Congrats Kirsten, or should we say, “Commissioner Oleson.” The professor in the Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management was appointed Aug. 7 to the City and County of Honolulu’s Climate Change Commission. 

The 61st annual meeting of The Clay Minerals Society and 5th Asian Clay Conference, held jointly at UHM, could not have come at a better time, given the pressing environmental challenges facing the Pacific Islands.

Non-native, fire-prone vegetation covers more than one million acres of the Hawaiian islands. But Clay Trauernicht of the Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management believes that threat could be somewhat alleviated by restoring ecosystems with non-invasive and native plants.

The Hawaiian Islands have just the right water resources and climate to support the aquaculture farming of fish, shellfish, algae, etc. So what’s holding back this potentially profitable industry? A lack of affordable local feed. Feed accounts for 60%+ of aquaculture production costs, and all of it is imported. 

Can the state of Hawaiʻi reach its 100% renewable electricity target by 2045? The skeptics may harbour their doubts, but Samir Khanal and Tomoaki Miura have a plan – and a grant – that could facilitate connecting bioresources with bioenergy interests. Samir, of the Dept. of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, and Tomoaki, of the Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, have partnered on a recent $150,000 Sun Grant Western Region grant. Their goal?