
the Waimea Town Market in Kamuela. For this event, sponsored by the
agricultural chemical company BEI Hawaii and Crop Production Services, pumpkin
seedlings were given out to interested Big Island youth, schools, farmers, and
the general public so they could try their hands at growing a monster-size
pumpkin. Those who were successful in producing pumpkins brought them to the
final weigh-in on October 5. This year there was a record-breaker weighing in
at 636 pounds, grown by the Hawaii Preparatory Academy. The second-place winner,
at 171 pounds, was grown by East Hawaii 4-H county agent Becky Settlage. Other
categories included Most Beautiful (Pumpkin), won by Hilo Union Elementary, and
Most Unusual and Best Record Keeping/Photo Diary, both of which were won by Kea‘au
Elementary School. Although only about a dozen pumpkins made it to the contest,
the event was able to interest over 1,000 youth in gardening, and the growers used
critical thinking, problem-solving, and science skills as they learned about
plant parts and reproduction, pollination, diseases, and many other aspects to
growing a giant pumpkin. Best of all, many are interested in growing them again
next year. Check out fun photos from the contest on the
East Hawaii 4-H and East Hawaii 4-H Livestock Facebook page!
Back in Time, Towards the Future
Magoon recently hosted a special group of
visitors. As part of a rebuilding strategy for Japan, shortly after World War
II, the University of California and the California Farm Bureau Federation in
partnership with the Japanese government established the JPN Farm Trainee
Program, which provided training for future farmers throughout Japan on farms
in the US. Fifty years ago, the 12th cohort of the Farm Trainee Program
stopped in Hawai‘i on their way to California and was hosted by CTAHR faculty
and administrators; they still remember with gratitude then-Dean Baron Goto and
Professor Kenneth Otagaki. Last week 45 members of the original cohort, now in
their 70s and 80s, returned to Hawai‘i for a 50-year reunion, and their very
first stop was CTAHR. The visitors received a warm welcome and an overview of
CTAHR, UH, and the state of Hawai‘i agriculture; then they toured Magoon’s research
projects, including aquaponic systems, organic farming, turf, propagation of
native plants for use along the highways, tropical flower breeding, and more.
Then they were introduced to tropical floriculture breeding by Tessie Amore
(TPSS), received an update on tropical fruit production by Richard Manshardt
(TPSS), visited the aquaponics facility at Hale Tuahine as guests of
Bradley “Kai” Fox (MBBE, pictured), and took part in a mini Hawai‘i-style bocce
ball game led by Joe DeFrank (TPSS). The visitors were inspired by the
developments in agriculture in Hawai‘i and awed by the transformation of the Islands
since their visit a half-century ago.
Beyond the Mouth
Maria Stewart (HNFAS) and two FSHN students, Kelli-Ann
Zakimi and Maile Ishikawa, recently offered a workshop at the 2013 Astronaut
Lacy Veach Day held at Punahou School. At the 12th annual celebration of the Space
Shuttle astronaut and of all things science related, geared for students in
Grade 4 and up, there were many exciting-sounding workshops, including ones
showing how to build a “Bristlebot” or dissect a cow’s eye. But perhaps none
promised to unlock a bigger mystery than the one offered by this intrepid CTAHR
trio: “What Happens to Your Food After You Eat It?” For despite all the
discussion of food in the news, food’s afterlife hasn’t made it to the same
level of public discourse. But this may be about to change, thanks to a
“superb” workshop that, as the event’s organizer enthused, made “students
realize that STEM is exciting, challenging, and fun”!
New Publications
Na Pua
CTAHR’s educational impact goes far beyond college students, and this quarter’s
Impact Report tells all about the work the college does with the younger members of the community. The stories describe keeping the keiki off the couch and on the playground with the CHL project’s work against childhood obesity; the science excitement at the Biotechnology Outreach Group’s Gene-ius Day workshops; and the multifaceted fun, learning, and good citizenship fostered by 4-H, presenting a picture of a college vibrantly involved in readying the next generation to take their places in the university and the world.
LICH for Posterity
The video team of Joe DeFrank, Scott Lukas, and Orville
Baldos (all TPSS) recorded 18 of the 26 sessions at the 2013 LICH Conference,
the first time that recordings were made! Of these select recorded sessions, 10
are on native plants and 8 on general landscape issues, such as Ethel
Villalobos’ (PEPS) presentation on pollinator-friendly planting (pictured). The
videos are now
online and available for interested viewers to check out sessions they may have
missed, review important information, or share with a colleague.
Cutting-Edge Fashion . . . Scholarship
Andy Reilly (FCS)
recently launched the first issue of a new journal,
Critical Studies in Men’s Fashion, of which he is the principal editor
and creator. It will come out three times a year, offering critical
examinations of the multi-faceted dimensions of men’s dress. The journal uses
the holistic definition of dress as a means of examining the tangible
and intangible aspects of creating and maintaining appearance. The topics of
gender, identity, sexuality, culture, marketing, and business come together in
this, the first and only academic journal to focus exclusively on men’s
appearance and dress. Men’s dress and fashion have long been sidelined in
scholarship, and this journal provides a dedicated space for the discussion,
analysis, and theoretical development of men’s appearance from multiple
disciplines. As one reader from Finland exclaimed, “I’ve waited 50 years
for this!”
In Memoriam
Diane Drigot
We are saddened to report that long-time CTAHR
supporter Dr. Diane Drigot passed away on October 14. She worked
at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii for over 30 years, where she was the
senior civilian natural resource manager and was responsible for
implementing an integrated ecosystem approach to natural and cultural resources
management and environmental restoration. Dr. Drigot was appointed pro-bono as
a Research Affiliate for the UH Environmental Center, where she served as acting
director and associate professor of Environmental Studies. Since 2003 she had served
as an affiliate graduate faculty member of NREM, where she advised and inspired
numerous CTAHR students. She received many personal awards for her
community-based conservation efforts from state and federal agencies, community
groups, state and local government. Dr. Drigot was loved and treasured for
her passion, innovative work, and energy by many colleagues, friends, and
admirers. Read more about her life here.
Dr. Drigot was a devoted conservationist who
will be greatly missed by many.
Help our community to keep in touch! Please send news items -- awards, grants, special projects, special people -- and pictures to Frederika Bain at ctahrnotes@ctahr.hawaii.edu.
Do you have an upcoming event that you'd like to promote? CTAHR faculty and staff can post events to the CTAHR website's calendar.
All CTAHR Notes readers can browse the calendar to learn more about the college's activities.