The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Engineering is expanding its environmental monitoring and research capabilities thanks to a $30,000 donation from the Hawaiʻi Water Environment Association (HWEA).
The HWEA gift will help upgrade the college’s environmental engineering lab through the acquisition of advanced instruments—most notably a state-of-the-art gas chromatograph system that acts like a high-tech “nose” that can sniff out and measure different gases in the air—expanding UH’s ability to analyze environmental samples with higher precision. The measurement of greenhouse gases such as methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, as well as compounds tied to odor and corrosion concerns, are key issues for wastewater facilities, community health and regulatory compliance.
“This gift is a vital investment in the research and education capacity of our Environmental Biotechnology Research Group at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa,” said Zhiyue Wang, assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering and the Water Resources Research Center. “By supporting everything from the acquisition of advanced analytical equipment and software to student travel and professional seminars, these resources allow us to maintain the high-level technology and scholarly records necessary to solve Hawaiʻi’s most pressing environmental challenges.”
The upgraded instruments will also provide new learning opportunities for students through lab instruction, capstone projects and research experiences involving advanced analytical techniques used across commercial and municipal laboratories. It also opens the door for deeper collaboration and knowledge exchange between UH and water environment professionals statewide, including potential lab tours, seminars and shared learning opportunities.
The lab’s enhanced capabilities align with HWEA’s mission to protect and enhance Hawaiʻi’s water environment by supporting research at the intersection of air and water quality and by helping train the future workforce in modern analytical methods.
