STRATEGIC PLAN
COLLEGE OF NATURAL
SCIENCES
Each unit in the College of Natural Sciences has submitted
a document outlining how the unit is proceeding based on the Strategic Plan
for Manoa. The plan for the College as well as each unit in the College is
to implement the Manoa plan: Defining Our Destiny. The range of time that
each department has documented their plan is from 2002 for ICS to the present
for most units.
Department of Mathematics
The Department's two major responsibilities are teaching and research. Both of these figure heavily in our future plans and in the strategic plan.
The issue of recruiting and supporting outstanding faculty is very high on our list indeed. This is because we are now not only down to about 3/4 of our previous faculty while trying to service more students, but the majority of our faculty members are eligible for retirement, with only four still under the age of 50. It is imperative that we work to find high quality new faculty as soon as possible. As an example, our most recent faculty member hired has received a $250,000 grant for joint work with Oceanography. Since her grant is aimed at ocean exploration, this also meets the strategic goals of benefiting the local community and being an area where Manoa is particularly well-suited for excellence. We hope to continue this excellent start at rejuvenating the Department with an influx of energetic young professors.
Educational effectiveness has long been an issue for mathematics from national levels to local levels, and from early childhood through university programs. At the University of Hawaii, we are primarily a service department, serving the needs of the University of Hawaii system. We are currently planning a graduate class of interest to students in Oceanography, adding a new linear algebra and differential equations class for Engineering undergraduates and working on a sequence of new courses for mathematics teacher education requested by the state Department of Education. To the extent that resources are available, our goal is to continue this process of accommodating the needs of other departments. Ideally this would extend even to the statistics courses which now proliferate around the campus, but this requires hiring people capable of meeting these cross-disciplinary needs.
Most mathematics graduate programs for a school of our size have two to three times the number of supported teaching assistants. We would like to find a way to increase our numbers in order to better serve our local majors who often choose to leave Hawaii for a school that can afford to support their graduate work. This is an issue specifically mentioned in the strategic plan. In addition, it is cost effective as teaching assistants allow a professor to work effectively with larger classes.
We recently received a large endowment to support remedial work for students in mathematics. As that endowment begins to generate money for operating funds, we will be able to develop new programs to better serve our lower level students. This is a problem which has been increasingly aggravated by increased class sizes as university and departmental resources have dwindled. One move we have made is to tailor our calculus classes more to the needs of individual students, with special courses for business and life sciences now available. We continue to work with professors in engineering and the other sciences to design courses to fit their own students needs. Also now under discussion are ways in which we can offer oral communication and ethics to satisfy the new general education requirements.
Our primary goal with respect to student life on campus is to improve the room we acquired a couple of years ago for our undergraduate majors. It has already gone a long way toward giving the students a sense of belonging to the department and a place to study when they are not in classes.
The section on technology in the strategic plan is another one which is very important to the Department of Mathematics. Mathematics is fundamental to the development and use of technology. Our students of today will be the innovators of tomorrow, and a solid basis in mathematics is essential to their success. We are constantly looking at ways in which we can make our calculus computer lab more relevant to our students, introducing them to the problems of actually using technology to obtain answers, and the pitfalls one can encounter in making sure the answers are reliable. The Department maintains its own computer network to support faculty and graduate student research and its own web site, which provides not only for our needs, but those of the UH system and community. We have an extensive section devoted to system-wide mathematics and also host community organizations like the Hawaii Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Information and Computer Sciences developed their strategic planning March
22-23, 2002. Participating were almost all faculty and staff in the department
as well as outside computer professionals: William Albritton, Edoardo Biagioni,
Kimberly Binsted, Brian Chee, Martha
Crosby, Dan Davis, Wilbert Gersch, Violet Harada, Chris Hundhausen, Curtis
Ikehara, Stephen Itoga, Peter Jacso, Philip Johnson, Peter Jacso, Philip
Johnson, Peter Martin, Isao Miyamoto, Diane Nahl, David Nickles, Wes Peterson,
Blanca Polo, Luz Quiroga, Tracy Sonomura, Tak Sugimura, Jan Stelovsky, Dennis
Streveler, Dan Suthers, and Lei
Wakayama.
ICS Mission Statement
We are a multidisciplinary community dedicated to world-class research and education in information science. Our graduates become pace setters in their respective career choices. Through strategic alliances with academia and industry, we foster positive, innovative change in society.
