Alumni News

Supporting and empowering women owned/operated farms and agri-businesses is an important step in the growth of our local agriculture industry. The Hawaiʻi Women Farmers Network (WFN), with generous support from the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture (HDOA) and Women's Fund of Hawaiʻi, is excited to introduce their new WFN Directory, which allows users to access, support and connect with female agriculture producers, makers, entrepreneurs and leaders in their communities.

When the City and County of Honolulu presents its 2020 Good Neighbor Awards in February, CTAHR will be on the (virtual) podium of award recipients. Our college is being recognized for its work on the national “Imagine a Day Without Water” campaign. Over the course of its two-month partnership with the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, CTAHR contributed photos, soundbytes, factoids, a testimonial from Dean Nick Comerford – and most entertainingly, eight videos by our Student Ambassadors.

The International Textile and Apparel Association has given its highest honor to Dr. Andy Reilly for “outstanding contributions to the textile and apparel discipline and for service to ITAA.” The lifelong designation also includes membership in the ITAA’s Legacy Group. Andy, a professor in the Fashion Design & Merchandising program of the Dept. of Family and Consumer Sciences, was granted the honor for “teaching excellence, professional development, significant research contributions, scope and breadth of professional presentations, exceptional ITAA service, and significant contribution to the field of textiles and clothing.”

Cosmetics, food supplements, pharmaceuticals, and textile dyes are just a few of today’s many uses of natural pigments. In Puhi Bay, Hilo, researchers from the Dept. of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering collected a marine sponge known to harbor microorganisms that produce bioactive pigments – and sure enough, the tissue expressed a red-purple hue. But for PhD candidate Francis Sakai-Kawada, another focus was the ecological impact of those pigments, and the microorganisms’ role for its sponge host and marine microbial community. Both play important roles in the coral reef ecosystem by providing shelter for small marine animals and the cycling of nutrients.

If you’re a faculty member advising a graduate student, and that student is interested in native ecosystems (and making a few extra bucks to pay the rent), then consider submitting a proposal to the Army Natural Resources Program O‘ahu (ANRPO). The Graduate Assistantships will support applied research projects to improve management outcomes for ecosystems and species on ANRPO-managed lands on O‘ahu. Proposals are due January 31.