The Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching for a faculty member and a graduate assistant recognizes dedication and demonstrated excellence as teachers of undergraduate students. It was established as a memorial to the late Frances Davis, who taught mathematics at Leeward Community College and the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa for 19 years.

Kathleen Hagan

Kathleen Hagan is a professor of nursing at UH Maui College, with almost 18 years of service as an undergraduate educator. She has championed integration of the Kaʻao Framework (UH Maui College’s framework for student success) into the nursing curriculum, and has taught every required course.

An avid lifelong learner and volunteer, Hagan consistently seeks out opportunities for her students to engage in community education and advocacy to advance their learning as well as the health of our island ʻohana.

“She has created an environment where learning goes beyond simply acquiring knowledge; it’s about cultivating our character and discovering the qualities that will make us compassionate, capable healers in our careers,” said a student.

Hagan believes college should be a transformational experience, instilling knowledge skills, and attitudes not only for career advancement, but also for civic engagement and life fulfillment.

Another student said, “Her warmth and professionalism have left a lasting impression on me.”

Nicholas Krueger

Nicholas Krueger is an instructor in the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management at UH Hilo. He is known for his dynamic instruction, community-based research and deep investment in student success.

A UH Hilo graduate, Krueger returned to his alma mater to teach and lead research in agronomy, soils and animal science. He involves students in funded research tackling real-world challenges—from fermentation science to methane reduction in livestock—while mentoring them through writing, experimentation and presentation.

“I know for a fact that everyone feels comfortable and welcomed by Nick; to make mistakes, sound silly, or just be flat out wrong,” said a student. “And when it comes to learning, that makes all the difference in differentiating sheer luck and memorization from understanding.”

Krueger’s approachable style, high expectations, and commitment to real-world application have made him a transformative educator shaping the future of �鶹��ý agriculture.

Mark Nartatez

Mark Nartatez is an instructor, the Dental Assisting Program director, and the clinical education coordinator at Kapiʻolani Community College. With more than 18 years of clinical and administrative experience, Nartatez brings industry expertise and a student-centered approach to the Dental Assisting Program.

Nartatez’s instruction integrates textbook knowledge with real-world application, ensuring students meet dental accreditation standards while emphasizing technological integration, critical thinking and compassionate care. His holistic approach encourages students to grow beyond technical skills and see themselves as educators, advocates and changemakers capable of influencing their peers and the broader healthcare community.

“Mark consistently demonstrates an innovative approach to education, creating engaging and meaningful learning experiences for his students,” shared one student. “One notable example of his creativity is incorporating case studies based on real-life scenarios students may encounter in the dental field. What sets Mark apart is his commitment to creating a learning environment where students feel heard and valued.”

Colleen Rost-Banik

Colleen Rost-Banik is an instructor in the Department of Sociology in the UH Mānoa College of Social Sciences. She sees the classroom as a reflection of society, shaped by the wide range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives students bring. Over the course of a semester, she believes students have a valuable opportunity to learn from one another and engage in collective exploration.

Rost-Banik emphasizes the importance of consistent practice in understanding sociological concepts, encouraging students to develop their skills through reading, writing and critical thinking. She acknowledges that meaningful learning takes time, patience, effort—and often involves trial and error.

Her courses also prioritize the values of care and community, which she believes are crucial to both the classroom and broader society. She believes supporting one another is key to success.

Student feedback highlights the impact of her approach. One student shared that her class was “filled with lots of exciting information on different theories and sociological perspectives,” and helped them gain practical skills such as conducting surveys and analyzing visual information.

Sara Maaria Saastamoinen

Sara Maaria Saastamoinen is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science in the UH Mānoa College of Social Sciences. She is also an exhibiting artist, abundant futures consultant and community organizer.

Coming from a long line of Karelian (Northern European region) teachers, she credits her family with inspiring her early passion for political inquiry and creative expression. Her courses explore topics such as the everyday politics of water and the societal sacrifices that sustain American political systems.

Students nominated her for fostering creativity and inclusivity, encouraging expression through formats such as sculptures, short stories, mixtapes and monologues.

“Sara’s commitment to deeper understanding challenged us to think critically about our choices and their broader implications for humans, the environment and other living beings,” one student wrote.

Another shared, “I have never learned as much as I did in Sara’s class—it will positively affect the way I view things and the kind of person I am for the rest of my life.”

The University of �鶹��ý at �ᾱ����’s in Panaʻewa hosted a special event on April 12, to honor the “bee-coming” community of students, donors, local farmers, island chefs and community members who are part of the university’s collaborative bee program.

