The University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa ballroom dance team won its third consecutive national title at the (NCDC), in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 27–29.

Competing against 37 colleges, UH Mānoa once again took first place for “highest point average,” as well as a close second place for the overall team championship, asserting its place among the nation’s top ballroom dance college teams. Winning top honors in the highest point average requires most team members to perform exceptionally well in all events.

The dancers of the Ballroom Dance Club @UHM—a registered independent organization at UH Mānoa—are trained and coached by Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti. Narayan and Sumukti also represented �鶹��ý in the senior age division placing 1st in several events.

“We are no longer the underdogs, so all the other colleges are looking at us as the team to beat,” said Narayan, who is also an adjunct faculty member in the UH Mānoa . “The bar is getting raised higher and higher each year, but we prevailed once again. We are incredibly proud of the dedication of our dancers who put in many hours to prepare for this competition. We are grateful for the incredible support we have received from the entire ballroom community in the state of �鶹��ý.”

The Ballroom Dance Club @UHM was formed in September 2022, and the team took first place for “highest team average” in 2024 and 2025.

“Nationals was an amazing and eye-opening experience for me,” said Caleb Zerbe, who competed in the nationals for the first time. “Getting to see so many people dance and enjoy themselves on the floor made me realize how fun dancing can be, even at the highest stages. It was a moment that helped me build a lot of confidence, and one that I will never forget.”

Christopher Ramirez, who competed on all three victorious UH Mānoa teams, added, “Given the opportunity to compete at my third nationals, there is always something new to learn. Winning for the third year in a row has reminded me just how incredible it is to be a part of this team.”

Tough competition

NCDC is a grueling competition with events starting at 7 a.m. every morning. It consisted of multiple events based on proficiency (bronze, silver, gold, etc.). Each student danced in up to 32 different events at the bronze and silver skill levels. They competed in all four styles of ballroom dance including International Standard (waltz, tango, viennese waltz, foxtrot and quickstep), American Smooth (waltz, tango, foxtrot and viennese waltz), American Rhythm (chacha, rumba, swing, bolero and mambo) and International Latin (samba, chacha, rumba, paso doble and jive).

Several students took individual first place awards in their respective divisions defeating up to 70 other competitors in some events. This trip was designed to give the team exposure to a collegiate competition, as �鶹��ý has no statewide collegiate ballroom competitions.

More about the Ballroom Dance Club

The Ballroom Dance Club offers beginner classes to all UH Mānoa students, faculty and staff in studio 2 in the athletics department from 6—7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. No dance experience is required. For more information, or visit their Instagram page @bdcuhm.

The team would like to thank the Department of Information and Computer Sciences, UH Mānoa Department of Athletics, Student Activity and Program Fee Board, Associated Students of the University of �鶹��ý, USA Dance Honolulu and the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation for facility and financial support.

UH Mānoa 2026 nationals collegiate and adult team roster:

• Ravi Narayan, faculty (computer science), coach and alumnus
• Synthia Sumukti, coach and alumna
• ʻAulani Wagner, library science and American studies
• Alexander Picken, Earth science
• Amanda Kanthack, psychology and Japanese
• Caleb Zerbe, computer science
• Christopher Ramirez, linguistics
• Christopher Wright, electrical engineering
• Courtney Hisamoto, computer science
• D’Elle Martin, architecture
• Elijah Saloma, computer science
• Gregory Snyder, mechanical engineering
• Hannah Madiam, kinesiology
• Iris Calauan, pre-nursing
• Jonathan Bona, civil engineering
• Julietta Lopez, architecture
• Kanaru Ebi, psychology
• Karl Merritt, mechanical engineering
• Luis Hernandez, electrical and computer engineering
• Lyndsey Moku, political science
• Maya Ito, psychology
• Michaella Villanueva, computer science
• Noah Asano, computer science
• Samantha Reed, computer science
• Shaelyn Loo, computer science
• Tessa Heidkamp, journalism and political science
• Andrew Lin, computer science alumnus
• Sydney Kim, computer science alumna
• Jason Aguda, computer engineering alumnus
• Matthew Rummel, political science and business alumnus
• Ariel Ramos, cinematic arts animation alumna
• Yong-Sung Masuda, computer science alumnus
• Wilson Tran, computer science alumnus
• Florence Liu, faculty, mathematics

Luis Hernandez and Maya Ito dancing the American Cha-cha in the Collegiate Team Match where UH Mānoa placed 3rd. (Video courtesy: Calvin Ota)

Elijah Saloma and Michaella Villanueva dancing the International Quickstep in the Collegiate Team Match where UH Mānoa placed 3rd. (Video courtesy: Calvin Ota)

Coaches Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti dancing the Mambo in the Senior IV American Rhythm Championship final. (Video courtesy: Ravi Sundaram)

Students cheering for their coaches Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti (Video courtesy: Ravi Sundaram)

Internationally acclaimed poet and Marshall Islands climate envoy Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner, who is serving as the Spring 2026 Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�, will deliver a keynote lecture and poetry performance on April 1 at Orvis Auditorium. The free, public event invites the campus and broader community to hear directly from one of the Pacific’s leading voices on climate and justice.

As this year’s Inouye Chair, Jetñil-Kijiner is engaging the community on urgent issues shaping democratic life. Her lecture explores how the climate crisis in the Marshall Islands is inseparable from histories of colonialism, nuclear testing and displacement, offering a powerful, Pacific-centered perspective that connects lived experience to global climate conversations.

“As a writer, performer and diplomat, she moves across disciplines while creating art that brings people together,” said Peter Arnade, dean of the . “She offers a vital Pacific voice against the violence of the past and present. She reminds us what poetry can do, and why the humanities matter in a dehumanizing age.”

Jetñil-Kijiner currently serves as a climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, where she works on international climate diplomacy and national adaptation policy.

“Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner is a force in culture and climate diplomacy,” said Joyce Mariano, chair of the . “She has ignited audiences with poetry and performance from Majuro to Suva, Brisbane to Bonn. Her work will resonate deeply in �鶹��ý, and we are thrilled to have her in residence.”

