The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa has identified a large-scale tropical disturbance called the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) as a significant driver of the islands’ climate, including extreme events, such as the extraordinary rainfall Â鶹´«Ã½ experienced in March and April. This weather pattern travels eastward through the tropics every 30–60 days and, , significantly boosts rainfall during its active phases, particularly on windward slopes.

This research advances scientific knowledge of the processes that influence ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s climate and can help improve forecasts one to three months in advance.

“Understanding how the MJO affects ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s climate helps explain rainfall variability on timescales of weeks to months,” said Audrey Nash, lead author of the study and doctoral candidate in the in UH ²Ñā²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s . “The MJO evolves slowly and can be monitored in real time. Understanding its influence can help scientists and forecasters better anticipate periods of heavy rainfall, drought conditions, and shifts in weather patterns across the islands.”

High-resolution data reveals the pattern

While the MJO was known to influence weather patterns across the tropics, its impact on Â鶹´«Ã½ had not previously been examined in detail at timescales of one to three months.

Nash and Giuseppe Torri, associate professor of atmospheric sciences, analyzed long-term, high-resolution atmospheric and rainfall datasets covering Â鶹´«Ã½ and the surrounding Pacific Ocean, including data from the Â鶹´«Ã½ Climate Data Portal. By compositing rainfall, temperature and atmospheric variables across different phases of the MJO, they identified consistent patterns showing how the MJO modulates rainfall and climate conditions across the Hawaiian Islands.

“We expected a small impact, but it was surprising how consistently rainfall across the islands responds to active and suppressed phases of the MJO,” said Nash.

Active phases of the MJO are also associated with cooler temperatures, higher humidity and stronger northeasterly winds across the islands. The authors note that these patterns appear to be linked to large-scale atmospheric responses to the MJO, including slow moving Rossby waves in the central North Pacific and strengthening of the local Hadley Circulation, a major feature of global atmospheric movement that cools the tropics and warms the poles.

“Improving our understanding of rainfall variability is critical for water management, agriculture, and hazard preparedness,” said Nash. “This work reflects the University of ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s mission to study the unique environmental systems that shape life in the islands and to provide science that benefits local communities.”

The earned high marks in nearly 20 academic subjects in the , with , and leading the way among the highest-ranked programs.

Oceanography ranked No. 5 in the U.S. and No. 7 in the world, atmospheric science placed No. 8 nationally and No. 11 worldwide, and hospitality and tourism management ranked No. 12 in the U.S. and No. 32 in the world.

The rankings were released by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy and is considered one of the most comprehensive and objective assessments of university performance by discipline.

UH Mānoa also posted strong global and national placements across science, engineering, social science and other fields. tied for No. 17 in the U.S. and ranked No. 51–75 worldwide, while ecology and each tied for No. 24 nationally and placed No. 76–100 globally.

Additional UH Mānoa subjects recognized in the 2025 rankings include communication, education, political science, water resources, biological sciences, civil engineering, food science and technology, environmental science and engineering, agricultural sciences, economics, management and physics.

“These rankings reflect the depth and consistency of excellence at UH Mānoa,” Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos said. “Our faculty are advancing research that matters locally and globally, while preparing students to address some of the most pressing challenges facing our world.”

UH Mānoa was evaluated alongside approximately 2,000 universities from more than 100 countries and regions, selected from a global pool of more than 25,000 institutions. The rankings are based on measures such as world-class faculty, world-class research output, high-quality research, research impact and international collaboration.

Other recent rankings:

• 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, October 9, 2025
• Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. rankings, October 2, 2025
• U.S. News and World Report 2026 Best Colleges rankings, September 23, 2025

For more information, .

—By Marc Arakaki

With a focus on marine and atmospheric sciences, researchers from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa and University of Tokyo, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI) convened in Tokyo, Japan for a three-day conference in early October.

The 2025 Joint Conference on Ocean, Coastal, and Atmospheric Sciences, the fifth such joint event since 2008, is designed to facilitate the exchange of research findings and provide opportunities for future collaboration and partnership on grants, research and publications among participants.

“This long-standing collaboration between UH Mānoa and the University of Tokyo reflects the best of international science—grounded in trust, shared purpose, and a collective commitment to understanding and protecting our planet’s ocean and atmosphere,” said Darren Lerner, interim associate dean for research at the UH Mānoa (SOEST) and (Â鶹´«Ã½ Sea Grant) director.

Sharing knowledge, expanding connections

Twenty faculty members, postdocs and graduate students from SOEST and other UH departments shared their latest work on marine debris and microplastics; changing ocean currents and climate; biology and ecology of sharks, coral, and deep-sea animals; sustainable aquaculture; and more. After two days of presentations, UH Mānoa participants were invited to visit AORI laboratories and field research activities related to their interests.

“Meeting with collaborators at AORI expanded my understanding of how processes that affect our home communities in Â鶹´«Ã½—like ocean warming, deoxygenation, and changing climate cycles like El Niño–manifest in Japan’s coastal waters,” said Sara Kahanamoku-Meyer, SOEST assistant researcher and Early Career Research Fellow who participated in the conference.

The Joint Conference on Ocean, Coastal, and Atmospheric Sciences is aligned with an agreement between UH Mānoa and the University of Tokyo to encourage the exchange of faculty, scholars, students, academic information and materials for the benefit of both institutions and the participants. Â鶹´«Ã½ Sea Grant has been the lead coordinator of the conference and the facilitator of the related memorandum of understanding since 2007.

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A six-week, hands-on lunar and planetary science education program, “Exploring the Moon and Beyond,” was offered at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua in spring 2025. The opportunity was developed by researchers and staff members at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ and Washington University in St. Louis (WashU).

People who are incarcerated represent a significantly underserved community with barriers to accessing opportunities to learn and advance in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) fields.

“There are huge obstacles preventing incarcerated people from pursuing further education and professional careers in STEAM,” said Barb Bruno, program co-creator and research specialist at the in the UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ (SOEST). “We recognized the need to provide scientific outreach and education to this community of learners. We’re hoping this program helps inmates to imagine a positive future when they are released, and to imagine the possibility that they could be a scientist.”

