News@UH
Carbon Dioxide Equilibrium
A study by Manoa Assistant Professor Richard Zeebe links the pre-human climate stability to connections between atmospheric carbon dioxide and the breakdown of minerals in the Earth’s crust. While the process occurs far too slowly to have halted the historical buildup of carbon dioxide from human sources, the finding gives scientists new insights into the complexities of the carbon cycle. The results of the joint study with Carnegie Institution was the cover story of the May journal Nature Geoscience.Over hundreds of thousands of years the equilibrium between carbon dioxide input and removal was never more than one to two percent out of balance, a strong indication of a natural feedback system. This natural feedback acts as a thermostat, which is critical for the long-term stability of climate. During Earth’s history it has likely helped to prevent runaway greenhouse and icehouse conditions over time scales of millions to billions of years—a prerequisite for sustaining liquid water on Earth’s surface.
“Before anthropogenic emissions were added to the equation, the system was nicely balanced,” says Zeebe. “But this has changed. The average man-made increase in atmospheric CO2 from fossil fuel burning and deforestation over the past 200 years is about 14,000 times faster than the long-term average change over the past 610,000 years.”
Professor June Aono, Interim Vice Chancellor Joanne Itano, Chancellor Gene I. Awakuni, Acting Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Louise Pagotto and Professor Kevin Dooley.
New Dual Enrollment Program
A new dual-enrollment, dual-admission program called Mananawai will allow West O'ahu and Kapi'olani students to complete their university degree more quickly and more affordably. The partnership between the two institutions allows students to enroll at both campuses and work toward the completion of a baccalaureate degree.Once admitted to this program, students may enroll in courses at either campus, paying the applicable tuition rate seamlessly.
“Mananawai is a win-win situation for students and both campuses,” says West O‘ahu Chancellor Gene Awakuni. “It’s just the beginning for us as we look forward to establishing similar agreements with every community college, thereby helping more students attain university degrees.”
“We’re constantly looking for ways to better serve our students and expand their opportunities,” says Kapi'olani Chancellor Leon Richards. “Students who choose to enter Mananawai or Ka'ie'ie will benefit from multiple resources at the community college and university level.”
Promoting Hawaiian Language Proficiency
Hilo’s Ka Haka 'Ula O Ke'elikolani College of Hawaiian Language was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to promote language proficiency in elementary school children.The 'Olelo Ola Oral Language Proficiency Project seeks to create a comprehensive system of services for the foundational grades K-3 to foster highly literate and orally proficient students in Hawaiian Language Immersion schools. Skills acquired through the program will help teachers increase K-3 HLIP student oral proficiency levels, while boosting literacy achievement in both Hawaiian and English; raise the oral proficiency, professional knowledge and teaching skills of HLIP teachers; and help revitalize the Hawaiian language in the community beyond the classroom. Given its impact on the students’ families, 'Olelo Ola is expected to serve in excess of 1,000 Native Hawaiians.
The OHA funding is a supplemental grant to finance a research trip to New Zealand for the project team, which will include five master’s and doctoral candidates in Hawaiian language and education. "The project team will be visiting Maori kura kaupapa schools across the country, and is looking forward to learning more about their most recent advances in program, curriculum and evaluation development of Maori language literacy," says Program Director Keiki Kawai'ae'a.
Fulbright Specialist in Denmark
Manoa Professor David P. Ericson was selected for a Fulbright Senior Specialists project in Denmark at Aarhus University. His services, which will include a seminar, a lecture series and the co-development of a master’s program on education and educational policy in a multicultural society, were specifically requested by Aarhus University.As part of the selection process, the board determined Ericson’s scholarly background, extensive international experience, and expertise on education in a multicultural context to be assets to the project, especially given Denmark’s increasingly heterogeneous society. According to Ericson, in the past few decades, Denmark has welcomed numerous refugees and immigrants, and integrating these populations with their very different cultural and religious backgrounds into mainstream Danish society is proving to be a real challenge.
“The University of Aarhus, among the world’s great research and teaching universities, is leading the way in addressing this challenge,” says Ericson. “So, I am delighted to help the faculty out in whatever ways that I can.”