Jetñil-Kijiner is co-teaching a class at UH ����ԴDz� and holding regular workshops with students. She will also headline a community arts event at Native Books �鶹��ý on April 17 at 6 p.m.

Inouye chair

The Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals, established by the late Senator Daniel Inouye and his wife, is jointly administered by UH ����ԴDz�’s and the .

This event is produced in collaboration with �鶹��ý Contemporary and in partnership with the UH Better Tomorrow Speaker Series, a joint venture of UH ����ԴDz�, �鶹��ý Community Foundation, Kamehameha Schools and UH Foundation. For more information or contact btss@hawaii.edu.

The University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� is giving readers and researchers a window into �鶹��ý’s Nisei experience by acquiring the archives of Milton Murayama (1923–2016). Murayama, a Maui-born Nisei author, playwright and MIS veteran, captured the struggles and triumphs of Japanese American families through his novels and plays.

, available in the library and online, includes drafts of novels, short stories and plays, unpublished works, correspondence, photos and other materials.

Murayama is best known for his novel tetralogy All I Asking for Is My Body (1975), Five Years on a Rock (1994), Plantation Boy (1998) and Dying in a Strange Land (2008), which fictionalize his family’s emigration from Japan and life on a Maui sugar plantation.

“We were honored to partner with Dawn Murayama [the author’s wife] in preserving Milton Murayama’s tremendous legacy, which will enrich the social, intellectual and cultural fabric of our community for generations to come,” said Leilani Dawson, manuscript collections archivist.

Dawn Murayama donated his papers along with a gift to support the archive’s work.

“My late aunt dedicated her life to her husband’s work. She wanted to be sure it was preserved and made accessible to future writers and researchers,” said grand-nephew David Wakukawa. “It’s important because it brings to life the Japanese American immigration experience of coming to �鶹��ý.”

Project archivist Tiffany Zarriello spent months processing, digitizing and organizing the collection. “Throughout this project, it has been an absolute joy and privilege to get to know Milton Murayama through the documents he’s left behind,” she said. (.)

The collection is now available online, with some materials requiring library access. Contact archives@hawaii.edu for details.

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As tariffs on Chinese imports soar as high as 145% under the Trump administration, the U.S.-China trade conflict has intensified—driving up costs, straining supply chains and raising concerns about lasting economic fallout. UH Mānoa Professor Eric Harwit, an expert in Chinese technology and trade, explains how these tariff hikes could hurt consumers and warns of broader consequences if semiconductors—vital to products from cars to kitchen appliances—are targeted next.

What is a tariff?

Well, a tariff basically is a tax on imports coming from a foreign country. The revenue goes to the American government but actually the payers of the tariffs are the importers, which are Americans. The important thing here is that tariffs add to the price of a product that an American pays which essentially translates into higher prices or inflation for American consumers.

What challenges do U.S. companies face when tariffs are raised, lowered or suspended with little warning?

The main problem is for American manufacturers, especially those who depend on imported components. They plan ahead for their production, many years ahead and so if they don’t know what the price of the importer product is going to be it makes it very difficult for them to continue their manufacturing in an efficient way. When tariffs go up and down or are suspended a few months here and there, it really plays havoc with what the manufacturers can do in terms of their planning and development. So it’s really going to harm, I think, many American manufacturers with unpredictability of the tariff rates.

President Trump has hinted at implementing tariffs on semiconductor chips produced in China. How could that impact the everyday consumer?

There are a lot of semiconductors in all kinds of products that people use daily, certainly our cars but even microwave ovens, those all need those kinds of advanced chips. If the producers of those products don’t know how much the chips are going to cost going forward then that affects their whole ability to manufacture efficiently. And again it’s going to increase the price of those products in the United States.

Theoretically in the long run it could help to develop the American semiconductor manufacturing sector, but again that’s in the very long run. In the near term, it’s going to harm American electronics producers. They won’t be able to get the chips that they need. China produces more of the “legacy chips” in other words, the less advanced chips that we use for automobiles for consumer electronics. They produce more than all the other countries in the world combined. If we can’t get those chips from China then anything pretty much that we manufacture using those kind of chips is going to be affected. And that’s going to harm the overall manufacturing especially those high tech sectors in the United States.

If we’re trying to be more competitive with China, say in the automobile industry or competitive with other countries, putting tariffs on imported chips from China is just going to slow down our ability to improve our automobile quality and production numbers and raise the prices of those products and harm the companies that we’re trying to help, mostly the car companies and consumer like products, electronic makers in the United States.

What long-term impacts could high tariffs and trade restrictions have on the U.S.-China economic relationship?

It’s going to devastate our economic ties between the U.S. and China. The Chinese in fact, are going to be looking with suspicion of future economic ties with the United States going forward. What it’s really going to do is drive the Chinese to develop their own technologies independent of American know-how. In some ways we’re sowing the seeds of our own destruction by not importing Chinese semiconductors and not exporting our own technology to the Chinese. They’ll develop their own technologies, cooperate more with Southeast Asia, maybe with Japan, South Korea, Europe definitely would still like to work with China. So we’re really isolating ourselves economically and that’s not going to be good for the American economy or for American consumers.

We should also do what President Biden advocated, which is to invest in our own technologies so at the same time that we keep our economic ties with China, we focus on developing technologies homegrown and compete with China; not defeat China but compete with them. And then it’s a win-win development for both countries.

The University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� has appointed internationally acclaimed artist Kapwani Kiwanga as the Spring 2025 Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals.

Kiwanga, who represented Canada at the 2024 Venice Biennale—one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art exhibitions. Kiwanga is known for her work exploring history, cultural memory, colonialism and the natural environment.

“Her research-driven artistic practice resonates deeply with the chair’s mission to pursue democratic ideals in the contemporary world,” said Peter Arnade, Dean of the College of Arts, Languages & Letters.

Kiwanga’s work has been exhibited in major institutions worldwide, from Munich to Shanghai. In �鶹��ý, she is a featured artist in the �鶹��ý Triennial 2025–a contemporary art exhibition held every three years in the islands. Her large-scale installation, “Vestibule,” is currently on view at Bishop Museum.

