The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa hosted its 26th annual banquet, bringing together approximately 1,000 students, faculty, alumni, industry leaders and supporters to celebrate the innovation and impact the college has on the state of Â鶹´«Ã½.

Held on April 17 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the event began with a student project expo, where dozens of teams presented hands-on work across aerospace, robotics, sustainability and artificial intelligence. Projects included bioinspired soft robotics systems, student-built satellites, autonomous drones and renewable energy solutions aligned with campus sustainability goals, offering attendees a firsthand look at applied learning with real-world relevance.

Following welcome remarks by Dean Brennon Morioka, UH President Wendy Hensel and Â鶹´«Ã½ Gov. Josh Green, as well as dinner service, the formal program featured an awards ceremony recognizing contributions to the engineering community. Dayna Nemoto-Shima (Pacific Geotechnical Engineers, Inc.) and Brandon Shima (UH) received the Outstanding Service Award, Greg Hiyakumoto (R.M. Towill Corporation) was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award, and Bharath Kadaba (Lu Labs) earned the Dean’s Award of Excellence.

Connecting talent with opportunity

“The future of engineering in Â鶹´«Ã½ depends on how well we connect talent with opportunity, and those relationships happen because of the people who attended our annual banquet,” College of Engineering Dean Brennon Morioka said. “Our industry partners and donors are the heart and soul of our local economy and help create pathways for students to lead, to solve and to stay and make a difference right here at home.”

The formal program also highlighted the featured student project, the unexploded ordnance (UXO) project. The multidisciplinary effort applies advanced sensing technologies and robotics to safely detect unexploded ordnance in Â鶹´«Ã½, addressing long-standing environmental and public safety challenges.

“I got the opportunity to go to the 21 years of peace celebration at Mākua Valley and it really was an amazing opportunity to actually get to talk to the community and we got to talk to students too,” said UXO student project leader Kamalani Goo. “It was really instilled in me that we need to be having these conversations and building these relationships because no one truly understands the issues as well as the community that is experiencing them.”

The event concluded with a live auction and more networking, celebrating the shared commitment to advancing engineering in Â鶹´«Ã½. The college extended its mahalo to donors and Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s engineering industry for their continued support, including mentorship, internships and career development opportunities that help shape student success. All net proceeds from the annual banquet goes directly to supporting the many student projects showcased at the event.

Ten graduate programs at the are in the nation’s top 50, and an additional 17 programs are in the top 100, according to the 2026 , released on April 7.

UH Mānoa’s (JABSOM) also placed in the nation’s top tier (tier 1) for best medical schools for primary care, and UH ±á¾±±ô´Ç’s ranked in a in the nation.

The highest ranked UH Mānoa programs were in the , ranking No. 18 (tied) for best environmental law programs and law schools with most grads in federal clerkships, No. 24 for best part-time law programs, No. 41 (tied) for best international law programs, No. 47 (tied) for best dispute resolution programs and No. 48 (tied) for best legal writing programs.

The ranked No. 22 (tied) for best international programs, and the (SOEST) placed No. 40 (tied) for best Earth sciences programs. JABSOM ranked No. 42 for most graduates practicing in rural areas and No. 45 for most graduates practicing in primary care.

“UH Mānoa’s strong showing in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings underscores our commitment to excellence in teaching, research and student success,” said UH Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos. “These results reflect the talent and dedication of our faculty, students and staff, and Â鶹´«Ã½ can take pride in knowing their university is preparing the next generation of leaders and changemakers for our community and the world.”

Rankings were based on multiple factors, including research activity (such as publications and citations), student and alumni outcomes (employment and earnings), quality assessments (from peers and recruiters), student selectivity (GPA and test scores), and faculty resources (doctoral degrees awarded and student-to-faculty ratios).

Note: not all programs are ranked every year. See these UH News stories on previous years’ rankings: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019.

Jump to program rankings:
William S. Richardson School of Law  |  John A. Burns School of Medicine  |  Shidler College of Business  |  School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology  |  School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene  |  College of Education  |  Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health  |  College of Social Sciences  |  College of Engineering  |  College of Natural Sciences  |  College of Arts, Languages & Letters

William S. Richardson School of Law

The William S. Richardson School of Law was ranked in 16 categories by U.S. News and World Report. In addition to its ranking of No. 18 (tied) for best environmental law programs and law schools with most grads in federal clerkships, No. 24 for best part-time law programs, No. 41 (tied) for best international law programs, No. 47 (tied) for best dispute resolution programs and No. 48 (tied) for best legal writing programs, the Â鶹´«Ã½law school placed No. 91 (tied) among the top law schools in the nation.