Sparking imaginations

The non-credit program reached maximum enrollment of 12 students and utilized the Moon and planets as vehicles to teach STEAM content, build STEAM skills and self-efficacy, share cutting-edge NASA research, improve college readiness and stimulate further interest in education.

Each two-hour class was planned and taught by a team of SOEST and WashU researchers, staff, graduate students and a community member, including Bruno, Nina Webb, Marcie Grabowski, Matt Miller, Emma Layton and Hawkins Biggins. Classes focused on the solar system, Moon, meteorites, requirements for NASA’s future missions to the Moon, and conditions for life on Earth and beyond.

“The students engaged in meaningful and positive learning experiences each week,” said Miller, program instructor who was an graduate student during the outreach program. “This experience really affirmed how powerful access to education can be in sparking peoples’ imaginations. Science, and a love for geoscience especially, changed how I see the world, and I really enjoyed sharing how exciting science is.”

Students in the course received a certificate of participation, which is placed in their case file to acknowledge their effort in taking pro-active steps to make positive plans for their future. The team plans to offer an additional six-week program at the men’s Waiawa Correctional Facility in fall 2025.

Education to prevent recidivism

A by the U.S. Department of Justice that followed released inmates from 30 different states, found that 68% were arrested for a new crime within three years of release. That number jumped to 79% after six years and to 83% after nine years.

“These results beg the question: what works to reduce recidivism?” said Webb, staff scientist at WashU and co-creator of the outreach program. “Although the answer is clearly complex, many proven approaches involve education.”

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Spring 2025 graduates of the (GES) undergraduate program at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ took with them a bachelor’s degree and real-world, hands-on experiences with research that benefits communities and ecosystems in Â鶹´«Ã½ and beyond. Through the GES program in the at the UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ (SOEST), students such as new graduate Ian Chung engage in original research, write a senior thesis and present their findings at a research symposium.

“I commend and congratulate our graduates for successfully completing their required faculty-mentored thesis experience,” said Michael Guidry, chair of the GES program. “Ian’s research regarding microplastics deposition on Oʻahu is a perfect example of what is accomplished by combining talented and dedicated students with cutting-edge research opportunities and quality faculty mentorship at UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹. Our graduates are well prepared for their next steps either in the workforce or professional/graduate school, and I eagerly look forward to seeing their future successful endeavors.”

Drive to promote sustainability

Growing up in Makakilo and Kapolei, Chung spent a lot of time frequenting beaches and hiking, and developed an appreciation for the island’s natural beauty and the sense of peace it offers him.

Before joining SOEST, he enrolled at Kapiʻolani Community College, attending classes part-time and working in WaikÄ«kī’s restaurant industry. This chapter of his academic journey sparked his interest in pursuing a degree in science and clarified a desire to attain the knowledge and tools to be a benefit to his community by promoting environmental sustainability. This led him to SOEST’s GES program.

Connecting microplastics and the weather

For Chung’s senior research thesis, he worked with Associate Professor Alison Nugent to investigate atmospheric microplastic deposition rates in an urban and suburban setting on Oʻahu. The team used a simple collection tool to collect atmospheric particles as they settle onto the ground. Through a time-intensive process, Chung counted the plastic particles in each sample.

“The most interesting part of my research was finding the relationship between selected weather variables and microplastic deposition rates,” said Chung. “Our data suggest that population density, and wind speed and direction play a role in facilitating the dispersal of microplastics from urban areas to remote locations. We also see that during periods of relatively high precipitation, microplastic deposition was always reduced.”

Beyond gaining insights into the drivers of atmospheric microplastic deposition, this research project helped Chung discover that he enjoys coding and using other analytical tools to describe observed events.

“I hope to continue to expand my knowledge of these tools and skills to better utilize them in the future,” Chung said. “Society has such an impact on the environment. My journey in GES and work on this project showed me where I can take action to contribute the greatest benefit. This wouldn’t have been such a positive experience without the help of Dr. Nugent, Andrew Garma and Tianqi Zuo.”

Looking ahead, Chung hopes to eventually pursue a degree in urban planning to help craft sustainable policies. For now, his focus is on entering the workforce in a sustainability-related role, continuing their mission to protect and preserve Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s natural environment.

—By Marcie Grabowski

A new study from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ revealed that a lesser-known Pacific climate pattern can bring heavier spring rains—and a higher risk of flooding—to parts of Â鶹´«Ã½, while also playing a key role in worsening droughts during dry phases. An example of this happened in the spring (March–May) of 2018, in which this climate pattern contributed to an extensively rainy season.

Most people know about El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which is known to have a significant impact on climate across the Pacific, including Â鶹´«Ã½, and adjacent continents. However, new research led by UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ atmospheric scientists revealed that the Pacific Meridional Mode (PMM), another climate pattern that operates in the eastern Pacific Ocean, plays a major role in the variability of rainfall in Â鶹´«Ã½. Their study was published in the .

They determined that in spring, a “positive” PMM state precipitates extensive rainfall across the state, specifically, greater rainfall throughout the islands occurs as cold fronts move through. Additionally, whether the positive state occurs in winter or spring, the result is that the leeward sides of the Hawaiian Islands experience an increase in extreme rainfall events, suggesting a heightened risk of floods. Their analysis also showed that a “negative” state of the PMM corresponded with reduced daily rainfall over windward sides of the islands, potentially exacerbating drought occurrences.

Population growth, increased demand for water

As the state of Â鶹´«Ã½ experiences population growth, the demand increases for water for drinking, food production, agriculture, recreation, construction, medical uses and more.

“This uncertainty in interannual rainfall, together with the increasing demand for water, requires us to better understand the relationship between rainfall and climate variability. We aim for our research to empower our communities with climate and weather information,” said Pao-Shin Chu, study co-author, professor of in the UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ (SOEST), and Â鶹´«Ã½ State Climatologist.