“Her work disrupts colonial narratives and encourages us to reexamine our understandings of both history and its contemporary consequences,” said Noelle Kahanu, a faculty member in American studies and co-curator of the �鶹��ý Triennial 2025. “In the context of �鶹��ý, her research practices and artistic expressions resonate in particularly significant ways.”

Free keynote

As part of her month-long residency, Kiwanga will deliver a keynote address on Thursday, February 27, at 7 p.m., at UH ����ԴDz�’s Art building auditorium in room 132. The event is free and open to the public and will explore her latest projects and artistic approach, which challenges dominant narratives and examines power dynamics. The address will be followed by a public conversation moderated by Kahanu.

For more on Kiwanga’s keynote and to RSVP, please visit the or website.

Inouye chair

The Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals, established by the late Senator Daniel Inouye and his wife, is jointly administered by UH ����ԴDz�’s and the .

This event is produced in collaboration with �鶹��ý Contemporary and in partnership with the UH Better Tomorrow Speaker Series, a joint venture of UH ����ԴDz�, �鶹��ý Community Foundation, Kamehameha Schools and UH Foundation.

International human rights lawyer and University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa alumni Julian Aguon has been selected as the Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals at UH Mānoa for fall 2024. Aguon will begin his residence on September 4, with a reading from his forthcoming book. UH Mānoa Dean Camille Nelson will also moderate a conversation with Aguon.

The opening event, “On Earning Hope for the Future,” will be held on September 4, at 6:30 p.m., at Orvis Auditorium at UH Mānoa. .

Aguon is the visionary behind Blue Ocean Law, a progressive firm that works across Oceania at the intersection of Indigenous rights and environmental justice. For the past five years, Julian and his team have served as legal counsel to the Republic of Vanuatu, which has spearheaded the historic pursuit of an advisory opinion on climate change from the International Court of Justice.

Aguon is an award-winning author of several books and articles, including To Hell with Drowning, which in 2022 earned him Pulitzer Prize recognition. He is also the author of the highly praised No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies.

“Julian Aguon is a powerful global voice in the courts, on the written page, and on the ground in communities across Oceania,” said Nelson. “Through razor-sharp legal analysis, searing political commentary, and moving storytelling, he urges radical listening to those most vulnerable. We are honored to have Julian join us for a semester-long residency at this critical moment in the climate crisis to uplift the rights and justice struggles of Pacific Island communities.”

During Aguon’s residency, he will co-teach (with Professor Susan Serrano) Pacific Island Legal Systems at the UH law school, while participating in class visits and community forums. The chair is hosted by the UH law school, together with the in the .

Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals

Established in 2005 by the UH Board of Regents, the Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals brings significant public figures to �鶹��ý to foster public discourse regarding democratic ideals and civic engagement. The program honors U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye and his wife, Maggie, for their lifetime of public service.

Former Inouye chairs include acclaimed political activist and author Angela Davis, ACLU National Legal Director David Cole, Pulitzer-prize winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen, and more.

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Acclaimed novelist Gina Apostol will be in residency at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa this spring semester as the .

Novels birth characters and impart ideas; however Apostol, an award-winning author, argues that they also build nations, as well as resistance within them. Using the Philippines and U.S. as case studies, she argues that novels have shaped national cultures while seeking to broaden the meanings of democracy and to hold the nations to their revolutionary promises.

“Having Gina Apostol here as our spring 2024 Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals provides us with an opportunity to honor the legacy of Dan and Maggie Inouye and to showcase how the creative arts both respond to and shape the civil and civic spheres,” said Peter Arnade, dean of the UH Mānoa .

During her residency at UH Mānoa, Apostol will teach a semester-long American studies graduate research seminar on “Narration and Nation.” Apostol will also meet with students, faculty and the broader community in a series of free public events.

• Brown Bag colloquium “Writing A Novel About My Mother: What the Hell Was I Thinking?” February 8, 12–1:15 p.m., Kuykendall Hall 410.
• Keynote Address “No Democracy Left Behind: On Novels, Nation, and Resistance,” February 22, 6:30 p.m., UH Mānoa Art Auditorium. .
• Colloquium sponsored by American Studies, Ethnic Studies, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies: “Women in War: Bodies and Minds as Sites of Resistance in Novels,” March 8, 12–1:15 p.m., Kuykendall Hall 306.
• Panelist at Project 1898 initiative, April 13–14 (time and location to be determined)

Apostol has written five novels, among them Insurrecto and La Tercera. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Review of Books and Washington Post. She has been awarded the Rome Prize, the PEN/Open Book Award, and two Philippine National Book Awards.

Inouye chair

The Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals program brings prominent scholars, artists and public intellectuals to �鶹��ý to share their life experiences and foster public discourse regarding democratic ideals and civic engagement. Established in 2005 by the UH Board of Regents, the Inouye chair is administered jointly by the in the College of Arts, Languages and Letters and the .

For further information, contact Elizabeth Colwill of UH Mānoa Department of American Studies at colwill@hawaii.edu.

An American studies professor in the (CALL) at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa has won multiple awards in Japan for her book, Dearest Lenny: Letters from Japan and the Making of the World Maestro. The Japanese version of Professor Mari Yoshihara’s critically acclaimed work based on personal letters penned by and to world-renowned musician Leonard Bernstein launched in October 2022.

The original book was published by Oxford University Press in 2019. Yoshihara, who authored the Japanese version herself, landed three distinguished honors; Kawai Hayao Prize for Stories, Japan Essayist Club award and Music Pen Club Japan award (publications in classical music category). Yoshihara joins �鶹��ý-born artist Bruno Mars, who also received a Music Pen Club Japan award in 2022. The coveted distinction recognizes works that contribute to enhancing musical culture.

“Mari Yoshihara is an internationally acclaimed scholar whose vibrant scholarship and academic profile greatly enhances CALL as a college and UH Mānoa as a university,” said CALL Dean Peter Arnade. “I am thrilled her recent book has garnered such acclaim and netted such prestigious awards in Japan. We are lucky to have a scholar of Dr. Yoshihara’s prominence on our faculty.”