I. STRATEGIC ISSUES
Resources
• Reduce dependence on state for funding and resources
• Increase base budget to $4 million in 3 years
• Need for expanded resources
• Increase attractiveness of department for staff and students thru more resources
• Limited resources
• Attractiveness of department for careers
• colleague • salary
• environment • space
• workload
• Reward faculty with more resources for excellent teaching (salary, educ., funds, staff)
• Facilities and staff to support more research
• Tolerate (reduce goals) or obviate (find more money) Limited resources
• Stay as we are; or grow into something better
• Mismatch between work to be done and resources available to do it
• Meeting space/infrastructure requirements of a growing department
• Provide a more open environment for faculty, staff and students through continued funding
• Globally and locally accessible, complete and supported networked learning environment that permeate and reflect all parts of the department
Education
• Make better environment for students
• Improve opportunities for our most talented students
• We need to refocus on the student – otherwise our program might become irrelevant and unattractive
• Provide quality education
• Revise curriculum to increase course completion and graduation rates
• Create a bioinformatics Master’s degree in 2 years
• Recruiting high quality graduate students
• Embrace cutting edge technologies. Teach, promote, implement better technology not get bogged down in inferior industry mainstays
• Continue improving education
• Unified ICS program statewide -- seamless
• More faculty for smaller classes
Public Relations and Impact
• We need to educate our patrons and clients to open new venues for growth
• Lack of, or inability to get national recognition
• Increase respect and recognition of “peers” by promoting publication (e.g., by more collaborative research)
• If we don’t make our ICS program more attractive to attract and keep faculty our department will perish
• Use HIGH PROFILE research to attract FUNDING and 1st rate STUDENTS
• Aggressively seeking UH, community, national partnerships
• As the world changes, we need to take more of a leadership role in the growth of Hawaii in the world market
• Effectively more students and tech into HI industry
Multidisciplinary
• Continue improving research
• Plan and implement multi-disciplinary teaching and research
• Co-teaching/team teaching essential to support multidisciplinary in our curricula research
• Real merge of LIS and ICS
• Interdisciplinary approach to CS. Convergence of Science & CS e.g., biocomplexity
• Working together as a team
Staffing
• Not enough faculty
• Sufficient staffing
Other
• Commoditization of information technology:
• high demand for us
• many others who would collaborate or replace us
• We don’t learn/teach/apply emerging technologies our department will suffer
VI. GOALS
A. LIST GOALS
1. Given the issues prioritized in the last section, what are some goals which will help you address the most important issues?
a. GOAL: IMPROVE QUALITY RESEARCH WORKING SHEETS of the goal related to quality research
Determine structure of new entity
Become a school, college or faculty
G: Improve quality of research
A1: Increase % of MS and MLISC students doing thesis
A1: Measure increase $ amount of extramural funding, number of faculty who are PI, multidisciplinary
A1: Increase through put in all grad-programs
A2: Increase # of research colloquia
A: Implement a departmental colloquium program
O2: Enhance intellectual life colloquium, visitor,
A2: Allow Associate Chair for Research official time to accomplish this
O1: Measure and assess our productivity
A1: e.g. annual impact report # of student papers at conf. Technical reports faculty publication brochure to feature research, track research grants.
Establish research advisory board
A2: Form literature groups
O6: Increase time for research
A6: Research support service specialist
A6: Secretarial support for above
A5: Invite industry to inform us of problems/concerns on a regular basis
A3: Increase undergraduate participation in research
O3: Assesses current recruitment strategy and offer recommendations to improve for graduate students
A3: Increase number of female students at all levels-recruitment, retention
A3: High schools doing excellent job in encouraging female students to get into technical, science
A1: Increase success rate of grant funding
Improve cooperation faculty and staff ßà
A1: Collaborate on grant writing
Creation of extension services
Encourage multidisciplinary activities
Develop international reputation in key strengths
O5: Develop outreach program
GOAL a: IMPROVE QUALITY RESEARCH
O1: Enhance intellectual life
Form literature groups – Kim 5/02
Departmental colloquium series – Chris – fall/02
Increase visitors – Kim – formalized – 9/02 /Dan
In house open house – Philip – fall/02/Brian PR
Coordinate with HICSS – Martha – 12/02
O2: Increase research involvement of students
Initiate dialogue on requiring of encouraging theses paper or scholarly
- Kim, Dan, Chris: next faculty meeting
Increase throughput of PhD students
GOAL: IMPROVE QUALITY OF RESEARCH
O3: Improve our image
A4: We can improve national ranking e.g.