The foundational buzz of the annual “Bee-coming Sustainable” event is a community-based partnership between Professor of Entomology Lorna Tsutsumi from UH �ᾱ����’s and award-winning Chef Alan Wong, who co-founded of the university’s “” program.

Wong, known as one of 12 co-founders of �鶹��ý Regional Cuisine, teamed up with Tsutsumi and UH Hilo to build awareness and promote local solutions to sustain the honey bee industry in �鶹��ý.

“Fifteen years after its inception, the Adopt-A Beehive program with Alan Wong is doing well in promoting the importance of honey bees to our local and global well bee-ing,” said Tsutsumi who is the coordinator of the apiary program located at the university’s farm.

Honey bee education

The program supports the at UH Hilo which teaches good practices to students so that they can properly manage and maintain honey bee colonies at the UH Hilo farm laboratory in Panaʻewa. It also awards scholarships to beekeeping students and promotes the importance of honey bees. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than $27,000 in scholarships to beekeeping students at UH Hilo.

“The program was the brain child of world renown Chef Alan Wong who believes that supporting the local honey bees through education is a win-win for students and the community and, of course, the honey bees,” said Tsutsumi.

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Every spring, the program invites community adopters to the UH Hilo farm to see the hives that are managed for them by the beekeeping students, meet the students, and engage with bee-minded people who together celebrate the importance of bees.

For more go .

—By Susan Enright

From native limu studies to hydroponics and horse therapy, University of �鶹��ý at Hilo students showcased the power of learning by doing at the ’s (CAFNRM) Ag Fair and Student Symposium on April 24.

Held in the college’s campus breezeway, the fair featured student-run booths, plant sales and interactive exhibits. Attendees explored locally grown produce, honey and starter plants, all cultivated by students at the UH Hilo farm in Panaʻewa.

“The event was to showcase what the College of Agriculture has to offer and what students have learned through their courses and applied to the farm by way of production,” said Jake Rodrique, manager at the in Panaʻewa.

Hands-on learning

Inside UH �ᾱ����’s classroom building, students presented research and projects as part of CAFNRM’s 5th annual student symposium. Topics ranged from in vitro orchid germination to the effects of compost on pole beans to the cultural significance of Native Hawaiian limu varieties such as palahalaha and ʻeleʻele. Some teams explored food security; others tackled virus spread in bananas.

The event was started in 2018 by CAFNRM director and horticulturist, Professor Norman Arancon to help students build presentation skills. Today, it’s a hallmark of the college’s hands-on learning model.

“Experiential learning is not just a teaching strategy, it’s our way of life,” said Arancon. “We don’t just teach you what to learn, we help you discover how to learn by doing,” said Arancon.

More than 20 student groups presented oral and poster projects. Some built community gardens, others studied plant pathogens or upcycling techniques in small-scale gardening.

For more on student research and projects go to .

—By Susan Enright

This week’s UH News Image of the Week is UH Hilo’s Camryn Hilder, an undergraduate student in .

Hilder shared, “While weeding in our garden for the sustainable agriculture class, Jack the horse decided he wanted to make a snack out of the cane grass we were trying to remove.”

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The University of �鶹��ý at �ᾱ����’s in Panaʻewa hosted Bee-coming Sustainable, an opportunity for community members who have adopted beehives to meet with beekeeping students and witness the beehive they support on UH �ᾱ����’s farm. The special event on April 13 honored students, community donors, local farmers, island chefs, and others involved in the university’s collaborative bee program.

The event took place approximately 50 yards from the farm’s apiary, where sponsored beehives are housed.

“It was a wonderful gathering of like minded people who support the bees, sustainability, and the education of future beekeepers,” said Lorna Tsutsumi, an entomology professor from UH �ᾱ����’s , who coordinates the apiary program at the farm.

Buzz-worthy solutions

At the heart of the event is a community-based partnership between Tsutsumi and renowned master Chef Alan Wong. They co-founded the university’s program to bring attention to the honey bee industry in �鶹��ý and to provide local solutions for sustaining it. The program helps fund the education of student beekeepers and promotes research into healthy beehive practices.

At the event, Chef Wong and UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin distributed scholarships to UH Hilo students Beija Ramos-Phair-Langi and Macy Iliahi Park who each received $1,000 scholarships to support their studies. Valerie Zbezinski was awarded a beekeeping certificate.

Adopt-a-hive

Adopters receive periodic updates and photos from the UH Hilo students caring for their hives, along with a personal supply of honey and honey-related products. They are also invited to join Chef Wong at special bee and agriculture-related events on campus or at the farm laboratory.

—By Susan Enright.

It’s National Honey Month and Vulcan fans who attended the women’s volleyball game on September 21 were treated to free giveaways of honey products courtesy of the UH Hilo beekeeping program.