During the positive state of the PMM, weaker trade winds in the northeast Pacific Ocean between Â鶹´«Ã½ and Baja California occur along with increased sea surface temperatures. During the “negative state,” stronger trade winds and cooler surface temperatures prevail.

Chu and lead author Bo-Yi Lu, who was an atmospheric sciences doctoral student in SOEST at the time of this research, performed diagnostic analyses using a combination of actual weather and sea surface observations, and weather model-generated data to determine how these patterns affect rainfall variation.

“Our study suggests that although El Niño emerges as the primary driver of winter rainfall variability in Â鶹´«Ã½, the Pacific Meridional Mode has a pivotal role in spring rainfall, particularly for Maui and the Island of Â鶹´«Ã½,” said Chu.

“Importantly, our analysis disentangles the respective roles of ENSO and the PMM in driving rainfall variability across seasons and types of weather disturbance in Â鶹´«Ã½,” said Lu. “These findings not only deepen our understanding of regional climate dynamics but also offer valuable insights for water resource management and disaster preparedness in Â鶹´«Ã½ and beyond.”

—By Marcie Grabowski

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ hosted the from March 15 to 23, bringing together 32 students and 19 instructors from 16 countries. The program provided an immersive learning experience focused on El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a climate pattern that influences global weather.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of key milestones in ENSO research, including the work of Klaus Wyrtki, the late renowned oceanographer from UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹. His groundbreaking studies helped shape modern understanding of El Niño and its impacts on weather patterns worldwide.

• Related UH News story: Â鶹´«Ã½ State Legislature honors late oceanographer Klaus Wyrtki, March 19, 2025

Over the nine-day program, participants engaged in morning lectures covering ENSO fundamentals, followed by student-led discussions on influential scientific papers. Afternoons featured student presentations, hands-on training and collaborative research projects. The curriculum provided participants a more thorough look at ENSO through real-world data analysis, modeling techniques and forecasting methods.

“This year’s ENSO Winter School was an incredible opportunity for students to engage directly with leading researchers and gain hands-on experience in ENSO science,” said Christina Karamperidou, chair of the school’s scientific organizing committee, and professor and associate department chair in UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s . “Seeing participants from around the world collaborate and deepen their understanding of climate variability was truly inspiring. By hosting this vibrant community of scientists and future research leaders, the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ reinforces its reputation as a central hub for cutting-edge ENSO research.”

“Participating in the ENSO Winter School has not only deepened my understanding of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation but also broadened my perspective on nature and its dynamics, as well as strengthened my professional network,” said Roger Manay-Torres from the Instituto Geofísico del Perú. “This experience has been incredibly valuable, both academically and professionally, and it has far exceeded my expectations.”

Regina R. Rodrigues, a professor of physical oceanography at the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil was one of the lecturers, and talked about ENSO’s impacts on weather extremes, etc.

“It was a great experience to spend more than a week with students, earlier career researchers and many of the most prominent experts on ENSO,” Rodrigues said. “I learned more about past ENSO from paleoclimate records and about future ENSO from climate projections.”

Jérôme Vialard, a senior scientist at Institut de Recherche pour le Développement in Paris, added, “I have worked on ENSO for almost 30 years, but found the lectures of other instructors useful. Some refreshed my memory, and some taught me new things on topics I know less about, such as paleo-climate or machine learning.”

The school was supported by UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s , International and U.S. CLIVAR, IAPSO/IUGG, CIMAR and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research.

With a focus on advancing diversity in STEM fields, and sharing geoscience research and academic pathways with elementary, middle and high students and community members on Oʻahu, eight graduate students in the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa (SOEST) participated in an outreach training and development program.

A SOEST staff member and oceanography graduate students, Aaron Judah and Blake Stoner-Osborne, co-led the program with support from an from the Catalyst Awards for Science Advancement. They developed a training workshop to share best practices for science communication and hosted work sessions during which participating graduate students planned and developed their outreach presentations, demonstrations and activities.

“It was such a special opportunity to get to brainstorm new outreach activities with dedicated graduate students!” said Stoner-Osborne. “We’re very fortunate to have such passionate and creative graduate students here in SOEST who are able to connect and share their passions with community members, teachers, and students of all ages.”

Students from SOEST graduate programs in , and , including Carla Baizeau, Harold Carlson, Alexus Cazares, Dianne Deauna, Kuʻi Keliipuleole, Emma Layton, Naomi Rohrbaugh and Chutimon Singhakarn, developed outreach modules and shared them with a range of audiences. The students created presentations and hands-on activities for high school students visiting the UH Mānoa campus and elementary, middle and high schools at their home campuses; a workshop to demystify academic pathways to graduate school; social media videos about the deep sea; and presentations and activities for community members of all ages at public events and a public library.

Their collective efforts resulted in thousands of “likes” on social media and connections with 100 elementary students, hundreds of middle and high school students, and dozens of community members. Through this opportunity, the graduate students enhanced their communication skills and shared their research and passion with local K–12 students and community members.

“Marcie [Grabowski, SOEST outreach specialist], Blake, and Aaron helped me create a fun sea level rise activity which enabled me to actually connect with high school and middle school students on a topic I am really passionate about,” said Baizeau. “The sessions were so enjoyable and enriching. I am excited to do it again!”

–By Marcie Grabowski

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ continues to solidify its status as a leading research institution, ranking No. 92 among the top 660 research universities in the U.S. and No. 68 among the top 420 public universities. This is according to the latest , which measures research and development (R&D) expenditures across various disciplines and serves as the primary source for R&D data in U.S. higher education.

• Related UH News story: UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ among nation’s best in latest research rankings, February 5, 2024

Top-performing disciplines

UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ demonstrated research excellence across a range of critical fields, with several disciplines maintaining their place in the top 10% nationally for fiscal year (FY) 2023:

• Ocean sciences and marine sciences: No. 7 out of 414 (top 2%)
• Astronomy and astrophysics: No. 15 out of 517 (top 3%)
• Geological and earth sciences: No. 13 out of 414 (top 3%)
• Computer and information sciences: No. 39 out of 500 (top 8%)
• Communication and communications technologies: No. 37 out of 474 (top 8%, ranked in top 10% for the first time)
• Atmospheric science and meteorology: No. 41 out of 414 (top 10%)

UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ also excelled in agricultural sciences (No. 40 out of 343, top 12%) and electrical, electronic, and communications engineering (No. 49 out of 403, top 12%).