Dearest Lenny interweaves the story of an intimate relationship between Bernstein, indisputably one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century, and two unknown Japanese individuals. The book features deeply expressive letters that touch upon political, economic, social and cultural history of U.S-Japan relations during the Cold War, dynamics of the arts and the state, and politics of gender and sexuality.

“Dr. Yoshihara is not only a top-notch scholar but also stands out as an English-Japanese bilingual author. I read her work in both languages and found it very inspiring,” said CALL Associate Dean Kimi Kondo-Brown.

Yoshihara joined the UH Mānoa faculty in 1997 after earning a BA from the University of Tokyo and MA and PhD from Brown University. She specializes in U.S. cultural history, U.S.-Asia relations, women’s, gender and sexuality studies, and literary and cultural studies. She is a prolific author of many publications such as Embracing the East: White Women and American Orientalism (Oxford, 2003), Musicians from a Different Shore: Asians and Asian Americans in Classical Music (Temple, 2007), and a number of books and articles in Japanese.

In 2020, she received the UH Board of Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research award. Yoshihara’s teaching excellence earned her a UH Mānoa Peter V. Garrod Distinguished Graduate Mentoring Award in 2007.

She is scheduled to release a bilingual memoir in Japan this fall.

In a first for the Smithsonian’s (NMAI), Halena Kapuni-Reynolds, a PhD candidate in the Department of American Studies at the , has been appointed associate curator for Native Hawaiian history and culture.

Although the museum’s physical location is in Washington, D.C., Kapuni-Reynolds will continue to reside and work from �鶹��ý Island. His supervisor Michelle Delaney, assistant director for history and culture, wrote the grant proposal for the nascent Native Hawaiian associate curator position to be community focused and 100% remote.

“We are thrilled to have Halena join the NMAI team and welcome the increased emphasis on Native Hawaiian cultural research and programming which will be developed over time,” Delaney said.

Kanaka ʻŌiwi scholar

Kapuni-Reynolds is a Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) composer and scholar, born on �鶹��ý Island and raised in Keaukaha. He holds a BA in anthropology and Hawaiian studies from (2013) and an MA in anthropology with a focus on museum and heritage studies from the University of Denver (2015). His master’s thesis, analyzed the ways in which aliʻi (Hawaiian chiefly) collections are cared for and exhibited at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum and the Lyman House Memorial Museum.

Prior to joining NMAI, Kapuni-Reynolds served as a graduate assistant for the at UH Mānoa, where he worked collaboratively with faculty members to organize conversations and events around museum decolonization and Indigenization. In 2022, he assisted in the development and implementation of Weaving a Net(work) of Care: A Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Museum Institute, a museological training program for individuals in �鶹��ý and across the Pacific, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

“When I was an undergraduate at the University of �鶹��ý at Hilo, I majored in anthropology and Hawaiian studies, took an array of courses focused on Hawaiian language, community-based archaeology and ethnohistorical research, and participated in numerous internships across East �鶹��ý. These experiences continue to inform my education at UH-Mānoa as an American Studies graduate student, where I have taken courses in museum studies, Indigenous studies, diasporic literatures, and U.S. history, culture, and politics,” Kapuni-Reynolds said. “I am grateful to the UH faculty and staff members who continue to support my intellectual and personal growth over the past 15 years.”

Community outreach and programming

Kapuni-Reynold’s new duties include performing professional curatorial work associated with research, exhibits planning and development, collections review, collections development and information, community outreach, public programming, education and public service functions.

This includes research for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 2024, specifically how to include participants from �鶹��ý to perform and share on the National Mall. He will also be developing new programming for the NMAI across the state. A traveling banner show on Hawaiian sovereignty may also be in his future.

In addition to these responsibilities, Kapuni-Reynolds is finishing his dissertation, which tells a decolonial story of the ʻāina aloha (beloved lands) of Keaukaha. Delaney said she hopes he will publish it with the NMAI.

Acclaimed political and cultural historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat will be in residency at the this spring semester as the .

Drawing upon decades of scholarship, Ben-Ghiat is a history and Italian studies professor at New York University, a Guggenheim fellow and advisor to Protect Democracy. She is also an MSNBC columnist and regular contributor to CNN and The Washington Post. Her latest book, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, looks at how illiberal leaders use propaganda, corruption, violence and machismo—and how they can be overcome.

“Having Dr. Ben-Ghiat here as our Spring 2023 Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals provides an opportunity to consider the surge in illiberal and authoritarian political currents across the globe from our unique vantage point of �鶹��ý and the broader Pacific,” said Peter Arnade, dean of the UH ����ԴDz� .

During her residency at UH ����ԴDz�, Ben-Ghiat will meet with students, faculty and the broader community in a series of free public events.

• Community conversation with East-West Center President Suzanne Vares-Lum, March 1, 6 p.m., Church of the Crossroads
• Keynote Address “Strongmen: How illiberal leaders consolidate power and how they can be defeated,” March 2, 6:30 p.m., UH ����ԴDz� Art Auditorium. Please register for the event here.

The Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals brings prominent scholars, artists and public intellectuals to Hawai‘i to share their life experiences and foster public discourse regarding democratic ideals and civic engagement. The Inouye chair is administered jointly by the in the College of Arts, Languages and Letters and the .

• Related UH News story: Activist, author, journalist Helen Zia to co-teach as Inouye chair, January 11, 2022

Sponsored in part by the UH , a joint venture of UH ����ԴDz�, �鶹��ý Community Foundation and Kamehameha Schools. Established in 2005 by the UH Board of Regents.

For further information, contact Noelle Kahanu of UH ����ԴDz� American Studies at nmkahanu@hawaii.edu.

University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�’s Brandy Nālani McDougall was named the 2023–25 . She is the second �鶹��ý State Poet Laureate, succeeding Kealoha, who served for 10 years from 2012 to 2022.