A4: Criteria used – Chris – 6/02
A4: Get on the UH “list of excellence”
A4: Talk to SB, Hadv., “wave our flag” (in house open house)
A4: Coordinate with Research relations office – Brian – end 5/02
A4: Hiring publicity manager – Brian – mid 5/02
A4: List of procedures to advertise research – Brian – end 5/02
GOAL: IMPROVE QUALITY RESEARCH
O: Increase extramural funding
Develop best practices website – Dan – 7/1/02
Measure and assess productivity – Edo – 7/02 /Lei?
Grant mentoring – Dan/Martha
Grant writing workshops – Brian – fall/02
b. GOAL: INCREASE BUDGET
Objective
1. Identify research needs – Dan D. 1 mo.
· Ask/Interview faculty
· Current, previous, future grants
a. What have now?
b. What had before?
c. What want in future?
· Successful & unsuccessful
· List sources/website
2. Identify grant opportunities – Stephen I. + committee – 6 mo.
· Develop interest groupings
· Develop strategic priority grants
3. Inventory successful grant orgs. In other schools/depts.
· Dan D. – 3 mo.
4. Hire Research Officer – strategic research committee–active P1S
· Keep updates
· Deadlines, examples, training in writing
· Generate ___ x salary
· Find $ to hire person
1. Update alumni list – Lei – 1 mo.
2. Develop materials for fundraising campaign
· Alumni Website – Dennis – 3 mo. /Dan D. – asst.
· Contact UHF officer
· Donor donations – how to
· What are alumni doing? Ask.
· Personalize the department
3. Find interested alumni to help contact other alumni
· Alumni & lhb
· Contact regular donors – Tracy – 1 mo.
4. Open House – Commencement
· Month of May
5. Alumni Day
· Open house – labs/research – May ‘02
6. Job Fair for ICS - Tak
7. Fundraiser – Steve & A4 student asst. – 1 yr.
8. Naming:
· Endowed chairs
· Labs
- Forgetting about actions
- Losing focus, not following up
- UH development priorities
- Resistance to cultural change
- Grants: return of overhead
§ $20-30K now/year à 3X in 5 years
- donations:
§ I major campaign in 5 year $1m. = 100K/year to spend
§ Alumni = 1000 ICS & 1000 LIS
- Steering Committee – P.1.S.
- Resource requirements
- Fundraiser = $200K?
§ Materials
- Mailings
- Alumni Day
- Research Officer – incentives?
- Student level IV = 10K/year
c. GOAL: IMPROVE QUALITY OF EDUCATION
Activity 1: Establish framework for systematic departmental curriculum review process
WHO: Department Curriculum Committee
WHEN: End of Fall 2002
RESOURCE: LIS framework
Objective 2: To continue to improve curriculum
Activity 1: Every prerequisite course should have a list of expected core outcomes (approx 10 courses)
WHO: Current instructors do draft, submit to curriculum committee for review and approval
WHEN: beginning of Fall 2002
RESOURCE: faculty time
Activity 2: Develop template for course syllabi/outline based on learning outcomes
In process: Curriculum Committee - Chris
WHO: ICS Curriculum Committee
WHEN: by beginning of Fall 2002
RESOURCE: LIS course template
Activity 3: Form committee that will work on developing an assessment system for courses to indicate readiness
WHO: ICS ad hoc committee
WHEN: 1st meeting be end of April 2002
RESOURCES: WebCT, faculty time
Activity 4: To develop an information orientation for incoming TAs
WHO: Grad chair with assistance of faculty/staff
WHEN: be end of July 2002
RESOURCE: faculty/staff time, UH New TA orientation
- Might designate certain Qs on CAFÉ that related specifically to TAs
Activity 5: To bring up discussion on letting faculty teach in specialty
WHO: Jan will put on agenda
WHEN: wlin 2 mo.
RESOURCE: lecturers, instructors
OBSTACLE: limited resources, belief that faculty tech fundamental courses
Activity 6: To prepare informational packet for new and visiting faculty, e.g. options to team-teach
WHO: Chair or designate before start of Fall 2002
RESOURCE: UH Faculty manual, memo
OBSTACLE: funding
Objective 3: To create extension services
Activity 1: To form an ad hoc committee to explore possibilities of extension services
WHO: Chair by end of Spring 2003
RESOURCES: Donna Ching (CTAHR)
Objective 4: To recruit quality students
Activity 1: Review and update web informational packet for new students (common threads through their ICS program tracks)
WHO: Lei/Chris-undergrads & Lei/Jan-grads
WHEN: Summer 2002
RESOURCE: LIS program catalog & website
- Separate manuals for undergrad and grad students
RESEARCH
-- Recruiting of outstanding faculty committed to research --
We recently hired Ralf Kaiser, who has made remarkable progress in obtaining extramural funding to establish his experimental program in astro-chemistry. The overlap of his research area with the interests of IfA was deliberate.