“Our continued presence among the nation’s top research universities reaffirms the strength and consistency of our research programs at UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹,” said Interim Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship Christopher Sabine. “These rankings are a testament to our faculty and researchers and proof of our commitment to innovative research and scholarship to address challenges here in Â鶹´«Ã½ and beyond.”

Examples of UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ projects that attracted significant funding, include:

• The Â鶹´«Ã½ Ocean Time-series (HOT) established in 1988 that studies climate and environmental changes in the North Pacific. After nearly 350 expeditions to the exact same location north of Â鶹´«Ã½ dubbed station ALOHA, the 35-year time-series record is still going strong. Read more on UH News.
• A UH telescope on Maunakea that will support NASA’s $19.5 million Landolt Space Mission by helping calibrate telescopes with an artificial “star” satellite and creating new star brightness catalogs. Read more on UH News.
• Earth scientists studying the chemical evolution of the Hawaiian hotspot and KÄ«lauea’s volcanic cycles, revealing the submarine Hawaiian volcano Kamaʻehuakanaloa has erupted at least five times in the last 150 years. Read more on UH News.

Record-breaking extramural funding

UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ received a record $464.9 million in extramural awards in fiscal year 2023-2024, leading the way in the UH 10-campus system’s record-breaking $615.7 million that fiscal year, surpassing the previous year’s record by $99.8 million.

Extramural funding, which comes from external sources, mainly the federal government, supports research and training initiatives by university faculty and staff. This marks the third consecutive year UH has exceeded half a billion dollars in funding.

National research trends

The HERD survey revealed an 11.2% increase in national academic R&D spending in FY 2023, the largest growth rate in two decades. Total U.S. academic R&D expenditures reached $108.8 billion, a $11.0 billion increase from FY 2022.

“UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s performance aligns with this upward trend, further emphasizing its role as a key contributor to the national research landscape,” said UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ Provost Michael Bruno.

Enhancing the qualities of whiskeys such as Jim Beam is the job of Moana Abe, a 2018 University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa graduate, who works as a researcher in the Monozukuri (manufacturing)-based Brand and Culture Laboratory at Suntory Holdings Limited in Japan. Suntory founded the country’s first whisky distillery in 1923.

“Our mission as a department is to establish the culture in Suntory Group of crafting the world’s most admired spirits and providing the story to consumers about the dedication and our desires to the sensory quality,” said Abe. “Japanese whisky is known for its dedicated craftsmanship and balance, blending traditional Scotch techniques with Japanese innovation.”

Abe earned a bachelor of science in from UH ²Ñā²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s . She said a small cohort of classmates and professors helped her expand career pathway opportunities.

“I actually started as a production engineer in the beginning,” said Abe. “Your major may not be the only career option, it may connect to many other aspects that could open up for what you truly want.”

Keeping aloha alive

After returning to Japan, Abe was inspired to reach out to fellow UH alumni.

“I realized how much I miss sharing the moments and memories I had in Â鶹´«Ã½,” said Abe. “So, I started reconnecting with a few friends from UH now living in Japan to continue the sparks to keep my aloha living in myself, and started attending alumni events as well.”

Abe also fondly recalled her involvement with UH ²Ñā²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s International Student Association (ISA).

“ISA was the place that blended diverse cultures to create something bigger,” she said. “College is about academics of course, but social experiences like ISA kind of brightens up the memory even more with lifetime friendship.”

Katherine Ackerman, a fifth-year PhD candidate in , launched a writing group in the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa (SOEST) aimed at fostering community and addressing academic inequities for women in STEM. The group brought together graduate students, post-docs, staff and researchers for focused writing and professional growth.

Each session began with “talk-story” followed by a targeted discussion on a writing-related topic. Topics ranged from how to set , to discussing issues such as in letters of recommendation for women. It was then followed by one to two hours of quiet, collaborative writing time.

Setting goals, establishing habits

Participants were encouraged to set semester, weekly and daily writing goals to help establish productive habits. The goal was to approach writing like a scientist—gather data on writing habits and assess what works best for your personal writing productivity.

“Starting grad school during the COVID-19 pandemic really impacted my ability to connect with others,” said Ackerman. “My goal is to create a space for women and non-gender-conforming individuals that will continue beyond my time here at UH. Community is crucial, especially for underrepresented groups in STEM.”

Ackerman, who served on the executive council for Graduate Women in Science Â鶹´«Ã½ for three years, has been a vocal advocate for addressing inequities in STEM and academia. Initially aiming to gather a few participants, the group attracted 20 members,—most of whom were women. Participants worked on a wide range of writing tasks, from master’s theses and PhD papers to National Science Foundation grants and job application materials. Many members expressed their gratitude for the support and camaraderie provided by the group, noting that they would not have achieved as much of their writing goals without it.

“I’ve had folks reach out about continuing the group in future semesters,” Ackerman said. “I feel strongly about creating spaces like this, and while I plan to apply for another round of CASA funding, I believe I will continue the group regardless of the funding outcome.”

For more information, see SOEST’s website.

The tradition of academic and research excellence at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ was on international display as several experts were named to the list. Among the 2024 honorees were Samir Kumar Khanal, Daniel Huber, Bin Wang and Daniel Mende.

The scholars on the list were recognized as having shown exceptional and community-wide influence that shapes the future of science, technology and academia globally. Each researcher earned their place by consistently publishing papers that rank in the top 1% by citations in their respective fields, as measured by the Web of Science citation index. This elite recognition places them among the most influential 0.1% of the world’s scientists, according to the list’s methodology. The list includes 6,886 influential researchers from more than 1,200 institutions from 59 countries and regions.

CTAHR Professor Samir Kumar Khanal

Samir Kumar Khanal, a professor in the in the (CTAHR), was selected for the list in the cross-field category.