McDougall is an associate professor of Indigenous studies in the department, and the director of the . Her first poetry collection, The Salt-Wind, Ka Makani Paʻakai was published in 2008 and her second poetry collection, ʻĀina Hānau, Birth Land is forthcoming in summer 2023.

McDougall’s vision for her poet laureateship is to show how poetry and ʻāina together can be a strong source of healing and connection for the people of �鶹��ý.

“I plan to work with folks who are already doing such amazing work to protect and heal ʻāina. I also plan to work with organizations and schools who serve underrepresented and vulnerable communities,” said McDougall. “I believe writing poetry can be strengthening and transformative for them, but all of us need to hear their poems/stories so those poems can transform us, too.”

Fulfilling role as artist, poetry ambassador

The �鶹��ý State Poet Laureate role is part of a collaborative initiative between the , and the . The honor recognizes a �鶹��ý poet of exceptional talent and accomplishment.

During her three-year term, McDougall will hold public poetry readings and offer workshops at schools, public libraries and other community spaces throughout the state. She will also produce two poetry publications. One will be a print publication in ʻōlelo �鶹��ý (Hawaiian language), featuring poetry and mele by Pūnana Leo and Kula Kaiapuni students as well as other ʻōlelo �鶹��ý speakers. The other will be an online poetry archive, Puka Kinikini, which will feature poetry by local poets throughout �鶹��ý.

“We have had such a strong and vibrant poetry community here for generations now,” said McDougall. “I hope that both publications will be great resources for teachers and families to use so everyone in �鶹��ý can read, learn from and celebrate our poetry—and better yet, if they are moved to write poems, too!”

McDougall grew up watching her father write and perform his own mele, which sparked her own interest to do the same. As a child, she often made up her own songs and enjoyed hearing and telling the stories of her kūpuna. Today, she sees poetry as a source of healing, strength and resilience.

“Writing poetry is essential to healing because you really need to lay bare your own stories, to do the work of facing difficult memories and emotions. The poems then hold all of that for you so you don’t have to hold it inside anymore,” explained McDougall. “It’s so freeing and then to see that something beautiful may even come out of that experience—there’s so much life-affirming power in that.”

As a professor, McDougall uses poetry in her Indigenous studies courses to help her students think critically and creatively and to honor the power of their own stories and those of others.

“I find it helpful to use poetry to help students empathize and think beyond the politics of a particular Indigenous issue to also think about the experience of historical and ongoing trauma in our communities,” McDougall explained.

Inaugural poet laureate event

McDougall’s inaugural event as �鶹��ý State Poet Laureate will take place on Friday, January 13, 6–9 p.m. at the �鶹��ý State Art Museum (HiSAM). She will be sharing poems as part of HiSAM’s monthly jazz night, The Vibe.

For more information about the event, .

—By Alisha Churma

Leading expert in family law, constitutional law, and reproductive rights and justice, Melissa Murray has been selected as the at the for fall 2022. Murray will headline a presentation titled “Unpacking the Court: What Does a Conservative Super-majority Mean for the Court and America?” on October 19 at noon HST via Zoom.

The event is open to the public. .

“Melissa Murray is a trailblazer who is transforming both the legal and public discourse on the structures and systems that shape our intimate lives. Her path-forging work at the intersection of gender, race and law exposes how legal institutions can imperil—as well as bolster—our most cherished rights,” said UH Mānoa Dean Camille Nelson, who will moderate Murray’s presentation.

Read more about past Dan and Maggie Inouye chairs

Murray will be in residency at UH Mānoa March 20–24, 2023. During that time, she will participate in faculty workshops, class visits, and other forums for students and community leaders. The chair is hosted in the UH Mānoa in the and the UH law school. The role was created to bring significant public figures to �鶹��ý to foster public discourse regarding democratic ideals and civic engagement.

More on Murray

Murray is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes professor of law and faculty director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network at New York University (NYU) School of Law. Her award-winning research focuses on the legal regulation of intimate life and encompasses such topics as the regulation of sex and sexuality, marriage and its alternatives, the marriage equality debate, the legal recognition of caregiving, and reproductive rights and justice. She is an author of Cases on Reproductive Rights and Justice, the first casebook to cover the field of reproductive rights and justice.

Prior to joining the NYU faculty, Murray was the Alexander F. and May T. Morrison professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught for 12 years and served as faculty director of the Berkeley Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice and as the interim dean of the law school.

Murray is the co-host of , a popular podcast about the U.S. Supreme Court and the legal culture that surrounds it. Along with co-hosts Leah Litman and Kate Shaw, Murray is slated to record an episode of Strict Scrutiny in �鶹��ý in spring 2023. She has written for popular publications such as New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek and The Nation, and has offered commentary for numerous media outlets, including NPR, CNN, ABC, MSNBC and PBS.

Former Inouye chairs include Angela Davis, Ai-jen Poo, Helen Zia, David Cole and others. Established in 2005 by the UH Board of Regents, the Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals brings significant public figures to �鶹��ý to foster public discourse regarding democratic ideals and civic engagement. The program honors U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye and his wife, Maggie, for their lifetime of public service.

A new institute aimed at training early to mid-career Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders who work in museums and cultural heritage centers launched its inaugural four-week cohort on July 4. 20 individuals from �鶹��ý and across the Pacific—including Saipan, American Samoa and the Marshall Islands—are participating in Weaving a Net(work) of Care for Oceanic Collections: A Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Museum Summer Institute. Jointly hosted by the at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� and the (EWC), the institute focuses on museum management and collections care for institutions, professionals and communities that care for Oceanic collections.

Various educational workshops—preservation management, archival storage, gallery deinstall, disaster planning and more—have been presented by some of �鶹��ý’s top curators at Bishop Museum, ʻIolani Palace, UH ����ԴDz�’s Hamilton Library, Hawaiian Mission Houses and EWC.

“This project has exceeded our wildest expectations,” said Noelle Kahanu, a project manager at the institute. “We were inspired by an EWC museum institute that occurred in the early 70s, and the National Endowment for the Humanities supported our reinvisioned concept. We wanted to move beyond Western best practices and bring in museum experts and cultural leaders who could share their Indigenous perspectives. We wanted to demonstrate how you could care for your collections without a $1,000 vacuum cleaner or how to repair torn documents and maps.”