Japan Fellowship
Manoa Education Associate Suzanne Acord is one of 20 teachers from the U.S. and Canada selected for an 11-day study tour of Japan. She teaches 10th grade world history at the UH Laboratory School.The fellowship will enable teachers to learn first-hand about contemporary Japanese society in order to enhance their classroom teaching of global perspectives. Acord submitted a letter of support from the school; a letter explaining her desire to participate; and a lesson plan, utilizing the knowledge she gains from the experience, which she will teach upon her return.
“Our section seeks to create quality curriculum materials on Asia and the Pacific. I have worked as part of a team on three curriculum projects involving historical and contemporary Japan, but this will be my first time gaining practical experience in Japan,” says Acord.
Pictured left to right, David Thomas, 2007 AUW President; Ariel Chun, CEO of UHFCU; Susan Au Doyle, AUW President/CPO and Paula Sumimoto-Matsushima.
Spirit of Community Award
The UH Federal Credit Union received Aloha United Way’s Small Business Big Heart Spirit of Community Award. The Small Business Big Heart award is designed to recognize organizations with 100 or fewer employees for their generosity and acknowledges the importance of company employees who are dedicated to community issues.“We are committed to AUW to make our communities safer, healthier and stronger,” says CEO Ariel Chun. “Our involvement with this worthy organization has truly bonded our relationship with those in need.”
In addition, employee Paula Sumimoto-Matsushima was recognized with the Coordinator of the Year award. “Paula’s outstanding leadership with the AUW drive displayed an exceptional dedication that led UHFCU’s successful campaign. She organized bake sales, a book fair, compiled and sold cookbooks, raffled the CEO and director’s parking stall, an additional vacation day and allowed staff to dress casually for two weeks with a nominal pledge,” says Chun.
Hilo's National Model United Nations team.
National Model United Nations Competition Honors
For the second straight year, Hilo has received the Distinguished Delegation award at the National Model United Nations competition. The team placed in the top 10 percent of the more than 290 universities from around the world. It was the third straight year that the Hilo team, coached by Professor Phillip A. Taylor, won an award at the international competition.Hilo also represented the Republic of Congo exceptionally well. The team prepared for 30 contemporary world issues and contributed to the writing of well over 200 resolutions and reports. Senior Matthew “Zeke” Bailey twice chaired the Security Council and was elected as a vice president of the General Assembly’s Executive Committee. Lisa Leffingwell, Kari Rolon, Greg Conner and Mia Munekata were chosen as the outstanding delegates of their respective committees.
Ethann Oki served as team president, Amber Lee was head delegate, Bailey was the team’s business manager and Leffingwell was secretary. Rounding out the team were Rolon, Connor, Munekata, Keshia Adolpho, Kensy Apaka, David Chinn, Matthew Czarnota, Laina Dunn, Noah Gomes, Leilani Josselin, Ryan Kanaka'ole, Akea Kiyuna, James Kamaka Pili, Stacy Ruegilin, Cody Showalter, Kreesta Vesga and Asia Vanavichai.
UH People in Print
Thom Curtis, Hilo associate professor, contributed the chapter “Pandemics and Biological/Chemical Terrorism Attacks” to the Homeland Security Handbook.Hilo Professor Emmeline G. de Pillis co-authored “Are Engineering Schools Masculine and Authoritarian? The Mission Statements Say Yes” in the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.
Manoa Associate Professor Ali Fares co-authored “Water Balance Components in a Mature Citrus Orchard” in the Soil Science Society of America Journal.
Hilo Professor Ron Gordon had his paper “Beyond the Failures of Western Communication Theory” published in the Journal of Multicultural Discourses.
Kate McQuiston, Manoa assistant professor, published “Value, Violence and Music Recognized: A Clockwork Orange as Musicology” in Stanley Kubrick: Essays on his Films and Legacy.
Hilo Associate Professor Peter Mills and Assistant Professor Steve Lundblad had their paper “Science and Sensitivity: A Geochemical Characterization of the Mauna Kea Adze Quarry Complex” accepted for publication in American Antiquity.
