News@UH
Willard Wilson Award
Kenneth Kato, Honolulu’s vice chancellor of administrative services, was honored with the The Willard Wilson Award for Distinguished Service to the University. In his 40-year career, Kato set the standard for exemplary service to the university. His diligent actions ensure the Honolulu campus is well run, safe and meets the needs of students, staff and faculty.
He always volunteers for campus activities and is regularly on campus from sunrise to sunset. Kato has a distinguished record of quality service and is known as someone who willingly goes beyond the call of duty. He takes the initiative to address problems before they occur and is the person to turn to whenever assistance is required to resolve difficult issues.
His colleagues concur that Kato “clearly stands out as one of the best of the best.”
Honolulu Chancellor Michael Rota says that Kato “is a resourceful, dedicated, loyal and personable employee with extensive knowledge and experience in his field of expertise.”
Kato will be recognized for his achievements along with other UH award recipients at the annual Convocation ceremony in the fall.
Budget Restriction Update
President David McClain distributed an email message to the UH 'ohana July 1 providing an update on the budget restrictions imposed by the legislature and governor.
McClain wrote that the university's general funds will be reduced by $76 million in the 2010 fiscal year and $78 million in 2011.
The message breaks down the impact by major units and discusses possible approaches to dealing with it, including a 13-day furlough of state-funded employees (pending the court's decision on employee unions' challenge to the governor's furlough plan) and efficiencies such as closing campuses (except for essential services) during winter and spring breaks.
Left: Submillimeter Array image of 253-1536 taken at a wavelength of 880 microns. Photo from University of Hawai‘i. Right: The optical image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Photo by Nathan Smith.
New Solar Systems
Manoa doctoral student Rita Mann and Associate Astronomer Jonathan Williams, using the Submillimeter Array on Mauna Kea, found a binary star-disk system in which each star is surrounded by the kind of dust disk that is frequently the precursor of a planetary system. The discovery was published in the Astrophyiscal Journal Letters.
A binary star system consists of two stars bound together by gravity that orbit a common center of gravity. Most stars form as binaries, and if both stars are hospitable to planet formation, it increases the likelihood that scientists will discover Earth-like planets.
This binary system, 253-1536, stands out as the first known example of two optically visible stars, each surrounded by a disk with enough mass to form a planetary system like our own. It lies 1,300 light-years from Earth, in the famous Orion Nebula, the kind of rich cluster of stars that is a common birth environment for most stars in our Milky Way galaxy, including our sun.
Hilo’s Analytical Equipment Experience
Hilo’s College of Pharmacy and Department of Chemistry are collaborating to give students the opportunity to gain experience on the Powder X-ray Diffractometer at the Minority Biomedical Research Support X-ray Diffraction Laboratory under Associate Professor Charles Simmons.
Professor Ken Morris acquired the approximately $280,000 instrument when he joined the College of Pharmacy last year. The shared space has given rise to several joint projects as well as providing training for students on the same equipment used by the best private and public laboratories world-wide.
The Powder X-ray Diffractometer is used to look at the internal structure and properties of bulk material in everything from food and drugs, polymers, geological samples and semiconductors.
"Though we anticipate ample facilities in the planned College of Pharmacy building, we need to establish our research programs now to insure future success and to provide opportunities for our students," says Morris. "Analytical instrumentation such as this is essential for my continued research in pharmaceutical materials science that has been my focus for some 30 years.”
“Without Dr. Simmons’ generosity, it would have been difficult or impossible for me to so rapidly establish a laboratory and achieve the success we’ve already had. We are now collaborating on a range of projects that, hopefully, should benefit both UH Hilo and our community," says Morris.
Board Report
At the July meeting, the Board of Regents approved amending BOR bylaws section 1-5, policy on nondiscrimination and affirmative action, to prohibit discrimination based on a person’s “gender identity and expression.” Also approved were technical revisions to the terminology in section 1-5. The changes include updating the term “handicap” to “disability,” changing “veteran status” to “status as a covered veteran,” and changing “sexual harassment” to “discriminatory harassment, including sexual harassment.” (Read more)
The regents also approved the charter of the Pūko‘a Council. The primary role for the council is to provide information and advice to the president of the university on issues relevant to Native Hawaiians and Native Hawaiian culture, language and history. (Read more)
Kudos
Hilo Professor Stephen C. Hora was named director of the Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events at the University of Southern California.