Community enrichment

Pamela Alconcel is soaking in every ounce of critical ʻike (knowledge) she can to take back to her home island. The ����Բ�ʻ�� native mentors youth at the Lānai Culture & Heritage Center (LCHC) where she helps keiki explore the rich history and significant sites of the island. Alconcel will be taking on a big project this year at LCHC as her team works to digitize archival collections to make it widely accessible to the community.

“To be able to collaborate and learn from others from the Pacific region, the expertise of those from the museum studies program and museum personnel, has been maikaʻi loa (excellent),” said Alconcel who has also worked for the UH Maui College ����Բ�ʻ�� Education Center for the past 18 years.

Participants will install a collective exhibit at the EWC gallery to showcase their expertise. The exhibit will be open to the public on Sunday, July 31, 2–3:30 p.m.

The institute was made possible by a $350,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person museum institute was postponed and re-envisioned to include a six-month virtual program which began on January 24 and concludes with the in-person portion this summer at EWC.

• Related UH News story: New institute builds next generation of Pacific Indigenous museum professionals, February 23, 2022

Refreshing a vision

The training cohort is inspired by a program EWC held in 1975 to assist communities in “conserving their cultural heritage and maintaining their cultural identities.” More than a dozen participants from throughout the Pacific received six months of hands-on training in ethnomusicology, museology and archives management.

Inspired by this history, the American studies department at UH ����ԴDz� approached EWC about offering something similar. Through consultation with the Pacific Islands Museums Association, a new focus and format was developed.

A University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa and professor emeritus is expanding awareness around the fragility of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s flora and fauna with his latest published work.

Joseph Stanton released the poetry book Prevailing Winds, this spring. The collection of poems are based on the award winning author’s fascination with works of art and nature, and spotlights many bright and some hauntingly dark glimpses.

“I have been especially concerned with drawing attention to Hawaiian honeycreepers and other birds in these islands that have gone extinct or are in danger of extinction,” Stanton explained. “I am hoping that readers will find that what has interested me is of interest to them.”

According to Stanton, his poem, “The Last Kauaʻi ʻŌʻō,” appears to be striking a strong chord with readers. The native bird disappeared from the Garden Isle’s forests in 1987, its extinction closely linked to predators ranging from rats to mosquito-borne diseases.

• Related UH News story: Cruise ‘B Street’ virtually at Windward CC gallery, March 11, 2021

Love of island diversity deepens with teaching

Stanton’s enchantment with the diversity of the islands began after arriving in �鶹��ý in 1972, the same year he started working at UH Mānoa. His teaching career took off in the 1990s at the university and spanned more than two decades until he retired in 2019.

“In every class I taught I found my knowledge of the subject to be deepening. To explain a work of art or a historical event involves telling a story. I found that every time I told a particular story I understood its details and implications better. Teaching is one of the best ways to continue learning,” Stanton said.

Stanton’s seven books of poems include Moving Pictures, Things Seen and A Field Guide to the Wildlife of Suburban Oahu. Among his scholarly books are Looking for Edward Gorey and The Important Books: Children’s Picture Books as Art and Literature. Among his scholarly publications are studies of American artists—including Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper and Edward Gorey.

Prevailing Winds is available at Amazon.com, BookEnds Bookstore in Kailua and Barnes & Noble Booksellers at Ala Moana Center.

A new institute helping to develop early to mid-career Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders working in museums and cultural heritage centers launched its inaugural cohort of 20 individuals. Hosted by University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�’s , in partnership with the (EWC), the institute was made possible by a $350,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2021.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 in-person museum institute was postponed and was re-envisioned to include a six-month virtual program which began on January 24. It will culminate in a four-week in-person program, scheduled for July 2022 at the East-West Center.

“Weaving a Net(work) of Care for Oceanic Collections” focuses on three distinct but related areas: collections care, conservation and exhibition development. The Oceanic collections that these professionals care for tell important stories about Pacific peoples and their contributions to the world. Unfortunately, opportunities for professional development are few and far between, and even when they are offered, they do not often align with the needs, values and cultural practices of these diverse communities.

“The enthusiasm has been overwhelming, but we are most excited by the selection of our cohort, which represents the depth and diversity of our Oceanic communities,” Project Director Noelle Kahanu said. “We have folks from ����Բ�ʻ��, �鶹��ý Island, Oʻahu, Guåhan, Saipan, American Samoa, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Samoa, Fiji, Kiribati, Aotearoa and Papua New Guinea. Our first virtual meeting took place across seven time zones!”

Nearly 50 years ago, in 1975, EWC held a training program to assist communities in “conserving their cultural heritage and maintaining their cultural identities.” More than a dozen participants from throughout the Pacific received six months of hands-on training in ethnomusicology, museology and archives management. Inspired by this history, UH ����ԴDz�’s Department of American Studies approached EWC about offering something similar. Through consultation with the Pacific Islands Museums Association (PIMA), a new focus and format was developed.

“We are pleased that the National Endowment for the Humanities is supporting this collaborative partnership between UH, the EWC Arts Program, PIMA, and dozens of museums, cultural institutions, heritage sector professionals and other supporters across the Pacific,” said Peter Arnade, dean of the College of Arts, Languages & Letters.

EWC President and UH ����ԴDz� alumna Suzanne Vares-Lum added, “Caring for and interpreting cultural collections honors the past and prepares us for the future. This type of professional network building strengthens real and lasting bonds across the Pacific, which is central to the East-West Center’s continued mission in the region.”

