Alumni News

Jenjira Yahirun and Hua Zan (both COF) have just published a brief on “The Economic Well-Being of Hawai‘i’s Older Adults & Their Families” that describes the financial struggles that a segment of the older population experiences in the state. It shows that, on average, the economic well-being of Hawai‘i’s older adults has not improved after the Great Recession.

Samir Khanal (MBBE) and his former Ph.D. student Sumeth Wongkiew, in collaboration with Kartik Chandran of Columbia University, just published one of the first fundamental studies on aquaponics linking nitrogen transformations to microbial communities in aquaponic systems in the top-rated nature-index journal Environmental Science and Technology.

Barry Brennan (PEPS) recently was awarded the Presidents’ Award from the American Association of Pesticide Safety Education (AAPSE) for his years of dedication to pesticide safety education. One of the early founders of the organization, Barry has been described by many as the “father of AAPSE.”

Congratulations to grad student Emily Teng (TPSS), who was awarded a John Carew Memorial Scholarship of $2,100 by the American Floral Endowment (AFE)! The Carew scholarship is awarded to outstanding graduate students in horticulture who have an interest in greenhouse crops.

East Hawai‘i 4-H had a record year at their recent Hawai‘i County Giant Fruit & Vegetable Contest, adding six new contest records, including a 2.37-pound giant tomato, a 16.74-pound coconut, a 2.02-pound lemon, a giant 7.47-pound sweet potato, a 14.5-inch sunflower head, and, astonishingly, an 84.5-inch-long gourd!