DEPARTMENT OF
Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences
Faculty | Staff | SEARCH FACULTY & STAFF |
PEPS Faculty
Email: koonhui@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-2455 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: Kiersten@hawaii.edu Phone: 969-8229 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: alvarez@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-7764 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: arif@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-7765 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: bloese@hawaii.edu Phone: 969-8225 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: cheng241@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-6416 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: shefali@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-7027 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: camiel.doorenweerd@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-9123 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: kennethg@hawaii.edu Phone: 956 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: johnhu@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-7281 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: danielje@hawaii.edu Phone: 781-1343 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: mkawate@hawaii.edu Phone: Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: pauldk@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-8261 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: roshanm@hawaii.edu Phone: 274-3477 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: ronaldma@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-7076 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: melzer@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-7887 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: waynen@hawaii.edu Phone: 981-5199 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: rubinoff@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-8432 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: mdsjose@hawaii.edu Phone: 946-2436 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: dwights@hawaii.edu Phone: 981-5199 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: ishikano@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-2000 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: sipes@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-7813 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: jwtay@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-6744 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: mtian@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-5305 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: hector@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-7903 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: emv@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-2445 Special Skills and Knowledge:
Email: markwrig@hawaii.edu Phone: 956-7670 Special Skills and Knowledge:
See! Crazy carnivorous plants, courtesy of the Lyon Arboretum/UH Botany.
See! Dizzying diversity of native Hawaiian flies, courtesy of the UH Center for Conservation Research & Training.
See! Bewildering mantis shrimps, courtesy of the Porter Vison Lab.
“Christmas trees are actually natural habitats for lots of creatures, especially during the Fall months. That dense foliage is perfect for sleeping through the winter. So a lot of insects, slugs, snails, salamandars, even snakes, snuggle up into these trees. And when the trees are cut, wrapped, and sent here to Hawaiʻi, with AC to keep them comfortable, those pests arrive in pretty good condition.”
The entries for the 2023 PEPS Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest get better every year – and the two-point difference between 1st and 2nd place, and 1-5 point differences between 3rd through 6th places – speak volumes! Thank you to all those who took time out of your busy schedules to submit these creative masterpieces, and to those who came to enjoy their efforts and vote!
Removing invasive plants and restoring native ones is key to lowering the risk of wildfire in Hawaii, but what might get left out of the conversation is the role of feral goats. Left to their own devices, these voracious animals eat native plants and strip bark from native trees, leave “large swaths of land open for the spread of invasive fire-adapted species, creating a cycle of ever-increasing fires and opportunities for invasive species.”
If you’ve ever wondered why some buildings in Hawaiʻi are eaten alive by termites, while others seem to stand the test of time just fine, it might be due to whether the foundation is wrapped in a Basaltic Termite Barrier. The patented, non-chemical, subterranean, stainless-steel screen that is still in use today was invented by CTAHR entomologist Minoru Tamashiro.
Presenting his research on hala scale was Mason Russo’s initial, official reason for attending the 2023 Society of Island Biology annual meeting in Lipari, Italy. But the overall experience – being surrounded by like-minded scientists from exotic locales across the globe – was also enlightening and eye-opening for this PhD candidate in the Dept. of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences.
Did you know Pres. Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act includes a $262.5 million investment in Ag workforce development? What’s more, USDA/NIFA-designated “institutions of higher education to foster the next generation of diverse agricultural professionals” that will receive these mega grants include CTAHR’s Dept. of Plant & Environmental Protection Sciences, which will partner with Leeward Community College and Oklahoma State University under the stewardship of PI Mohammad Arif.
Golf courses, resorts, and homeowner lawns across the Islands rely on Hawai‘i sunshine, good irrigation, and the expert guidance of Zhiqiang Cheng of the Dept. of Plant & Environmental Protection Sciences.
Essentially, all crops we grow in Hawai‘i could be attacked by an insect or mite pest. Of the most significant pests, many are very small, and some barely resemble insects. So how does one go about fighting scale insects, mealybugs, whitefly, and thrips? It’s important to be able to recognize the pest, or the specific damage it causes, so you can take corrective action.
Normally celebrated at the CTAHR Annual Banquet, this year’s Dean’s Award recipients will be honored here, on your laptops and tablets, and with their names carved into the plaques that adorn Gilmore Hall. Prize monies will also be distributed, per the usual means. 2020 Dean’s Award for Outstanding Researcher: Daniel Rubinoff.
If you require information in an alternative format, please contact us at: PEPS-ADA@ctahr.hawaii.edu