Manoa Junior Science Researcher Paul A. Price co-authored “GRB 070125: The First Long-Duration Gamma-Ray Burst in a Halo Environment” in The Astrophysical Journal.
Manoa Center for Pacific Studies Publications Editor Jan Rensel and Emeritus Professor Alan Howard authored “Contextualizing Histories: Our Rotuman Experience” in Back in the Field Again: Long-term Fieldwork in Oceanic Anthropology.
Ivan Wen, Manoa assistant professor, published “The Impact of Website Quality on Customer Satisfaction and Purchase Intentions: Evidence from Chinese Online Visitors” in the International Journal of Hospitality Management.
Kudos
Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Administration Associate Dean Charles Kinoshita was reappointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's and U.S. Department of Energy's Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee.Hilo Professor Christopher Lu delivered a keynote address at the opening of the International Conference on Small Ruminant Production and Health in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions held in Muscat, Oman.
Yoshitaka Miike, Hilo assistant professor, was appointed as one of the four consulting editors of Intercultural Communication Studies, an official journal of the International Association for Intercultural Communication Studies.
Kapi'olani Assistant Professor Jeff Zuckernick was selected as a member of the Class of 2009 Emerging Leaders Academy. He was one of only 20 higher education faculty selected from across the nation for this program.
Positivist Approach to Japanese Primary Sources
Manoa Emeritus Professor George Akita published Evaluating Evidence: A Positivist Approach to Reading Sources on Modern Japan.In his introduction, Akita relates how and why he decided to adopt a positivist approach and explains what he means by the term as it applies to humanistic studies.
He enumerates the difficulties linked with reading primary sources in Japanese by looking at a variety of unpublished and published materials and identifying a major problem in reading published primary sources: the intervention of editors and compilers. He illustrates the pitfalls of such intervention by comparing the recently published seventeen-volume diary of Prime Minister Hara Takashi (1856–1921), a photo reproduction of the diary in Hara’s own hand, and an earlier published version.
Using documents related to Yamagata Aritomo (1838–1922), a figure of central importance in Japan’s post-Restoration political history, he demonstrates the use of published and transcribed primary sources to sustain, question, or strengthen some of the themes and approaches adopted by non-Japanese scholars working on modern Japanese history.
He ends his inquiry with two “case studies,” examining closely the methods of the highly acclaimed American historians John W. Dower and Herbert P. Bix.
Evaluating Evidence: A Positivist Approach to Reading Sources on Modern Japan is available from the UH Press website.
Photos Highlights
Kaua'i student Grecean Manuel was awarded a bronze medal in decorative cake at the Student Culinary Expo held at Kapi'olani. See more Kaua'i culinary medalists.
Over 180 people attended a reading and book signing featuring acclaimed novelist and human rights activist Ngugi wa Thiong'o and the most prolific and honored novelist of contemporary Samoan literature Albert Wendt on April 30, 2008. Ngugi was the third person to be named an Inouye Distinguished Chair of Democratic Ideals, a visiting academic position that is jointly hosted by the Manoa's Department of American Studies and the School of Law. Photo by Manoa Assistant Professor Theo Gonzalves.
Maui Community College graduates. Photo from the Maui website.
