Congrats to Kyhl Austin, grad student in the Dept. of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, who took home Best Student Talk (and a big cash prize!) in the graduate student competition at the North American Meeting of the Lepidopterist’s Society, held at Cornell U. last month.

Pravin Mishra, a graduate student in the Dept. of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, has been elected Junior Student Director for the Poultry Science Association. This significant achievement was announced following a competitive election, where Pravin shined, showcasing his commitment to fulfilling the organization’s objective of providing educational, social, and academic/industrial support to all student members.

Dictyota sp. is a seaweed native to Hawaiian waters that is notable for its ability to produce fucoidan and alginate. What are these compounds, you might ask? Why, they’re high-value ingredients with wide application in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food processing, medical, and dental industries.

Congrats times three to Mason Russo, Jordie Ho, and Benjamin Wiseman – all CTAHR PhD students and all recipients of 2024 Scholar Awards from the ARCS Foundation, Honolulu Chapter. Mason wins the Maybelle F. Roth Award in Conservation Biology and the Jane and Dan Katayama ARCS Scholar of the Year Award. 

Earth Day was celebrated by Pres. Joe Biden – and Ashley Mackenzie of the Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management. He issued EO 14072, which directs the federal government to carry out the First National Nature Assessment. She will co-write a chapter in this historic attempt to take stock of U.S. lands, waters, wildlife, and the benefits provided to our economy, health, climate, environmental justice, and national security.