CREATE was established in 2004 by the Department of Homeland Security and is the nation’s first Center of Excellence supporting research in response to the threat of terrorism to be based at a university. The center is tasked with developing predictive models to gauge how and where terrorist events might occur, calculating their economic consequences and identifying the nation’s vulnerabilities. Hora said he looks forward to his new responsibilities with mixed emotions.
Hora has served as a professor of management science and statistics at Hilo since 1985. He was also interim vice chancellor for academic affairs from 2005 to 2007 and interim dean for the College of Arts and Sciences from 2003 to 2004.
Anniversary List
Samoan Language Coursebook
UH Press published Gagana Samoa: A Samoan Language Coursebook, revised edition by Galumalemana Afeleti Hunkin.
Gagana Samoa is a modern Samoan language resource. Designed for both classroom and personal use.
Gagana Samoa features
- a methodical approach suitable for all ages
- an emphasis on patterns of speech and communication through practice and examples
- 10 practical dialogues covering everyday social situations
- an introduction to the wider culture of fa'asamoa through photographs
- more than 150 exercises to reinforce comprehension
- a glossary of all Samoan words used in the coursebook
- oral skills supplemented by an optional CD
Gagana Samoa: A Samoan Language Coursebook is available from the UH Press website.
Aquaponics and Sustainability
James Rakocy speaks on Aquaponics and Biofloc Systems July 7, 9:30 a.m., at Manoa’s Art auditorium; July 9, 8:45 a.m., at Kapi'olani ‘s Ohia 118 and July 10, 1 p.m. at Hilo’s UCB 111.
Rakocy’s research has concentrated on the development of production systems for tilapia that conserve and reuse water and recycle nutrients. He and his colleagues have developed aquaponic and biofloc systems, which intensify production and utilize dissolved nutrients for hydroponic vegetable production and solid organic waste for the production of field crops. (808) 259-1675
More Events
July 8—Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba commemorates the 50-year sister city relationship between Honolulu and Hiroshima, Manoa, Imin Center, 12 p.m., (808) 944-7111
July 9—Chad Yoshinaga speaks on Life at a Monk Seal Camp, Hanauma Bay Education Center, 6:30 p.m., (808) 397-5840
July 9—GB Hajim speaks on Building a Film Community, Manoa, Krauss 012, Yukiyoshi room, 7 p.m., (808) 956-8244
July 10–12—MELE Songwriters Workshop with local professionals and award-winning songwriters, full schedule, Honolulu, Norman Loui Conference Center, (808) 844-2344
July 10—Stan Waterman presents his underwater videos, Waikiki Aquarium, 7:30 p.m., (808) 440-9011
July 12—Karate demonstration by Hawai'i Karate Kenkyukai, Manoa, Art auditorium, 10:30 a.m., (808) 956-8688
For more events visit the UH calendar.
Announcements
Fall 2009 Tuition Payment Deadline-July 17
Tuition and fees for students registering April 30 to July 17, 2009 must be paid in full or enrollment in the payment plan by Fri., July 17, 2009, 4 p.m. (HST).UH installment payment plan will be offered starting July 1, 2009; see MyUH portal for details. If full payment or enrollment in the installment payment plan is not made by July 17, 4 p.m. (HST), your registration may be canceled. Note: If you are a fall 2009 financial aid recipient, please disregard the July 17 deadline, your deadline is Wed., Sept. 2, 2009, 4 p.m. (HST). Please refer to the fall 2009 Schedule of Classes for detailed information.
Full payment or enrollment in the payment plan must be POSTED to your MyUH account by July 17, 2009, 4 p.m. (HST). Payment can be made with a credit card (MasterCard, VISA, or JCB); eCheck or eSavings; 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 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 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 17, 2009. Students who are due a refund should verify their mailing address is correct and sign up for eRefund on their MyUH portal.
For more information, contact the UH Cashier's Office at 956-7554, email or go the MyUH website.
Fall 2009 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. 24 to Sept. 2. Employees must register on MyUH website. 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. 2, 2009, 4 p.m. (HST). Absolute last day to process fall 2009 faculty/staff/spouse/domestic partner tuition waivers will be Mon., Sept. 14, 2009, 3:30 p.m. (HST).
Please refer to the fall 2009 Schedule of Classes for detailed information.
For more information, contact the UH Cashier's Office at 956-7554, email or go the MyUH website.