Commencement Ceremonies
The UH System celebrates the 2008 spring graduates.May 15—University Center at Maui, 5:30 p.m., H.P. Baldwin High School Auditorium, (808) 984-3525
May 16—Leeward, 5 p.m., Tuthill Courtyard, (808) 455-0011
May 16—Honolulu, 5:30 p.m., Waikiki Shell, (808) 845-9211
May 16—Hawai'i, 6 p.m., Edith Kanakaole Stadium, (808) 974-7611
May 16—Kapi'olani, 6 p.m., The Great Lawn, (808) 734-9576
May 16—Kaua'i, 6:15 p.m., Kauai Performing Arts Center (808) 245-8225
May 17—West O'ahu, 9 a.m., Leeward Tuthill Courtyard, (808) 454-4700
May 17—Windward, 1 p.m., Paliku Theatre, (808) 235-7469
May 17—Hawai'i (Kona ceremony), 4 p.m., King Kamehameha Hotel, (808) 974-7611
May 17—Hilo, 9 a.m., Edith Kanakaole Stadium, (808) 974-7555
May 18—Manoa, 9 a.m., undergraduate ceremony, 3 p.m., advanced degree ceremony, Stan Sheriff Center, (808) 956-6145
May 18—Maui, 1 p.m., Maui Cultural Center, Castle Theatre, (808) 984-3289
More Events
May 13—Cathy Leslie speaks on Engineering Without Borders, a humanitarian group devoted to developing communities, Manoa, Korean Studies auditorium, 5:30 p.m., (808) 956-7727
May 15—Manoa alumnus John Clark speaks on Guardian of the Sea: Tales of Hawai'i Fishermen from the 1900s, Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, 6:30 p.m., (808) 397-5840
May 16–17—The Lyon Arboretum celebrates Endangered Species Day with tours and activities, (808) 988-0461
Announcements
Nominations Sought for Governor's Awards for Service
The university is accepting nominations for the 2008 Governor's Awards for Distinguished State Service, State Manager of the Year and Team of the Year. The deadline to submit nominations for the 2008 Governor's Awards is Fri., May 30, 2008.The three awards—Employee of the Year, Manager of the Year and Team of the Year—are designed to honor the state's executive branch employees and managers who exemplify the highest caliber of public service and dedication to serving the people of Hawai'i.
Nominations are to be submitted to the Office of Human Resources, 2440 Campus Road, by May 30, 2008.
A memo from the president, detailed instructions, nomination forms and selection criteria for the three award categories may be viewed at the OHR homepage. For more information call 956-8607.
Fall 2008 Faculty and Staff Tuition Waivers
Eligible University of Hawai'i employees (this does not apply to graduate assistants) may enroll in credit courses in the university system and use a Faculty/Staff Tuition Waiver to pay for a maximum of 6 credit hours per semester. Employees must first apply for admission (submit a UH Admission Application Form to the Admissions Office) by the appropriate deadline and be admitted before registering for classes.Employees should disregard the scheduled registration time given to them by MyUH since Faculty/Staff Tuition Waivers are valid only for classes registered during the Late Registration Period, Aug. 25–Sept. 3. Employees must register on MyUH web site. Faculty and staff who register before the late registration period will be assessed all applicable tuition and fees. No refunds will be made.
Tuition and fees must be paid in full by Wed., Sept. 3, 2008, 4 p.m. (HST). Please refer to the Fall 2008 Schedule of Classes for detailed information.
For more information, contact the UH Cashier's Office at 956-7554, email or visit the website.
Manoa Fall 2008 Tuition Payment Deadline—July 18
Tuition and fees for students registering April 30 to July 18, 2008 must be paid in full or enrollment in the Payment Plan by Fri., July 18, 2008, 4 p.m. (HST). UH Installment Payment Plan will be offered starting July 1, 2008; see MyUH portal for details.If full payment or enrollment in the Installment Payment Plan is not made by July 18th, 4 p.m. (HST), your registration will be canceled.
Note: If you are a fall 2008 financial aid recipient, please disregard the July 18 deadline, your deadline is Wed., Sept. 3, 2008, 4 p.m. (HST). Please refer to the Fall 2008 Schedule of Classes for detailed information.
Full payment or enrollment in the Payment Plan must be POSTED to your MyUH account by July 18, 2008, 4 p.m. (HST).
Payment can be made with a credit card (MasterCard, VISA, or JCB); E-check or savings; or sign up for the Installment Payment Plan over the web by connecting to MyUH.
Check payments can be mailed to University of Hawai'i Cashier’s Office, 2600 Campus Road, QLC 105, Honolulu, HI, 96822-2205. Students should allow a minimum of 5 days for mail delivery to meet the payment deadline. Students should use the Mail-In Payment Remittance Form in the Fall 2008 Schedule of Classes to mail in their payment. Campus mail and drop off payments are not accepted.
Payment by cash or check can be made in person at the Cashier's Office, Student Services Center, First Floor, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For students’ convenience, the Cashier’s Office will have extended window service hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the period July 17 – July 18, 2008.
For more information, contact the UH Cashier's Office at 956-7554, email or visit the website.