“The program is grateful to athletics for allowing us the opportunity to celebrate National Honey Month at their game. It provided us the venue to share the importance of bees and share some of the bounty that comes from them,” said Lorna Tsutsumi, professor of entomology who heads the Adopt-A-Beehive with Chef Alan Wong program at the .

“It was fantastic to have a nice crowd on hand to not only witness a highly entertaining game but experience the great things that our students are learning at UH Hilo,” said Patrick Guillen, director of UH Hilo Athletics.

There were 637 fans in attendance at the UH Hilo vs. Concordia University Irvine volleyball game, enjoying the action while also getting a taste of the popular beekeeping program.

Students from the introductory beekeeping class (Entomology 262) gave away honey bears, fans, pretzels and honey mustard made with honey from the UH Hilo beehives located on the university’s agricultural farm laboratory in Panaʻewa. Special lucky number gift bags filled with honey and other bee promotional items were given away during intermission. Fun bee facts were also announced throughout the games.

“It was nice to see the beekeeping students share their curricular knowledge with the community and their fellow students,” said Tsutsumi.“The best part was that UH Hilo won!”

Guillen said the night was a huge success, adding a mahalo to Tsutsumi and her students.

For more visit .

—By Susan Enright

More young people will be able to train for careers in agriculture, thanks to a $200,000 gift from the Edmund C. Olson Trust 2 to the University of �鶹��ý at �ᾱ����’s .

The gift from the trust of one of the largest private landowners in the state creates the Edmund C. Olson Trust 2 Scholarship for two years, with a preference for students from the Kaʻū District on �鶹��ý Island.

The Edmund C. Olson Trust 2 is a private landowner invested in sustainable agriculture, managed natural-resource conservation and cultural legacy preservation, community development and renewable energy. Its assets include Hāmākua Macadamia Nut Company, Kaʻū Coffee Mill and OK Farms, which grows a variety of tropical crops on the rolling hills of Puʻuʻeo Mauka above Hilo.

Keeping young people in agriculture

Founder and trustee Edmund C. Olson is one of �鶹��ý’s 20 largest private landowners by acreage with 17,000 acres on �鶹��ý Island and Oʻahu.

“Talking about the future of agriculture in �鶹��ý and doing something about it are two different things, and we don’t want it to be different,” said Troy Keolanui, Olson’s partner in OK Farms.

He noted that there are many technological advancements that are gaining the interest of young people and drawing them to the agriculture industry.

“We need to keep them in agriculture, encourage them to stay in agriculture,” Keloanui said. “That’s one step in the right direction and that’s how we feel about this scholarship.”

Impacting students

Olson’s investment in �鶹��ý Island’s agriculture community is a commitment to sustainability, said UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin.

“Ed Olson’s confidence in �鶹��ý’s next generation of agriculturists will have a direct impact on �鶹��ý Island’s sustainable future,” Irwin said. “We’re grateful for his foresight and commitment to the island.”

Keya Davies and Kassey Hanoa, the first two student recipients, recently met with Olson, his wife Sammie, and Keolanui.

Hanoa is a senior at UH Hilo majoring in with a focus on livestock whose family has a small working livestock farm in the Kaʻū community of Pāhala.

“I still don’t have my future completely planned, but this scholarship opened many doors for me,” Hanoa said. “I just thank God for putting me on the right path to have received this scholarship and Mr. Olson for this wonderful opportunity.”

Davies, who grew up riding horses in Kaʻū, is also studying animal science, with an , on the pre-vet track at UH Hilo.

“I have a huge passion for horses and want to work with them in my future,” she said. “I feel so thankful to have received this scholarship and am excited to finish off my degree and go off into the world!”

Olson has owned businesses and property in �鶹��ý since first visiting the islands in 1959. He now owns 15,000 acres of agricultural and conservation land on �鶹��ý Island and another 2,000 acres on Oʻahu.

“The land here is mostly prime agricultural land and it’s very fortunate for all of us that a man like Ed Olson was able to secure it,” Keolanui said. “I see good things in the future. I can’t say enough about Ed and his benevolence and love for the people of �鶹��ý.”

The University of �鶹��ý at �ᾱ����’s in Panaʻewa hosted a celebratory “Bee-coming Sustainable” event on April 22, to honor students, community donors, local farmers, island chefs and others who are part of the university’s collaborative bee program.

At the heart of the event was a community-based partnership between Lorna Tsutsumi, professor of entomology at UH �ᾱ����’s and coordinator of the apiary program at the university’s farm, and renowned Chef Alan Wong, co-founder of the university’s program.

