Alumni News

CTAHR recently took its 16th annual Meaningful Experience Trip to the island of Kaua‘i, when 18 student ambassadors and three ASAO staff headed out for their jam-packed trip on Saturday morning and returned late Sunday evening. The intrepid group toured and helped out at farms, met Extension agents, did trail and beach cleanup, and volunteered at the Humane Society! This is the sort of trip memories are made of! 

Welcome to Jia-Wei Tay, a new assistant professor of urban entomology in PEPS! Her research is in the biology and management of invasive species, especially insect pests adapted to the urban environment. She hopes to figure out environmentally friendly alternatives to control target pest without impacting beneficial non-target organisms and the larger ecosystem.

Welcome to Hannah Lutgen, who is the new Maui County Extension agent for landscape and ornamental growers! It’s great to have her onboard as part of the team! Hannah received her Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Horticulture and comes to the college from her previous position as a conservation specialist with the Maui Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

The Office of Academic and Student Affairs participated in the 2019 Hawaii Agriculture Conference, which provided a gathering place for all sectors of Hawai‘i agriculture and brought together multiple participants and components of Hawai‘i’s food system. Intrepid members of the office jumped in the mud during an ag field trip/volunteer ag-venture at Leilehua High School’s student farm, then after cleaning up, they spent the next two days exhibiting at the conference’s AgxChange.

This Halloween, the Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences held its annual pumpkin-carving contest, to fearful and artistic effect! From the front of a VW bus to a surprisingly faithful depiction of the classic painting The Scream and an assortment of grotesque faces, PEPS teams and individuals showed just what can be done with a pumpkin.