Other law school rankings include:

• Tax law: No. 80 (tied)
• Criminal law: No. 88 (tied)
• Contracts/commercial law: No. 92 (tied)
• Health care law: No. 92 (tied)
• Constitutional law: No. 95 (tied)
• Business/corporate law: No. 101 (tied)
• Clinical training: No. 102 (tied)
• Intellectual property law: No. 127 (tied)
• Trial advocacy: No. 175 (tied)

John A. Burns School of Medicine

JABSOM was one of 16 schools that placed in the nation’s top tier (tier 1) for best medical schools for primary care. JABSOM also placed in tier 3 for best medical schools for research.
In addition, JABSOM ranked No. 42 for most graduates practicing in rural areas, No. 45 for most graduates practicing in primary care, No. 139 for speech language pathology and No. 171 for most graduates practicing in medically underserved areas. .

Shidler College of Business

The Shidler College of Business placed in nine subject areas. Leading the way were international programs at No. 22 (tied), accounting programs at No. 68 (tied), information systems programs at No. 72 (tied) and marketing programs at No. 91 (tied). In addition, Shidler ranked at No. 104 (tied) for best management programs, No. 113 (tied) for best executive programs, No. 123 (tied) for best finance programs, No. 125 (tied) for best entrepreneurship programs and No. 142 (tied) for best part-time MBA programs.

School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

SOEST placed No. 40 (tied) among the nation’s best Earth sciences programs.

School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene

The School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene placed No. 55 (tied) for best nursing school–master’s and No. 62 (tied) for best nursing school–doctor of nursing practice (DNP). Both were the only programs in Â鶹´«Ã½ to be ranked by U.S. News and World Report.

College of Education

The College of Education ranked No. 57 (tied) in the U.S., the 21st straight year the college has been listed as one of the nation’s top 100 education programs. Nationally accredited since 2000, the College of Education continues to be recognized for its award-winning programs and people.

Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health

The ranked No. 89 (tied) among the nation’s top public health schools and programs in the U.S. accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The Department of Public Health Sciences offers a ; a , with specializations in , , and , and a , as well as PhD program in , specializing in community-based and translational research and a PhD in . The Department of Public Health Sciences is also home to an online master of public health program to meet workforce demands.

College of Social Sciences

The College of Social Sciences placed among the nation’s best in at No. 90 (tied) and at No. 92 (tied).

College of Engineering

The ranked among the nation’s best in at No. 91 (tied), at No. 92 (tied), and at No. 128 (tied). The College of Engineering overall ranked No. 164 (tied) among the top engineering schools in the U.S. that grant doctoral degrees.

College of Natural Sciences

The placed among the nation’s best in at No. 97 (tied), and at No. 115 (tied), and at No. 125 (tied).

College of Arts, Languages & Letters

UH Mānoa placed No. 106 (tied) among the nation’s best for fine arts programs.

Other rankings

UH Mānoa also received these notable rankings:

• 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings by Subject, March 25, 2026
• 2025 U.S. News and World Report best online programs, January 27, 2026
• 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject, January 21, 2026

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ 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 Â鶹´«Ã½ 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 Â鶹´«Ã½.”

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 Â鶹´«Ã½ 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 Â鶹´«Ã½, 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)

A University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa research project focused on agriculture and artificial intelligence (AI) has been selected for support through the NVIDIA Academic Grant Program, bringing additional advanced computing hardware to the university.

The project, “AinaFarm: Building the Foundation for Scalable Agricultural Physical AI,” led by UH Mānoa (ICS) Assistant Professor , in collaboration with Professor , and , a recent (ECE) PhD graduate, competed in the Robotics and Edge AI track. The work explores how robotics and AI can support agriculture, particularly with vision-language-action (VLA) models that allow robots to see their surroundings, understand spoken or written instructions, and carry out tasks in real farming environments.

As part of the award, NVIDIA is donating hardware to UH Mānoa to support the research. The in-kind grant includes two RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell GPUs, high-powered computer processors designed to train and run advanced AI models, and four Jetson AGX Orin compact supercomputers, which will serve as the “brains” of farm field robots, enabling them to run AI applications and make decisions directly in real-world agricultural environments.

“This project is about building practical AI tools that can actually work on farms,” Chen said. “With NVIDIA’s support, we can combine robotics and advanced computing to support local agriculture, reduce labor challenges, and develop technologies that are especially relevant for Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s farming environments.”

In addition to hardware, the program offers access to NVIDIA development tools, models and training resources, as well as opportunities for broader visibility through presentations and promotional channels.

The NVIDIA Academic Grant Program supports researchers worldwide by providing access to high-performance computing resources, hardware and software. The program is designed to accelerate academic research and help move ideas from concept to real-world application.