“Here’s where private and public meet, where the community gathered, where there was a real connection of bee-ing,” Tsutsumi explained. “There was a sense of ʻohana where we celebrated in both our students and the community.”

Wong, regarded as one of the 12 co-founders of �鶹��ý Regional Cuisine, teamed up with Tsutsumi and UH Hilo to build awareness of the critical plight of honey bees and to promote local solutions to sustaining the honey bee industry.

In addition to Wong, there were several other well-known local chefs and culinary educators preparing food and hosting festivities at the event. Also attending were UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin; representatives from the �鶹��ý Department of Agriculture and Department of Health; university staff from Sodexo’s campus dining services; community college instructors and students; and high school students.

Beekeeping scholarships

At the beginning of the program, scholarships were presented to select UH Hilo students. Scholarships are awarded in the spring after students have taken a required advanced beekeeping class.

Valerie Zbesinski, an agriculture major, received the $1,000 . Elizabeth Schmitz, another agriculture major, was awarded the $1,000 spring 2023 . Wong’s Adopt-A-Beehive program has awarded more than $27,000 in scholarships thus far to UH Hilo beekeeping students.

For a full recap of the event, visit .

—By Susan Enright

The is leading a collaborative project to create a new academy to enhance career opportunities in the bioeconomy, which encompasses the production of renewable fuel, energy, chemicals and materials from agricultural resources. The UH Hilo , along with the at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and the nonprofit , have partnered to form ALAKAʻI, the acronym for Applied Life-Science Academy: Knowledge Advancing Industry.

“The bioeconomy is critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while maintaining and improving standards of living by replacing fossil fuels with renewable biomass for the materials and fuels we use daily,” said Bruce Mathews, dean of the UH Hilo agriculture college.

• Related UH News story: Can sugarcane create jet fuel?, April 18, 2021

The academy is geared toward accelerating climate change solutions by developing industry-relevant training for delivery in �鶹��ý and across the U.S. UH Hilo will pilot flagship training in July 2022 and in summer 2023. Curriculum will draw on traditional Hawaiian and Pacific Island cultural perspectives to provide insights and guiding principles for effective sustainability.

According to Mathews, the bioeconomy bolsters agricultural economies by bringing new value to agricultural waste streams, growing crops grown on marginal lands not used for food production, and value-added bio-products.

“It is crucial to enhancing economic development and better living standards for America’s rural communities, and to creating new opportunities for students and the people of �鶹��ý,” he explained.

ALAKAʻI aims to provide training for professionals in the bioeconomy, including operators, technicians, scientists, managers, policymakers, regulators, investors, advocates and students.

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—By Susan Enright

A scholarship has been endowed as a memorial to former University of �鶹��ý at Hilo lecturer Margarita “Dayday” Hopkins by Kevin, her husband of 48 years and a retired professor from UH �ᾱ����’s . The purpose of the endowment is to carry on Dayday Hopkins’s work championing agricultural and Filipino communities in �鶹��ý, which, after family, was the focus of her life.

The is open to any full-time undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s degree at UH Hilo in agriculture or a related field at the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management. Preference will be given to students interested in the contribution of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans to �鶹��ý’s agriculture.

Hopkins died on November 6, 2021, after battling ALS for four years. She was 71.

She was born Margarita Leyson in Maasin, Philippines, one of three daughters, and given the nickname Dayday, which means “little one.” She attended St. Joseph’s College on a scholarship, earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

After graduation, Hopkins moved to the island of Mindanao where she met her future husband, Kevin, a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer who was working in the same fisheries office as her sister. They were married after a short courtship of only five months. She enrolled in a master’s degree program in agricultural economics at Xavier University, studying the marketing practices of small-scale fishermen. She also worked for the Peace Corps as a language instructor.

After Kevin’s Peace Corps service was complete, the couple moved to Alabama, where he earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in fisheries and aquaculture and an MBA from Auburn University. Dayday was the first woman of color appointed to a research associate position in Auburn’s Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquaculture and conducted the first organized sales of tilapia in the United States.

In 1988, she and Kevin moved to Hilo, where Kevin became a professor in the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management at UH Hilo. Dayday was hired as an economic development specialist by the County of �鶹��ý, responsible for its agriculture and natural resources programs, and later became head of the county’s Department of Research and Development. She retired from the county in 2012 after 23 years of public service.

Dayday loved teaching, she was a UH Hilo lecturer in economics and ag business. Unfortunately, ALS robbed her of her ability to speak and the use of her hands, ending her teaching career. She continued to help her husband with his research and consulting work by using a computer system controlled by her eyes. She is survived by three children, daughters Leyson and Alyxandra and a son, Shanon, and 11 grandchildren.