He leads research in the interface of energy and environment. More specifically, he is globally known for his work in the fields of anaerobic digestion, nanobubble technology, aquaponics, and waste-to-resources. Khanal’s work has made significant contributions to the field, with more than 160 publications and multiple books, including a best-selling work on anaerobic biotechnology and a textbook on bioenergy.

IfA Astronomer Daniel Huber

(IfA) Associate Professor and Astronomer Daniel Huber was recognized on the highly cited researchers list for the sixth consecutive year. He was one of just 65 scientists worldwide selected to the space science category.

Huber’s research at IfA focuses on the structure and evolution of stars, as well as the discovery and characterization of planets outside our solar system. Huber’s research uses data from NASA space telescopes such as Kepler and TESS, as well as ground-based telescopes in Â鶹´«Ã½ such as Keck, Subaru, ATLAS and ASAS-SN.

SOEST Professor Emeritus Bin Wang

(SOEST) Professor Emeritus Bin Wang has been recognized in the geosciences category for the fifth time (previously in 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2023). He has been with the at UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ since 1987.

Wang is a leading meteorologist specializing in climate and atmospheric dynamics. Among his research interests are variability and predictability of Asian-Australian monsoons, climate predictions, tropical cyclones and El Niño-Southern Oscillation dynamics.

Former SOEST postdoctoral fellow Daniel Mende was honored in the biology and biochemistry category, making the highly cited researchers list for the third straight year. Mende specializes in environmental microbiology, microbial ecology, metagenomics and more. He is now an assistant professor at Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam.

This story was compiled based on current affiliation according to the Web of Science’s Highly Cited Researchers list. If there are other researchers currently or formerly affiliated with UH, email Marc Arakaki at marcra@hawaii.edu.

A University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa researcher is shedding light on the possible future impact of a weather phenomenon called Atmospheric Blocking. The blocking events occur when large-scale high-pressure systems become stationary and divert the jet stream creating weather patterns that can be associated with record-breaking flooding or heat waves.

In a new , UH Mānoa Christina Karamperidou used a deep learning model, a type of artificial intelligence that use algorithms to learn from large amounts of data, to infer the frequency of blocking events over the past 1,000 years and shed light on how climate change may impact the future atmospheric blocking events.

“This study set out to extract a paleoweather signal from paleoclimate records using a deep learning model that infers atmospheric blocking frequency from surface temperature,” said Karamperidou. “This is a unique study and the first attempt to reconstruct a long record of blocking frequencies based on their relationship with surface temperature, which is complex and unknown. Machine learning methods can be very powerful for such tasks.”

Training the deep learning model

Karamperidou developed a specialized deep learning model, which she trained using historical data and large ensembles of climate model simulations. The model was then capable of inferring the frequency of blocking events from anomalies in seasonal temperature reconstructions over the last millennium. These past temperature reconstructions are relatively well-constrained by extensive networks of tree-ring records sensitive to temperature during the growing season.

“This approach demonstrates that deep learning models are powerful tools to overcome the long-standing problem of extracting paleoweather from paleoclimate,” said Karamperidou. “This approach can also be used for the instrumental period of climate history, which began in the 18th century when routine weather measurements were made, since we only have reliable data to identify blocking since the 1940s, or possibly only the satellite era (post-1979).”

Frequency of future blocking events

There isn’t yet a scientific consensus regarding how climate change will change the frequency of blocking events. These strong, persistent mid-latitude high-pressure systems can have significant impacts for Â鶹´«Ã½, where flooding has accompanied persistent North Pacific blocks, and also worldwide, for example, in the Pacific Northwest and Europe, where summertime blocking can bring extreme heat waves.

So understanding changes in the frequency of these events, especially as they relate to the other big players for climate, such as El Niño and the long-term patterns of sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific, is very important for Â鶹´«Ã½. This study allowed Karamperidou to relate blocking frequencies in the mid- and high-latitudes to tropical Pacific climate variability in the long context of the last millennium, which is essential for climate model validation and to narrow down uncertainties in future climate projections of blocking.

Open research and transparency

Karamperidou worked with two UH Mānoa students to create a unique web-interface to explore the deep learning model and the resulting reconstructions. She highlighted that sharing results and methods in this way is important for Open Research best practices and transparency, especially as the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence expands rapidly into many aspects of daily life. The is hosted on Jetstream-2, cloud computing system whose regional partners include UH Information Technology Services-Cyberinfrastructure and the Â鶹´«Ã½ Data Science Institute.

In the future, Karamperidou plans to explore a range of features and architectural enhancements of the deep learning model to expand its applications for climate phenomena and variables directly related to high socioeconomic impacts.

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–By Marcie Grabowski

A team from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ is tackling an important cause of human-made climate change—common refrigerants used for everything from cooling homes and businesses to freezing and preserving food and medicine. The (NSF) (ERC) to create sustainable refrigerant technology.

The majority of refrigerants, called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), are used in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) systems. HVACR systems account for almost 10% of global greenhouse-gas emissions because of leaks that release HFCs into the atmosphere and the significant amount of energy it takes to operate them.

The new (EARTH) aims to create a transformative “sustainable refrigerant lifecycle” by lowering HFC emissions; creating safe, property-balanced replacement refrigerants; and increasing the energy efficiency of HVACR systems.

“Understanding the underlying chemistry of new refrigerants in the atmosphere is central to defining the impact onto our climate and ultimately the rise of sea levels,” said UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ Professor Ralf I. Kaiser (, ), the UH project lead. “We will be developing a tightly integrated collaborative network to predict for the first time the atmospheric impact of potential new refrigerants before they are incorporated into HVACR systems. This is just one aspect of UHÊ»s role in this important project.”

Gen-4 NSF Engineering Research Center

Along with UH, ERC EARTH includes teams from University of Notre Dame, Lehigh University, University of South Dakota, University of Maryland and project lead University of Kansas. The group was selected from among hundreds of other proposed centers following a highly competitive two-year review process. NSF currently supports just 15 ERCs in advanced manufacturing, energy and environment, health and infrastructure.

