May 22, 2006

Regents Approve Appointments

Linda Johnsrud	Peter Quigley	Peter Crouch

At its May monthly meeting, the UH Board of Regents approved several appointments.
• Linda Johnsrud, vice president for academic planning and policy, UH System (read more)
• Peter Quigley, chancellor, Leeward (read more)
• Peter Crouch, dean, Manoa’s College of Engineering (read more)

In other action, the board
• established an associate in applied science in Hawaiian lifestyles at Hawai‘i and an associate of science degree in commercial aviation at Honolulu (read more)
• approved the exemption of payment of the non-resident tuition differential for members of the Hawai‘i National Guard and Hawai‘i Reserves (read more)
• voted on a UH Foundation proposal to extend the Centennial Campaign period to June 30, 2009, with a goal of $250 million. (read more)

Haleakala Telescope Finds Planet

The XO telescope on the summit of the Haleakala looks like a large pair of binoculars. Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Stys (STScI)

An international team of astronomers used a small, automated telescope located on Haleakala to discover a planet orbiting a Sun-like star 600 light-years from Earth. The team includes UH astronomer James Heasley.

Researchers used a relatively inexpensive telescope made from off-the-shelf components to scan the skies for extra-solar planets. They found the planet, dubbed XO-1b, by noticing two percent dips in the star's light output when the planet passed in front of the star. The observation also revealed that XO-1b is in a tight four-day orbit around its parent star, which is in the constellation Corona Borealis.

UH staff on Maui who made operation of the XO telescope possible include Bill Giebink, Les Hieda, Jake Kamibayashi, Daniel O’Gara and Joey Perreira. Read the news release.

Hyperbaric Center Wins Accreditation

The School of Medicine’s Hyperbaric Treatment Center won national accreditation by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society—one of only 60 accredited facilities in the United States and the only one in Hawai‘i. HTC is the nation’s second-most active dive accident treatment facility for recreational divers, averaging 50–60 accident cases each year. The facility also conducts clinical research and teaches medical residents and medical school students. Read more.

Honolulu’s Phi Theta Kappa Honored

Honolulu’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges, was one of 25 chapters to receive the Distinguished Chapter Award. Honolulu’s Alpha Kappa Iota was selected from 1,200 honor society chapters located at community and junior colleges across the United States, Canada, Germany, Micronesia and Palau. The chapter advisor is Associate Professor Lena Low.

In addition to Honolulu’s award, an individual award was presented to Kapi‘olani chapter officer Christine Tooher. Read more.

Taro Patent Discussions Advancing

Senior administration officials from Manoa are engaged in ongoing discussions on the matter of patents held by the university on improvements to certain varieties of taro.  Chancellor Denise Konan and Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education Gary K. Ostrander issued a joint statement that includes some background on the issues, along with an update on the discussions. Read the statement.

Manoa Aims to Reduce Energy Use

Manoa Chancellor Denise Konan signed a letter of agreement with the National Energy Star Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program aimed at reducing energy consumption by promoting cost effective, energy efficient products and design standards. Energy Star participation is coordinated by the Center for Smart Building and Community Design at Sea Grant College.

“The program has already been implemented in the student residence halls, and we expect significant, measurable results very quickly,” says Konan. Read more.

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