The Ka Lei Hano Award is the highest tribute the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources bestows on friends and benefactors whose commitment and service greatly enhance the college’s efforts to support a diverse economy, healthy environment, and strong communities.
For more than 22 years, Dr. Marisa Wall, Director of the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center of the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, has been a shining example of how collaborative research between CTAHR faculty and PBARC scientists has contributed significantly to the training of CTAHR graduate students.
Marisa has countless scientific advancements across a wide range of disciplines, including plant genetic resource management, crop improvement, pest and disease management, and postharvest technologies for tropical fruit, nut, vegetable, and ornamental crops.
Since assuming the role of Center Director at USDA-ARS PBARC in 2014 in Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island, Marisa has successfully strengthened ties between CTAHR and PBARC to the point that USDA funding to support collaborative research has been secured on an annual basis. In any given year, there are now more than 20 CTAHR faculty and at least 10 graduate students regularly engaged with PBARC scientists in critical research programs important to growers and consumers in Hawaiʻi.
CTAHR and the people of Hawaiʻi have benefited greatly from Marisaʻs commitment to developing sustainable and effective strategies for promoting the long-term viability of agriculture in Hawaiʻi and other tropical regions in the Indo-Pacific.