Prof. Garrett Apuzen-Ito's primary field of study is mantle, magmatic and tectonic processes of the ocean basins. Part of what he researches is the formation of ocean island chains, like the Hawaiian Islands. He and others in his department study the evolution of the ocean basins including the changing land area of the islands, as each one is born and then slowly degrades and sinks below sea level. Prof. Apuzen-Ito earned his doctoral degree in Marine Geology and Geophysics from the MIT/Woods Hole Joint Program. He first came to UH Manoa through a SOEST Young Investigator's Award in 1996. This program is still going strong, and he is pleased to take part in it now, as a mentor and supporter. Prof. Apuzen-Ito then went on to work at UC Davis in a tenure track position before the call of the islands brought him back to his new home. He now teaches graduate courses in "Continuum Mechanics and Geodynamics", "Gravity, Magnetics, and Heat Flow", as well as an upper-level undergraduate course, "Physics of the Earth & Planets". He advises three doctoral students, who are using high performance computing to study various aspects of ocean island formation, in particular, interactions with mid-ocean ridges, mantle dynamics, and wide-spread volcanism off the shore of Kauai. One of his students, Todd Bianco was awarded a student engagement grant by the Maui High Performance Computing Center.
To find out more about Prof. Apuzen-Ito's work, go to his website at http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/FACULTY/ITO/