“For UH to be part of a team selected for a NSF Engineering Research Center just speaks volumes to the quality of our researchers and personnel,” said UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ Provost Michael Bruno. “I cannot overstate its significance, and this groundbreaking project positions UH at the forefront of climate change mitigation while addressing a critical challenge to Â鶹´«Ã½ and the world.”

NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said ERCs ask big questions in order to catalyze solutions with far reaching impacts.

“NSF Engineering Research Centers are powerhouses of discovery and innovation, bringing America’s great engineering minds to bear on our toughest challenges,” said Panchanathan. “By collaborating with industry and training the workforce of the future, ERCs create an innovation ecosystem that can accelerate engineering innovations, producing tremendous economic and societal benefits for the nation.”

UHʻs many project responsibilities

The UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ team includes Professors Kaiser, Rui Sun (, ), Christina Karamperidou (, ), Kieko Matteson (, ) and Jennifer Pagala Barnett (). Kaiser says it is fitting that UH is playing such an important role in the project.

“Â鶹´«Ã½ is increasingly vulnerable to global warming and its impacts, including more frequent and severe weather extremes and sea level rise,” Kaiser said. “Sea level rise, which exacerbates flooding, coastal inundation and erosion, poses a serious threat not only to Â鶹´«Ã½, but also to major population centers along the Pacific Rim, such as Japan and Australia.”

Kaiser and Sun’s groups will study the atmospheric chemistry of gas phase refrigerants and their interaction with atmospheric ice particles. Kaiser’s group will employ crossed molecular beams and acoustic levitators to study the fate of refrigerants in the atmosphere. The efforts are complimented by Sun’s computer simulations with artificial intelligence to understand the reaction at the atomistic detail.

“By following this approach, we will avoid the mistakes done in the 1970s, when chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), an otherwise excellent refrigerant, resulted in catastrophic ozone depletion,” Sun said.

Karamperidou, a co-leader of the ERC’s research thrust on novel and safe refrigerants, will integrate the experimental and computational data into climate models to study the impacts of HFCs, their replacement compounds, and novel cooling technologies and practices on climate and atmospheric circulation.

“As temperatures continue to rise and with them the frequency and intensity of heat waves, so does the need for refrigeration and air conditioning,” said Karamperidou. “This leads to increased refrigerant use and related greenhouse gas emissions, and a vicious cycle between HVACR and global warming that needs to be better understood and ultimately broken.”

Matteson will place the modern demand for cooling and its social, environmental, and economic impacts into historical context. She notes that air conditioning technology was first developed in the early twentieth century and didn’t become widespread in U.S. homes until the 1970s.

“Now, extreme heat is affecting our health, learning and productivity, and exacerbating disparities between the haves and have-nots,” said Matteson. “Mitigating HFCs’ harmful effects while ensuring that everyone can function at a livable temperature is a vital social justice issue that needs to be driven by historical understanding as much as science.”

As part of the center, UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ will also establish a new interdisciplinary graduate program in atmospheric chemistry (College of Natural Sciences and SOEST) to train future leaders in chemistry, atmospheric science and environmental science.

Diversity and Culture of Inclusion

Barnett will manage the Diversity and Culture of Inclusion (DCI) for the ERC, spearheading initiatives to support and advance EARTH’s diversity goals for students, faculty and staff. A major focus is to recruit and increase participation of Indigenous and tribal communities.

“I am looking forward to this opportunity to bring our commitment to diversity to our partner universities and to this important effort,” said Barnett. “This is a global issue that we are trying to address and one of the keys to success is to ensure that all voices are being considered and heard and offered an equitable opportunity to affect change.”

“For our team to be leading the DCI initiatives for the entire ERC shows how UH, and Â鶹´«Ã½ in general, lead the nation in these types of efforts,” said Bruno. “We are committed to being a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning and fully embracing our multicultural and multi-ethnic communities. This is an opportunity to extend that forward thinking to the continent.”

Allen Vincent, a 4th year Chemistry PhD student in Sun’s lab, is the President of the Student Leadership Council (SLC) for ERC EARTH. He leads an active council of 26 students from the partner institutions who are all involved in research and academic activities for the ERC. The SLC will work closely with DCI efforts to address the ERC culture, diversity and recruitment of students.

Workforce training

ERC EARTH will work with industry to develop workforce goals that will involve community colleges to address workforce gaps. The UH team will work with the UH community colleges through coordinated outreach and training to prepare the next generation of HVACR workers.

“This project demonstrates the amazing synergies we can achieve when our campuses work together,” said UH President David Lassner. “Our world-class researchers will be developing solutions to a major challenge facing the planet with the commitment to train not just the next generation of researchers but also helping our community colleges train local residents for the high-quality jobs that will need to be filled to install and maintain newer systems that are more climate-friendly to our planet.”

More about ERC EARTH

The initial $26-million award is eligible for renewal for five additional years until 2034. NSF’s ERC program brings technology-based industry and universities together to strengthen the competitive position of American industry in the global marketplace. This ERC has interacting foundational components that go beyond the research project, including engineering workforce development and value creation within an innovation ecosystem that will outlast the lifetime of the ERC.

Smoke particles and dust from wildfires interact with clouds and impact weather and climate, affecting how clouds form, where and when it rains, and even how air moves in the atmosphere. Supported by a (MCA) award from the National Science Foundation, an associate professor at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa (SOEST), will strive to better understand these interactions.

Jennifer Griswold’s research will aid scientists and policymakers in making decisions to protect community health, improve air quality and prepare for future wildfires.

“I’m most interested in having a better understanding of how the atmosphere, clouds and climate are impacted by the particles emitted by large wildfire events through combining satellite observations, my current expertise, and improving global climate model representations of these types of events, a skill I will learn through this project,” said Griswold, who is also chairperson of .

The three-year program and $360,000 in funding provide protected research time, resources and the means to gain new skills through synergistic and mutually beneficial partnerships.