We intend to make an offer to Mark Hamann, an established natural products chemist who will bring 14 people and around $1 million his first year here. This effort is joint with the Cancer Center, who had representatives on the search committee.
-- Increased engagement of undergraduates in research --
We have rewritten our Chem 399 brochure to make it less of a rule book and more of an ad.
After a six year hiatus, we have restarted our NSF funded REU summer program for undergraduate research. John Head wrote the application for the $189,900, three year program which will fund up to seven students per year. In addition to our own students, the target audience is Hawaii students who are undergraduates at mainland
institutions.
-- Invest in modern research facilities --
We will shortly resubmit a $300K shared instrument proposal to NSF for an X-Ray diffractometer. The revision is significantly stronger than the original proposal of two years ago. However, we are somewhat concerned that the required matching funds ($67K) may not be available in the college.
EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS
-- Improved course scheduling --
We have opened extra sections of laboratories to accommodate the enrollment surges of 10% and 20% in departmental student registrations in 2002 and 2003.
-- Evaluate and expand General Education course offerings --
We are currently developing a course in professional ethics for majors, to take some of the load off the new Microbiology course in this area.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
-- Expand the funded research enterprise --
Extramural funding levels are expected to increase this year by over $1.2 million is we are able to hire Mark Hamann.
-- Commercialization, entrepreneurship --
Again, Mark Hamann is already in preliminary discussion with OTTED concerning bringing patents with him to UH, and concerning UH policy on the formation of companies.
As per the Strategic Plan, the Department of Microbiology
has recruited three outstanding faculty members in the past two years. These individuals were hired on their strong
research records and their commitments to teaching. It is already clear that these individuals will make valuable
contributions to the University long into the future.
All faculty members in Microbiology have research projects and all have either start-up fund or extramural funds to conduct their research. The Strategic Plan encourages research that benefits Hawaii; several of our research projects are designed with this in mind. Research in this department that will benefit Hawaii includes projects that deal with local water quality (both fresh and ocean waters), waste water treatment, bioremediation of tropical soils, microbial ecology of ocean waters and Hawaiian lakes, viral disease that impact aquaculture of shrimp, and Dengue virus and Dengue hemorrhagic fever. We also have faculty deeply involved in developing Hawaii as a center for genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics. Finally, not to be oblivious of infectious diseases occurring worldwide and their impact on homeland security and national defense, we have faculty studying the fundamentals bacterial pathogenesis, detection and transmission, including tuberculosis and cystic fibrosis-related lung diseases.
Some of our research is basic science and, as outlined in
the Strategic Plan, is applied research.
Examples of applied research include projects on developing diagnostics
for bacterial diseases of humans, as well as viral diseases in cultured shrimp.
Identification and characterization of biomolecules that have industrial
applications are examples of our other research activities. Also we are assisting in the development of
biosensors that could be used to detect pathogenic bacteria or toxic chemicals
in the environment.
The Department of Microbiology is constantly developing its curriculum to bring the latest intellectual and technical advances to our graduate and undergraduate students. We are the only department offering Bachelor degrees in Microbiology in this state. As the Strategic Plans recommends, we will continue to make every effort provide enriching applied educational experiences to the students. Towards this goal, every Microbiology lecture course has an accompanying laboratory course. Our teaching laboratories attempt to give students hands-on experience with the latest technologies in cellular and molecular biology and genetics in an effort to prepare them for the highly technical aspects of our discipline. Because of the heightened awareness of the need for biodefense and the increasing military presence in Hawaii, we have adjusted our curriculum to include appropriate topics in our existing courses. We will continue to seek funds (both intramural and extramural) for the acquisition of instrumentation needed to provide for the educational needs of this laboratory-intensive curriculum.
The Strategic Plan calls for expanded support for graduate students. In Microbiology we have about 40 graduate students. This year, every graduate student that requested support has been given either a research assistantship (paid for with research funds) or a teaching assistantship. It is our goal to maintain this high level of support for our graduate students.