The 2022 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander museum cohort:

• Roldy Ablao, Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum, Guåhan/California
• Archie Ajoste, Northern Mariana Islands Museum, Saipan
• Pamela Alconcel, ����Բ�ʻ�� Heritage Center, �鶹��ý
• Wilbert Alik, RMI Ministry of Culture and Internal Affairs, Marshall Islands
• Meked Besebes, Internal Affairs, Palau
• Michael Bevacqua, Guam Museum, Guåhan
• Mina Elison, Donkey Mill Arts Center, �鶹��ý
• Nicole Duenas, University of Guam, Guåhan
• Ailini Eteuati, Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture, Samoa
• Regina Meredith Fitiao, Jean P. Haydon Museum, American Samoa
• Hoku ����ʻ����ʻ�徱�Բ�, ʻUluʻulu, UH West Oʻahu, �鶹��ý
• Kirikara Koraua, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kiribati
• Mereia Luvunakoro, Fiji Museum, Fiji
• Erlinda Naputi, Joeten-Kiyu Public Library, Saipan
• Erika Radewagen, Jean P. Haydon Museum, American Samoa
• Kuʻuleilani Reyes, Kamehameha Schools, Kapālama Campus, �鶹��ý
• Elyssa Santos, Commission on Chamorro Language and the Teaching of the History and Culture of the Indigenous People of Guam, Guåhan
• Ruby Satele, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Aotearoa New Zealand
• Tyler Warwick, University of Guam, Saipan
• Tiko Waundu, PNG National Museum and Art Gallery, Papua New Guinea

For more information, contact nhpimi@hawaii.edu.

This program is an example of UH ����ԴDz�’s goals of (PDF) and (PDF), two of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

Powerful and influential activist, author and journalist Helen Zia will be in residency at the during the first six weeks of the spring semester as the .

The daughter of immigrants from China, Zia was a member of the first class that included women to graduate Princeton University. She worked as a construction worker, an autoworker and a community organizer. She became an outspoken advocate on issues ranging from human rights and peace to Asian Americans, women and the LGBTQ+ community.

During her residency at UH ����ԴDz� from January 10 to February 20, Zia will co-teach AMST 442: Social Movements and will also interact with students and faculty in ethnic studies, journalism and women, gender and sexuality studies as well as American studies and William S. Richardson School of Law. Zia will be delivering her keynote address, “Transforming the ‘Other’ to ‘Us’: The Power of Unity and Re-Envisioning America,” on February 3 at 5 p.m. The virtual keynote address is free and open to the public.

Zia played an instrumental role in bringing federal civil rights charges against the perpetrators of the 1982 murder of Chinese American Vincent Chin. The case became a catalyst for the broad mobilization of the Asian American community and the movement against hate violence. Zia is featured in Who Killed Vincent Chin?, a documentary film about the case and its implications.

Zia was the executive editor of from 1989 to 1992 and a founding board co-chair of the Women’s Media Center. Her first book, was published in 2000, and she also co-authored , the Los Alamos scientist falsely accused of being a spy for China. She has received numerous awards for her ground-breaking articles, essays and reviews on a range of issues.

In 2019, Zia published Last Boat out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao’s Revolution, which traces the lives of migrants and refugees from Shanghai based on extensive archival research and interviews with more than a hundred survivors of the exodus.

“Zia is a trailblazer who has consistently fought with and for marginalized people and communities. Learning from and interacting with her will be an incredible opportunity for the UH community,” said Vernadette Gonzalez, professor of American studies and the director of the Honors Program.

This event is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

As a scholar of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and environmental law, Professor Rebecca Tsosie has been selected as an endowed chair at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa. Tsosie will headline a live presentation “” on October 28, at 12 p.m.

Tsosie was selected to serve as the Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals for fall 2021. She will be in virtual residence for the semester, participating in a variety of events with students, faculty and community leaders. The chair is hosted in the UH Mānoa in the and the and was created to bring significant public figures to �鶹��ý to foster public discourse regarding democratic ideals and civic engagement.

Tsosie is a regents professor at the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona. She previously directed the Indian Legal Program at Arizona State University and is credited with establishing a nationally recognized center known not just for its educational leadership but also its direct service to tribal governments. Tsosie, who is of Yaqui descent, also serves as a justice for the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Supreme Court and as a judge on the San Carlos Tribal Court of Appeals.

As the author of a leading federal Indian law casebook and more than 50 articles and book chapters, Tsosie has written influential scholarship on topics such as cultural sovereignty, Indigenous self-determination and biodiversity.

“Rebecca Tsosie is a trailblazer who transformed the field of federal Indian law. Her thoughtful exploration of the intersection between Indigenous rights and environmental justice will be especially valuable to the conversations happening now in our community. She is also a devoted teacher who will be an inspiration to our students,” said UH Law School Dean Camille Nelson.

This event is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

A new aimed at revamping the protection of wahi kūpuna or ancestral sites across �鶹��ý has recently been released to the public. Kumu (teachers) from , and stemming from a wide umbrella of departments, ranging from anthropology, Hawaiian and American studies and marine and natural resource management participated in developing fresh strategies to safeguard �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s cultural sites and practices.

“For decades we have witnessed wahi kūpuna, wahi pana (storied or legendary places) and iwi kūpuna (ancestral remains) impacted and destroyed at an alarming rate,” said UH Mānoa and UH Hilo archaeology alumna Kelley Lehuakeaopuna Uyeoka, who helped organize a wahi kūpuna stewardship Think Tank in 2019 through her non-profit organization Huliauapaʻa. “Even today, the news is filled with stories on development projects destroying our sacred places and the bones of our ancestors. Wahi kūpuna are ancestral spaces and places where we maintain relationships to the past, fostering our identity and well-being in the present.”

Collaborators of the newly published are encouraging the public to read the document to understand what can be done to expand the protection of ancestral sites.

On August 17, an was launched to encourage people to support the Kaliʻuokapaʻakai Collective’s vision of empowering communities, professionals and agencies to work collaboratively to protect, restore, reinvigorate and appropriately steward �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s wahi kūpuna.

In April 2019, more than 100 participants from UH and across 15 different sectors attended the two-day Think Tank to discuss a range of challenges, opportunities, and solutions for wahi kūpuna stewardship. Real-time data was compiled through topic area panels, facilitated breakout discussions and live surveys. Participants shared, documented, evaluated and prioritized existing and new information, knowledge and practices. Potential strategies proposed at the event were compiled and published in the report, a first-ever analysis of the current state of cultural resource management and historic preservation in �鶹��ý.