The funding covers a full semester of teaching and summer overload for each year, and one month of salary for Griswold’s mentor at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), project scientist Christina McCluskey; and cover travel to NCAR for training and collaboration, fees to attend conferences, and purchasing a new node for Department of Atmospheric Sciences’ high-performance computing cluster.

“I’m very fortunate to have not only the funding from the MCA to buy out my teaching but the support of my Department and the SOEST Dean’s office to take a full year off,” said Griswold.

Learning from events across the Pacific

The devastating Lahaina fires in 2023 significantly impacted the surrounding community and environment. This tragic event renewed Griswold’s focus on how particles produced or transported by large wildfire events can impact air quality and clouds near the fires and downwind.

At NCAR, Griswold will learn how to run the Community Earth System Model version 2 and will investigate the impacts of one of the most intense and catastrophic fire seasons on record in Australia, the 2019–20 bushfire season. The associated fires sent a smoke plume all the way to South America and Antarctica and as high as the stratosphere. This large-scale impact means that many points in the climate model will be included in Griswold’s simulation of the event.

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–By Marcie Grabowski

As more attention is drawn to possible severe weather around the world scientists at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa are looking to improve planning for possible droughts, floods and other scenarios. Researchers from the (SOEST) created a new tool that will allow forecasting of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) by up to 18 months.

The findings, which meld insights into the physics of the ocean and atmosphere with predictive accuracy, were .

“We have developed a new conceptual model—the so-called extended nonlinear recharge oscillator (XRO) model—that significantly improves predictive skill of ENSO events at over one year in advance, better than global climate models and comparable to the most skillful artificial intelligence [AI] forecasts,” said Sen Zhao, lead author of the study and assistant researcher in SOEST’s . “Our model effectively incorporates the fundamental physics of ENSO and ENSO’s interactions with other climate patterns in the global oceans that vary from season to season.”

Scientists have been working for decades to improve ENSO predictions given its global environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Traditional operational forecasting models have struggled to successfully predict ENSO with lead times exceeding one year.

Peering inside the ‘black box’

Recent advancements in AI have pushed these boundaries, achieving accurate predictions up to 16–18 months in advance. However, the “black box” nature of AI models has precluded attribution of this accuracy to specific physical processes. Not being able to explain the source of the predictability in the AI models results in low confidence that these predictions will be successful for future events as the Earth continues to warm.

“Unlike the ‘black box’ nature of AI models, our XRO model offers a transparent view into the mechanisms of the equatorial Pacific and its interactions with other climate patterns outside of tropical Pacific,” said Fei-Fei Jin, the corresponding author and professor of atmospheric sciences in SOEST. “For the first time, we are able to robustly quantify their impact on ENSO predictability, thus deepening our knowledge of ENSO physics and its sources of predictability.”

Climate model shortcomings, improvements

“Our findings also identify shortcomings in the latest generation of climate models that lead to their failure in predicting ENSO accurately,” said Malte Stuecker, assistant professor of in SOEST and study co-author. “To improve ENSO predictions, climate models must correctly capture the key physics of ENSO and additionally, several compounding aspects of other climate patterns in the global oceans.”

“Different sources of predictability lead to distinct ENSO event evolutions,” said Philip Thompson, associate professor of oceanography in SOEST and co-author of the study. “We are now able to provide skillful, long lead time predictions of this ‘ENSO diversity,’ which is critical as different flavors of ENSO have very different impacts on global climate and individual communities.”

Undergraduates at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa were inspired to build a giant antenna to explore hundreds of miles above the planet. The antenna, known as an ionosonde, project began after a lecture from Professor Giuseppe Torri about phenomena that can occur in the ionosphere, one of the highest layers of the Earth’s atmosphere.

The ionosphere plays an important role in radio transmission. Any disturbance in this region, such as those caused by the Sun (solar flares, geomagnetic storms, etc.), can severely affect radio transmissions and cause blackouts. Undergraduate students Arianna Corry, Emily Harris, Kyra Dyer and Grace McCoy, in the UH Mānoa (SOEST), teamed up to embark on a research journey to try and better understand this region.

“Some of us are long-time sci-fi fans—especially of the amazing work of Arthur Clarke—and we wanted a name that could encapsulate the sense of adventure that we all experienced reading the books that we love so much,” said Corry, who will be graduating this semester with a degree in atmospheric sciences and will start a master’s degree program at SOEST in the fall. “When Giuseppe mentioned that the branch of atmospheric science that studies the upper layers of the atmosphere is called ‘aeronomy,’ we immediately thought about the name Aeronauts.”

Getting their hands dirty

Certain radio signals emitted by various sources on the planet, such as over-the-horizon radars, are reflected back to Earth’s surface by the ionosphere.

“The ionosonde is essentially a sophisticated radio that allows us to pick up these signals and, through some complicated mathematics, reconstruct the altitude at which they were reflected,” said Harris, who is an undergraduate student.

With funding from the UH Mānoa and Torri as their mentor, the students developed a project to build an ionosonde modeled from a design implemented and tested by Jens Floberg of UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

“It’s been a lot of fun learning about topics of the ionosphere, radio propagation, and GPS applications in class and on our own digging through academic literature and scientific forums,” said Dyer, who graduated in spring 2024 with a bachelor’s degree. “But to actually get our hands dirty and ‘see’ the ionosphere was a completely different experience that brought our appreciation for science to a completely different level.”

“Each of these extraordinary students has different skills that they bring to the table, and over the months they have been really great at interacting and leveraging each other’s skills in a collaborative and extremely productive way,” said Torri.

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–By Marcie Grabowski

University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa student Anamaria Navarrete has always been fascinated by severe weather. As she graduates this spring with a degree in , Navarrete is proud to have persisted on the journey as a first-generation college student and looks ahead to graduate school.

Navarrete was reluctant to pursue a STEM field that has a reputation for being academically challenging. She began her academic journey as a political science major and intended to pursue law school. By spring 2021, she realized that law was not the career pathway for her. She switched to atmospheric sciences in the UH Mānoa (SOEST) and continued to pursue a minor in political science.