The Strategic Plan encourages programs that support economic development in the State. The Department of Microbiology is doing its part by training a highly skilled labor force for work in all areas of biotechnology. We do this through our laboratory courses and through numerous research programs that have students as an integral part of the research teams. Also, as mentioned above, several projects on applied microbiology and biotechnology are underway and could lead to products for commercialization. Patents applications have already resulted from work in this department and it is likely that several other ongoing projects will result in patent applications in the near future.
Thus, the Department of Microbiology is moving forward in step with the Strategic Plan and hopes the University will provide the infrastructure support to maintain and encourage these advances.
Botany will implement (or reinforce) each of the 76 strategic imperatives at the first opportunity to do so. As with other aspects of “planning” in recent times, any progress we make is likely to be the result of an opportunistic rather than programmatic approach.
Research conducted by faculty and managed by units housed in Botany are at the forefront, at least in volume within CNS. Furthermore, much of the research carried out in the department takes place in areas in which Manoa is uniquely positioned to excel, such as marine botany, evolution, culture, and conservation. Research in ethnobotany and in the Hui Konohiki Program sponsored by Botany specifically involves and benefits the local community while advancing scholarship on Hawaiian language and culture. We have been successful in recruiting our top-ranked candidates in recent faculty hires. Undergraduates are commonly involved in Botany faculty research and are often also employed by research units housed in the Botany Department (CPSU).
Educational Effectiveness is an open-ended endeavor that has been advanced in the Botany Department by several actions. We have invested in technology that allows modern delivery of lecture materials via computers and LCD projectors (4 units in permanent installations and also a portable unit). Our faculty have responded by developing highly sophisticated PowerPoint presentation of class materials used in virtually all of our courses. We have recently added several new courses to our curriculum and have proposed a new undergraduate degree (BS) in ethnobotany that has obvious interdisciplinary and cultural implications. In the last few months we revised our graduate program to provide several tracks that are expected to facilitate more timely completion of degree programs. We offer instructional materials on the web that enhance the education of local students while in some cases drawing international attention and acclaim.
Social Justice is an imperative that the Botany Department addresses well in at least two ways. The sex ratio of faculty is probably closest to equal in Botany than any other CNS department. Also, the Hui Konohiki Program “born” in Botany specifically aims at integrating the ethics, and science of “Western” and “Hawaiian” culture.
The Botany Department does an excellent job of meeting several imperatives that emphasize Place. The first imperative listed is effectively addressed by the Hui Konohiki Program, the very basis for which is the ahupua’a concept of managing resources. The botany faculty includes a water resource engineer as part of this program. Over the years, our graduate and undergraduate programs have included many Pacific Basin and Pacific Rim students who have further enriched an already culturally diverse milieu. The Botany Department is represented on the Campus Landscape Committee and over the last year the Department installed more than 150 additional tree labels to enhance the campus interpretive signage. The Department has also recently completed mapping virtually all of the trees and larger plants on campus into a computer program that will facilitate grounds management and campus improvements, as well as serve as an effective source reference for instructional plant materials. Finally, as mentioned above, almost all of the research carried out by the Department takes advantage of our unique placement in culture and geography.
In the past, Botany Department contributions to Economic Development have been largely indirect, for example, through involvement of faculty and graduate students with DOE and local teachers to improve the overall effectiveness of public education in Hawaii. Inasmuch as the Botany Department has been viewed traditionally as a pure research unit, the applied counterpart of which is the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, we have only recently become increasingly entrepreneurial. We now have increasing activity and more faculty involvement with enterprises that connect with private industry, for example providing plant extracts to pharmaceutical companies. Inherent in such activities is development of contracts that respect indigenous intellectual and cultural property rights. We also have faculty who have been directly or indirectly involved with development of high tech projects, including mentoring of students winning awards for high tech developments.
The Department of Botany is a leader in addressing the imperatives in Culture that cut across the major (RESPECT) categories. Cultural education and conservation is inherent in the department’s strong program of ethnobotany and in the Hui Konohiki Program developed by Botany faculty. Additionally, the Botany Department is home to two of the five faculty appointed to this program. The PCSU housed in the Botany Department also connects with the cultural imperatives in the strategic plan by supporting cultural research. There are also cultural implications in the strong program in conservation research conducted by several Botany faculty. Such studies also connect firmly with the imperatives embodied in “Place.” Nearly all of the research we do takes advantage of and contributes to the unique cultural, biological, and physical aspects of the “Place” that is Hawaii.
