Alumni News

Feeling dry? Come to the latest installment of the Natural Resources and Environmental Management seminar series (see the series schedule, attached) to hear East-West Center fellow Dr. Abby Frazier discuss “Drought Knowledge Exchange in Hawai‘i and the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands.”

The Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii (LICH) is again inviting undergraduate and graduate students to submit abstracts for this year’s Student Poster Session at the LICH Green Industry Conference and Tradeshow, which will be held on October 14 at the Hawaii Convention Center. LICH is looking for research abstracts with relevant applications to landscaping and the landscape industry in Hawai‘i. 

Welcome to Mahealani Kaneshiro—UH alumna, kanaka maoli, and uchinanchu (local descendent of Okinawan immigrants)—who is a new instructor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM). Mahealani has a wide range of experience in college-level instruction and outreach Extension. She will be responsible for many of the required NREM undergraduate courses, including internships, and plans to teach elective and graduate-level courses as well. 

On Thursday August 29, volunteers at the Urban Garden Center shared aloha and mahalo with Ray Uchida, who is retiring from his longstanding post as O‘ahu County administrator. The occasion was marked with hula, stories, and the planting of a tree in his honor. Steve Nagano, an Extension agent for O‘ahu County, helped Ray to plant the crepe myrtle that will bear his name and commemorate his many years of service to the college, community, and ‘āina.

The Hawaii Coffee Association recently hosted their 24th Annual Conference & 11th Annual State of Hawaii Cupping Competition from July 25 to 27 at the Ala Moana Hotel. The statewide annual conference invites coffee educators, industry professionals, and enthusiasts to network and attend sessions and events. It hosted workshops on topics such as soil health, fermentation with yeasts, roasting, and cupping, with the goal of educating, sustaining, and boosting the profitability of the Hawai‘i coffee industry.