“Much was accomplished and the Kaliʻuokapaʻakai Collective hopes to hold these types of ‘conferences with kuleana (responsibilities)’ every two to three years to continue to tackle systems change in �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s cultural resource management field,” said Director Kekuewa Kikiloi, who helped spearhead the event.

The report highlights four topic areas contributors believe �鶹��ý is facing such as restoration, proper care of burial sites, improvement of consultation with the community and the expansion of ʻike �鶹��ý (Hawaiian knowledge or thought). The report also lists systemic shortfalls in the current handling of wahi kūpuna which include the lack of digital access to ancestral sites data and severe staffing shortages within the state’s historic preservation division.

Kānaka ʻōiwi (Native Hawaiians) propelled to defend the handling of ancestral lands refer to an array of controversial sites such as the destruction of heiau to make way for the H-3 freeway in Kāneʻohe, construction of a luxury home on top of burials at Naue, Kauaʻi, and the continued push for development on Maunakea.

“This report aims to bring awareness to specific wahi kūpuna stewardship issues and highlight ways that individuals, organizations, professionals and others can take action towards greater stewardship,” Uyeoka added.

E pū paʻakai kākou, a resilient people that can survive together.

According to Kikiloi, the translation of Kaliʻuokapaʻakai breaks down to the deeply symbolic term, “the essence of salt” which illustrates the powerful Hawaiian metaphor of paʻakai (salt) as an agent of protection, preservation, healing and bringing people together. The term was coined by the late Uncle Eddie Kaanana.

“The concept of paʻakai also calls to mind the historical landmark legal case, Ka Paʻakai o ka ʻĀina,, that reaffirmed the traditional and customary rights of Native Hawaiians,” Kikiloi explained.

• Related UH News stories:
  • Connection to ʻāina critical to health among Native Hawaiians, September 30, 2020
  • Journal publishes largest collection of scientific publications by Native Hawaiians, February 11, 2019

The 2018 Kīlauea eruption, teaching during COVID-19 and groundwater discharge at Oʻahu’s Shark’s Cove, are just a few of the diverse faculty-mentored undergraduate research projects and creative works highlighted at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� recently. A nine-week summer research and learning experience culminated with virtual presentations to fellow students, faculty, staff and invited guests.

Hosted by the (UROP), 85 undergraduate students—working individually or in groups—showcased their projects at the , July 30.

This was UROP’s largest ever SURE Symposium, which is estimated to have drawn more than 350 people. The annual event provides undergraduate students the opportunity to showcase their work, while also receiving feedback from peers, experts and community members.

“The SURE Symposium gives students a stage to show off their impressive research and creative work during the summer, an otherwise quiet time when they may not get much attention or recognition from the community at large,” UROP Coordinator Jessie Chen said. “We want students to know that summer can be a great time to really tap into the resources we offer at UROP.”

The Liliʻu Project

A first-ever documentary film on the music of Queen Liliʻuokalani, the project years-in-the-making by UH students celebrates her work by incorporating two narratives: a historical biography and contemporary interpretations of the queen’s work. The students use archival photos, recordings, film clips and interviews, interwoven with recent work of local musicians Starr Kalahiki and John Signor updating, rehearsing and performing the queen’s songs all over the world. Born out of several years ago, creators of this unique project are wrapping up their research and diving into production.

“Our team has been hard at work this summer. In addition to preparing for the SURE Symposium, our team has been conducting interviews with notable figures in the Hawaiian community and experts in the field,” said Aleta Hammerich, one of the film’s producers and UH ����ԴDz� junior and major.

“We’ve also been transcribing these interviews, applying for grants, searching state and national archives for historical photos, manuscripts and archival films, hosting Zoom meetings with experts on the neighboring islands and the North American Continent, and editing specific segments of the film that will later coalesce to form the final film.”

Under the guidance of Associate Professor Joel Moffett, student creators eventually hope audiences of the film will have a greater understanding and appreciation for the queen’s music.

“We hope to provide viewers with a uniquely intimate and timely perspective into Liliʻuokalani‘s life,” said Justin Ocampo, film co-director and UH ����ԴDz� junior and major. “Specifically, we hope to provide a point of accessibility into her perceptions of the human condition (love, romance, loss); her fierce love for her people and the ʻ�徱�Բ� (land); the guiding role of her Christian faith; her diplomatic role as a stateswoman; her willingness to innovate and challenge the status quo; and above all, her grace in the face of seemingly insurmountable and destructive forces.”

The project team hopes to release the film in spring 2023.

Urban agriculture in Honolulu

�鶹��ý’s heavy reliance on imported goods and the future impact of climate change on food production are just two of the reasons why a UH ����ԴDz� senior focused her project on urban agriculture (vertical farming, community gardens, hydroponics and greenhouses) in Honolulu. In this public impact research project, Seraphina King conducted interviews with stakeholders, and reviewed existing literature and case studies to determine how Honolulu government and non-governmental organizations are engaging in urban agriculture.

“The research is ongoing. So far, I would say that urban agriculture could have positive outcomes for Honolulu,” King said. “However, it is hard to implement due to competing land uses and current policies that limit zoning. My research seems to point to what some scholars have said about urban agriculture—it cannot be a substitute for food imports but could bolster community resilience.”

King, who was mentored by Associate Professor Priyam Das, said she hoped attendees of her presentation gained a “better understanding of urban agriculture and what it can offer in terms of expanding food production in cities.” She added, “It might even spark interest in thinking of ways they want to become engaged in urban agriculture projects in their communities.”

UROP funding support

The Liliʻu Project earned UROP’s of up to $15,000 for summer undergraduate research and creative work, while the project on urban agriculture received UROP . Each year, UROP awards approximately $500,000 in funding to support faculty-mentored undergraduate student projects and presentations.

This program is an example of UH ����ԴDz�’s goals of (PDF) and (PDF), two of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

—By Marc Arakaki