The Botany Department has high regard for the strategic imperatives in Technology. We universally employ computer-enhanced LCD projection technology for virtually all of our instruction, with dedicated systems installed in four of our instructional venues and an additional portable system. In addition, we have many thousands of pages incorporating countless images posted on dedicated Department servers that provide information and instructional benefits to local and international students. Computers are available in our teaching classrooms for immediate access to the internet and instructional software media. We recently formed a committee to evaluate and update Departmental Internet content. One of our faculty recently developed a fully equipped GIS laboratory where faculty and students can learn cutting edge GIS technology. We are in the process of acquiring the equipment for a high-end digital graphics work station to replace a photochemical darkroom facility.
The Lyon Arboretum is a unit of the College of Natural Sciences located 5 km north of the main campus in the back of Manoa Valley. It covers nearly 200 acres and is the only University Arboretum that is located in a tropical rainforest. Presently, the Arboretum contains over 5,000 species of plants. It has a number of noteworthy collections including over 650 species of palms, making it one of the largest palm collections in the world. It also has large collections of Aroids, Heliconias, Gingers and Bromeliads, in addition to its extensive Native Hawaiian Plant and Ethnobotanical collections. It offers visitors an opportunity to see many magnificent tree specimens in a tropical rainforest setting.
Although part of the University of Hawaii, only about half of its operating budget comes from the state. The other half comes from grants, contracts and gifts. The state supported staff is quite small, with 7 FTE, supplemented with student help, volunteers, and several grant-supported and temporary staff. Nonetheless, the Arboretum has the potential to play a disproportionate role in the implementation of the UH at Manoa Strategic Plan.
In terms of research, the Lyon Arboretum is home to an internationally recognized Plant Micropropagation Laboratory which uses state-of-the-art tissue culture techniques to help propagate and rescue some of Hawaii’s rarest native plant species from extinction. This laboratory plays a pivotal role in the state’s native plant conservation efforts and is the largest repository of rare native Hawaiian plants in the world. Over 150 of Hawaii’s rarest plant species are in culture, growing under closely monitored and strictly controlled environmental conditions. This work is involves undergraduate and graduate students, visiting scientists and volunteers who come into the laboratory and are trained by the staff in the state-of-the art tissue culture techniques used. Recently, with private money, the Laboratory moved into newly renovated space at the Arboretum, greatly enhancing its capabilities. The Arboretum also supports several graduate students’ research projects, including a study of native Hawaiian plants used in traditional hula and lei making to determine sustainable harvest levels. Another student has been studying traditional varieties and uses of kava. We have recently hired a new Director of Science, whose responsibilities include the further development and facilitation of more research programs into the Arboretum. During the past few years the Arboretum has received over $250,000 in grants and contracts and expects this to substantially increase during the next decade.
In terms of education, even though the Arboretum currently does not offer University courses for credit, we recently received a grant in conjunction with the College of Education to enhance science teacher training in the public schools and include traditional Hawaiian values and traditions into the understanding of science. The Arboretum already has a growing educational program for young and old alike. Last year over 5,000 K-7 students visited the grounds for field trips and workshops and 400 teachers from more than 50 schools came for teacher training courses. In the evenings and weekends, over 100 non-credit courses are offered to the public each year, including
courses taught by professional landscape contractors, chefs, University professors, and other professionals and community members. We plan to develop strategic partnerships with the Hawaii Nature Center and the UH Outreach College to dramatically expand our children, in and pre-service teacher training, and adult education curriculum over the next several years and beyond. We also offer undergraduate internships for students from the US and abroad and will be introducing a program for visiting scientists and scholars.
In terms of Social Justice, the Arboretum is moving forward on several fronts, including the incorporation of the ahupua’a concept into pre and in-service public school science teacher training through a recently awarded grant. In addition to hiring several more Educational Assistants, we also have asked a kupuna to join the staff on a consultant basis. Last year the Arboretum hosted the world’s first kava festival, celebrating Hawaiian and Pacific Island traditions and attended by over 2,500 people from the community and University. The festival was attended by a number of prominent native Hawaiians, who said that it was the first time in a long time that they felt welcome to the back of Manoa Valley. Based upon the success of this event, we are planning to continue this festival annually. Also with the help of a local Hawaiian Charter School, we are re-establishing some ancient taro ponds on the Arboretum property and will make this a community-based activity. We have also built a traditional style imu on the grounds for preparing food on special occasions. Finally, we have plans to build several traditional style native Hawaiian hale on the property to be used as meeting places and rain shelters. These activities will be developed in a workshop format to maximize community involvement and will be video documented.
