Alumni News

With more hala trees in Waikiki becoming infested with the hala scale, KHON-2 TV and Hawaiʻi Public Radio consulted the expertise of Zhiqiang Cheng and his PhD student, Mason Russo, of the Dept. of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences.

Registration for the latest ʻExtension in the Garden Seriesʻ workshop was so popular that Tina Lau and Jensen Uyeda had to book a second segment to accommodate the eager crowd. Guests joined Extension agents as they discussed static hydroponics container gardening and learned how to start seedlings, select the right variety for their own back yard, and use various tray bases, covers, liners, net pots.

Honua Highlights was the portion of the first-ever in-person Laulima Symposium when attendees could take the main stage – and Kent Kobayashi seized the day. “I was excited to share what controlled environment agriculture is and how it can help in growing crops for food security and self-sufficiency in Hawaiʻi” says Kent, of the Dept. of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences.

How do urban trees impact the health of our waters, land, and communities? Which trees might be best for future climate scenarios? Which towns, neighborhoods, schools, and parks should be prioritized for tree plantings? How and where does Indigenous resource stewardship impact urban trees?

Hybridization between animal species is traditionally thought to be a rare event in nature, and generally results in sterile offspring (e.g., horse + donkey = mule). But in the latest edition of the journal Scientific American, Dan Rubinoff of the Dept. of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences argues that hybridization might occur more often – with more potential benefits – than we previously realized.