The Phytopathology News newsletter, published by the American Phytopathological Society, featured PhD student Islam Hamim (PEPS) as its Grad Student Spotlight PhD student for the month of May 2019. Islam, who is getting his doctorate in tropical plant pathology, is mentored by John Hu.

Need some funding for a project that will benefit Maui County or be conducted there? Make sure you submit a proposal for the annually awarded Maui County grant! This is a great opportunity for both junior and experienced faculty! There should be $100,000 available for distribution, and proposals are due at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, June 10. If you have any questions, just call or email Cindy Reeves.

As Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture director Cheng-Sheng Lee argues in this month's Letter from the Director, Earth Day and Earth Month are a perfect time to reflect on the importance of using precious natural resources wisely and effectively…a goal that aquaculture can help to further. The Center's FY19 Request for Pre-Proposals encourages project ideas aimed at innovatively and effectively utilizing resources that have previously been deemed unusable. 

A potentially historic collaborative project between CTAHR and the College of Engineering hit a triumphant milestone when the Box Farm project won 1st place in the Francis Rhodes Montgomery Design Competition. Kent Kobayashi (TPSS) advised the team of Mechanical Engineering and Biology students in creating a fully automated, robotically controlled hydroponic growing system that could be used to provide fresh produce for astronauts on lunar and Mars missions.

Students at the recent Convocation showed the usual pride, excitement, and stacks of colorful lei. But there was something different about their appearance this year. Spring 2019 was the first class to receive a congratulatory CTAHR stole, handmade by committed students and faculty of the college. The work of the volunteer collective, the “Stole Society,” was spearheaded by FDM but included other departments as well.