In terms of Economic Development, we have recently entered into a partnership with the Hawaii Nature Center to bring more student and private tour groups to the Arboretum. We are working on a proposal to expand this to cruise ship tours. Also we are currently evaluating a proposed partnership with an internationally known ecotour company to develop some the assets that exist at the Arboretum, which could potentially greatly expand our educational and research programs. Finally, we also are a site for biomining studies from private companies as well as the UH Cancer Center, which could potentially discover new uses for some the naturally occurring compounds found in our vast scientific collection
.
In terms of Culture, Society and the Arts, we have recently entered into an agreement to develop the Shi Wu Chinese Teahouse on the Arboretum grounds. This would not only serve traditional Chinese teas, but also host art exhibits, workshops, performances and classes in Chinese arts and crafts, medicinal herbal medicine, Tai-ji, Qi-gong and others. The kupuna on our staff would also provide opportunities for learning of native Hawaiian traditions and language. Many of the workshops and activities in our education program include visual, photographic and other art media as well.
In terms of technology, we have installed new fiber optic backbone into the Arboretum with a commercial Road Runner account. This has been enhanced with a wireless network in about half of the buildings. We have recently updated and modernized our website, allowing for on-line course registration, class scheduling and password protected access to some of our scientific publications and databases.
The Physics program in the Department of Physics and Astronomy will implement the strategic plan by:
The principal mission of the Biology Program is undergraduate education. The primary new initiative is the introduction of a B.S. Marine Biology degree curriculum which addresses local workforce needs, takes advantage of unique Hawaii environments, and promotes stewardship of the state's natural resources, in a responsible, culturally sensitive context.
Ongoing investment of funds and faculty/staff talent in the basic Biology degree
programs provides a solid foundation for students throughout the life sciences in CNS, CTAHR, COE, SOEST and JABSOM. Productive careers result in the health sciences, agricultural sciences, ocean and earth sciences, education and life sciences, as well as the citizenry in other walks of life. Enhanced recruiting efforts through Student Services and outreach through high school career fairs, science fairs, and student symposia are making the public aware of the excellent education opportunities available at Manoa and the spectrum of follow on paths in careers and advanced studies which the UHM education makes possible.
New steps to facilitate these results include 1) re-establishment of the Biology Club which has strong themes of career exploration and site visits and 2) a periodic digest of internship and student employment opportunities nationwide, but also locally, bridging between the campus and private sector as well as to government agencies ant NGOs. Cross fertilization with the Marine Option Program has raised the standards of practice and integrations of experiential education into both the Marine Biology and Biology curricula. The two programs have become co-sponsors of the annual systemwide Undergraduate Symposium 2004, bringing visibility to the
programs, in part through presentations by our students.
MOP continues to rebound as it settles into its new home at CNS and reshapes itself somewhat while offering cross-disciplinary, cross-campus, experiential learning opportunities for undergraduates, focusing on Hawaii's unique freshwater and marine ecosystems. Strong cultural components are woven into projects which involve partnering throughout the state's ocean community.
We continue to work with Alu Like and NOAA Fisheries in a Native Pacific Islander Fishery Observer Preparatory Course. This is being touted nationally as a successful and unique collaboration which contributes both to fisheries stewardship and economic opportunities. MOP is also working with the Mokauea Fishermen's Association and HPU faculty and students to restore a Hawaiian fishpond. We have enrolled four students who reside on Molokai who are restoring fishponds and attempting to turn their aquaculture into profitable businesses.
We are about to finalize an agreement with the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission to initiate long-term monitoring of the nearshore environment off the north coast of Kahoolawe. In concert with the UHM Dept. Anthropology and the non-profit Maritime Archaeology and History of Hawaii Foundation we have re-established an annual symposium on the field and will support a summer field school.
As mentioned above, MOP collaboration with Biology/Marine Biology recruits students to Manoa through a variety of activities, and, once enrolled, MOP complements their classroom education with a smorgasbord of real-world experience within an academic context and standards, aiding retention and completion. Loyal alumni have provided critical funding to supplement what the university can provide.
Premier research: Zoology faculty and students continue to excel in basic research: this academic year, our faculty were co-authors on three papers in Nature, there were also papers published in Science, and both faculty and graduate students have submitted numerous grant proposals, some of which have already been funded.