“I knew it would be difficult but I was willing to work hard,” said Navarrete. “Now that I am almost done with my degree, I am so incredibly happy that I made the switch, as I cannot see myself studying anything else. Not only do I love the subject, but the department professors, staff, and my fellow peers made this experience very memorable by being so supportive of one another.”

Gaining research experience, skills

While meeting with her academic advisor and atmospheric sciences department chair Jennifer Small Griswold, Navarrete shared her interest in pursuing graduate school. Griswold offered her an opportunity to work on a senior thesis project. Although not required to complete the undergraduate degree, Navarrete started the research project to learn new skills, such as computer coding, and gain experience to prepare her to complete a master’s thesis.

Check out more stories of our UH spring graduates

“Anamaria was a perfect candidate for a senior thesis,” said Griswold. “Her innate curiosity flourished doing independent research and allowed her to pursue her own scientific question and decide on the tools she needed to answer it. She became a competent programmer during her research because she needed to learn how to code to answer her question and reach her goal.”

Navarrete’s research over the past year has focused on understanding how various atmospheric and oceanic systems, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation and the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool, affect tropical cyclone creation and progression. She has analyzed satellite data from three tropical cyclones that impacted Fiji during the 2020–21 tropical cyclone season.

“Local-scale studies like this are essential,” said Navarrete. “Improving our understanding of microclimates on each island of Fiji can improve the accuracy of weather forecasts, validate climate model output, and even be useful in climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.”

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–By Marcie Grabowski

Rainbows are some of the most spectacular optical phenomena on Earth, and Â鶹´«Ã½ has an abundance of them. In honor of National Find a Rainbow Day on April 3, UH News chatted with rainbow expert Steve Businger, a professor in the at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa , to hear why he has dubbed Â鶹´«Ã½ the “Rainbow Capital of the World.”

Related: Secrets of the best rainbows on Earth, March 2021

Businger’s area of expertise involves the evolution of storms and hazards associated with them. He studies everything from severe thunderstorms to hurricanes and winter storms.

Businger also works with students on forecasting skills and with scientists on improving numerical weather prediction modeling.

Why did you start studying rainbows?

Rainbows are such a spectacular phenomenon, and they’re very common in Â鶹´«Ã½. In fact, compared to other places I have dubbed Â鶹´«Ã½ the rainbow capital of the world, because they are so common here, thus it’s natural to be curious about how they form, why they form, and what they tell us about the atmosphere.

Why does Â鶹´«Ã½ have so many rainbows?

Â鶹´«Ã½ has a lot of sunshine, but we also have trade wind showers and the mountains help to enhance those trade wind showers. Our weather is characterized by small showers and lots of blue sky that allows the Sun to get in to illuminate the raindrops. Another aspect that makes Â鶹´«Ã½ perfect for rainbows is that we have very clean air. We have bright sunshine, but the clean air also means you have fewer condensation nuclei, leading to fewer, larger cloud drops in a cloud. And that allows coalescence where the droplets collect together to form raindrops to occur more easily. So we get rain out of very small clouds, and sometimes you’ll have a rainbow and you look up and it’s blue sky. All of these conditions make it so that Â鶹´«Ã½ is perfect for rainbows.

How do rainbows appear?

When the light comes into a raindrop, it gets bent because the light travels slower through liquid drop than it does through the air and then it reflects off the back of the drop and then it bends again at the front of the drop and the angle that results is about 42 degrees above the head of your shadow when you face away from the Sun. When the Sun is lower than 42 degrees above the horizon, you have the chance of seeing rainbows. But if the sun is too high, then you have to be in a helicopter or you have to have a lawn sprinkler to be able to see a rainbow. There is a free app available for your smartphone that can help you find rainbows called . The app knows where the sun and rain are and shows you where to go on a map of Â鶹´«Ã½ when rainbows are possible.

What kind of impact will climate change have on rainbows?

Global warming is impacting the distribution of rainfall across the Earth. The areas in the subtropics are becoming drier and areas where you have convective rainfall, thunderstorms, and snow are all extending further north to higher latitudes. As a consequence, the rainbow pattern is changing. The subtropics will see a bit less rainfall and a bit less rainbows, and further north with less snow, more rain and more convective showers, we’ll see more rainbows.

±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s communities and ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events, such as flash floods and wildfires. To gain a better understanding of the climate across the Pacific, University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa atmospheric scientist Giuseppe Torri, will conduct research that leverages both scientific and traditional knowledge in Â鶹´«Ã½ with a $700,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Beginning this summer, Torri, who is an associate professor in the UH Mānoa (SOEST), will use a scientific approach to better understand the climate of Â鶹´«Ã½, particularly those extreme weather events that affect the islands every year. This approach will mainly utilize extensive high-resolution data collected on the islands, state-of-the-art numerical models and novel machine learning algorithms.

NSF’s in support of early-career faculty, the CAREER award provides funding to faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.

Complementary knowledge systems

“The vast knowledge acquired by Indigenous people through centuries of observations complements the knowledge derived from scientific research,” said Torri. “This project aims to combine the quantitative methods of science with the traditional knowledge of the islands’ Indigenous communities to provide a holistic understanding of climate in Â鶹´«Ã½.”

The project will allow Torri to adopt place-based methods to teach his undergraduate course on severe weather. Though he initiated the creation of this course last year, the award will enable Torri to hire cultural practitioners and local experts to bring their voices to the classroom and provide UH Mānoa students a well-rounded understanding of severe weather, especially in Â鶹´«Ã½.

Sharing information beyond the classroom

Torri also plans to create a series of short documentaries about the weather in Â鶹´«Ã½, wherein he will feature conversations between people who understand weather through different lenses. Along with scientific perspectives, artists, poets, local practitioners and other stakeholders in Â鶹´«Ã½ will share their knowledge.

“It is important to share this information beyond the classroom,” said Torri. “Especially in the face of climate change, understanding of the dynamics that regulate climate around Â鶹´«Ã½ is essential to ensuring that the islands remain habitable and sustainable.”

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–By Marcie Grabowski