Normally celebrated at the CTAHR Annual Banquet, this year’s Dean’s Award recipients will be honored here, on your laptops and tablets, and with their names carved into the plaques that adorn Gilmore Hall. Prize monies will also be distributed, per the usual means.
2020 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Extension
Koon-Hui Wang, Jari Sugano, Jensen Uyeda, Kylie Tavares, Theodore Radovich, Joshua Silva, and Amjad Ahmad
Jeff Goodwin, interim associate dean for Extension, notes: “This year saw a change in the nomination process. I saw the need to tell the Extension story more effectively through the use of Impact Statements. They report positive changes in attitude, knowledge, behavior change, and practices adopted that improve the condition of families, communities, and ultimately, the state of Hawai‘i. We received nine Impact Statements for consideration. These submissions, which served as the award nominations, told great stories about the “So What” of Extension programs in Hawai‘i.
“The team was selected as this year’s award winner for their Impact Statement, ‘The Evolution of Screenhouses in Hawai‘i Agriculture.’
“Because of the insect pest-control feature of their screenhouses and resulting yield increases documented in their demonstration trial work, the Natural Resources Conservation Service reports the installation of 187 commercial high tunnels in Hawai‘i through federal cost-share programs. The adoption of this technology has resulted in a magnified footprint of food production across the state.”
CTAHR Dean Nicholas Comerford notes, “The accomplishments of Koon-Hui Wang, Jari Sugano, Jensen Uyeda, Kylie Tavares, Theodore Radovich, Joshua Silva, and Amjad Ahmad are truly commendable and worthy of the 2020 Dean’s Award. Their team addressed the issues of both biosecurity and productivity with their work on screenhouses. Then they brought their information to the public and NRCS. Now, 187 screenhouses will be built around the state with the financial assistance of NRCS. This group is an example of what an interdisciplinary team involving research and extension can accomplish for Hawai‘i agriculture. Job well done.”