Our scholars are leaders: Zoology continues to produce graduates who assume leadership roles in the community. Our graduates include Dr. Cynthia Hunter, Director, Waikiki Aquarium; Dr. Stephen Miller, Ecosystem Conservation Coordinator in the Pacific region U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dr. Marie Morin, a Fish and Wildlife Service “employee of the year” for her work on the Peregrine Falcon Recovery Plan. The Department continues to encourage and support faculty to be involved in their professional societies: during the last several years there was a period of time when members of the faculty were president of 4 different national professional societies, including the Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists of America, and the Animal Behavior Society.
The Zoology Department faculty have been recognized for excellence in teaching. Among the faculty, two people have received the Regent’s Medal for excellence in teaching, and three other faculty have received Citations for Meritorious teaching.
Many of the Department’s faculty, current students and graduates are involved in community service in ways that capitalize on their professional strengths: service on scientific advisory commissions/committees such as the Natural Area Reserves Commission and the Animal Species Advisory Commission (P. Conant, S. Conant, R.A. Kinzie, M. Hayfield, J. Stimson), science fair judging, support for K-12 science teaching (S. Conant headed the `Ohi`a Project that resulted in development of K-12 environmental education curriculum, several current graduate students and faculty (R.A. Kinzie, S. Conant) are deeply involved in K-12 science education).
Zoology strives to enhance diversity and uniqueness in our faculty and student body. Among the faculty there are three women, and one person from Sri Lanka, as well as people who are citizens of Britain, Canada and Sri Lanka. Of our graduate students 47% are women, and there are graduate students from the Azores, China, Sri Lanka, Britain, Canada, Switzerland, France, Sweden and Japan. In our graduate admissions we have increased our focus on and support for Pacific islanders and ethnic Hawaiians as graduate students.
The Department of Zoology has built on the strengths of Hawaii’s Natural environment in developing its research programs and curriculum. For example, many of our faculty and grad students work in the areas of marine biology, conservation biology and evolutionary biology. Research projects include studies of coral reef bleaching, ecology of invasive species in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems and population viability analysis of endangered species. Our faculty, graduate students and undergraduate majors benefit from the Department’s affiliations with the Hawaii Institute Marine Biology, the Kewalo Marine Laboratory, and the Center for Conservation Research and Training. The Department has played a major role in the development of the graduate specialization in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, as well as the Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology.
Some of the specific Strategic Imperatives zoology has and will continue to implement:
Recruitment: in the last academic year we have recruited three new faculty and elected several new graduate faculty. Our graduate program is growing in numbers, quality and diversity, and it looks as though we will accept a record number of new students for the Fall of 2005. In the area of retention, our new faculty are given first priority for department resources they can use to recruit graduate students.
We continue to expand sources of support for graduate students, who have been very well supported by a variety of national fellowships (NSF, EPA).
In the area of undergraduate research, we note that all our BS majors are expected to complete a research project as part of their major requirements, and do so by working with our regular and cooperating graduate faculty as well as our graduate students.
The new Marine Biology BS degree is expected to recruit many new undergraduates, and Zoology faculty will teach a number of the required courses for this program, and serve as advisors to the students.
We will continue to make a special effort to recruit both undergraduate and graduate students from Asia and the Pacific by offering support in the form of scholarships and graduate research assistantships.
Our NSF K-12 fellows (Kanesa Duncan, Alex Handler, Sheldon Plentovich, Elaine Franklin) have been featured in radio and newspaper pieces and there is relatively regular newspaper coverage of our ecological work and endangered species research in environmental columns of the local newspapers. Our developmental biologist Athula Wikramanayake recently opened up his lab to a group of three and four-year old children in the University’s day care program.
Zoology is actively expanding its efforts to apply research findings and expertise to problem solving in several venues. For example, government natural resource agencies have invited faculty and students to draft a number of resource management plans, including the Recovery Plan for Hawaii’s endangered tree snails, a new Hawaii State Comprehensive Wildlife Management Plan, and a management plan for the rare Wekiu bug at the summit of Mauna Kea.
Although our building, Edmondson Hall, is old and poorly maintained, we have made our own small effort to create a Hawaiian sense of place by planting a native plant garden. Since the garden was planted three years ago, a number of life science classes from biology, botany, zoology, plant and environmental protections services and horticulture make field trips to the garden a regular part of laboratory exercises.