The AinaFarm project is part of a broader, interdisciplinary collaboration at UH Mānoa that brings together researchers from the , , and (CTAHR) to advance AI-enabled solutions for agriculture. This growing effort builds on recent successes in agricultural robotics, including UH Mānoa’s $10,000 grand prize win in the 2025 Farm Robotics Challenge, and reflects a shared goal of developing practical, field-ready technologies to support farming in Â鶹´«Ã½ and beyond.

ICS is housed in the College of Natural Sciences, the Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences is housed in CTAHR and ECE is housed in the College of Engineering.

A University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa team won the Best Novelty and Impact Award at an international hackathon for a project designed to transform how community health workers (CHWs) support patients during and after remote check-ins.

The winning project, “,” acts as a “digital co-pilot,” utilizing speech analysis and artificial intelligence to flag possible signs of hidden distress. The system analyzes both what a patient says and how it is said—through the tone and pacing of a patient’s speech—to detect possible signs of emotional or mental distress and sends a discreet alert to the CHW along with a context aware suggestion to guide a more supportive response.

The goal of Aurion is to reduce missed emotional cues and workload of CHWs so that they can focus more on giving people the care they need. Beyond real-time support, the tool streamlines post-conversation administrative workflows. The tool is designed to reduce post-conversation paperwork for CHWs by about 70% by automatically filling out forms for them.

The UH Mānoa team included:

• Akib Sadmanee (PhD student in and a master’s graduate)
• Quang Loc Lam (PhD student in and a master’s graduate in economics)
• Fahim Yasir ( data systems analyst and a master’s graduate in )

“We wanted to create something that could make a real difference, especially here in Â鶹´«Ã½,” Sadmanee said. “Tools like this have the potential to improve care in communities where access and distance can be real challenges.”

The hackathon was held December 5–6, at the UH Mānoa Campus Center, and was part of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Automatic Speech Recognition and Understanding (ASRU) Workshop held December 6 to December 10 at the Hyatt Regency, Waikīkī. The event brought together students, researchers and professionals to develop solutions to real-world challenges in speech and language technology.

The team presented its work during the main ASRU 2025 program verbally in front of judges and also as a poster to the general audience, and received a certificate of achievement.

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa took first place and a $3,000 cash prize in an international artificial intelligence (AI) competition, beating out teams from tech companies and global universities.

Seven haumāna (students) from the UH Mānoa ’s ECE (Electrical and Computer Engineering) on large-scale AI won the . The contest drew 59 teams and nearly 200 participants from 42 organizations.

The challenge asked teams to create up to 10,000 high-quality examples to help AI models better understand and reason about images. UH Mānoa’s winning entry stood out not for its size, but for its efficiency. The students used only 1,000 samples—just 10% of the allowed amount—yet outperformed every other team.

“This project pushed us to think creatively about how to get the most out of a tiny amount of data,” team leader Yosub Shin said. “We learned quickly that good ideas matter just as much as computing power, and it was exciting to see our approach stand up against teams from around the world.”

The team’s dataset boosted a widely used open-source model’s accuracy by more than 7%, the highest gain in the competition. It surpassed submissions from industry heavyweights, including a team from Ant Group, the parent company of Alibaba.

Preparing for a fast-growing future

Beyond the recognition, the experience gave students real-world practice in one of the fastest-growing areas of AI: teaching computers how to interpret both language and images. The hands-on training—curating data, testing models, and working within open-source frameworks—prepares them for future roles in fields ranging from robotics to medical imaging.

Members of the team included Shin, Michael Buriek, Boris Sobolev, Pavel Bushuyeu, Vikas Kumar, Haoyang Xu and Samuel Watson.

“Watching the students take ownership of a complex, open-ended challenge like this was remarkable,” ECE Assistant Professor said. “They showed that with curiosity, discipline, and a willingness to experiment, students can make meaningful contributions to the broader AI research community.”

As the top prize winner, the UH Mānoa team will present their work on stage at the in San Diego this December and be listed as co-authors on the competition’s official publication.

Â鶹´«Ã½ AI Initiative

The ECE 605 course and the students’ participation in the challenge are part of a larger effort Molybog is driving to promote AI in the state, called the (HawAII). The initiative is developing new project-based AI coursework, strengthening internal innovation by supporting student and faculty ventures, and attracting top collaborators from the continental U.S. and abroad through global research challenges. It also includes major investments in UH’s computing infrastructure and early partnerships with local schools to build a strong pipeline of homegrown talent.

A University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa engineering professor has been recognized with an international honor for his decades-long commitment to guiding students.

Professor and Department Chair Wayne A. Shiroma has been selected for the inaugural class of , an international recognition honoring chapter advisors who have guided exemplary programs and fostered sustained student success over many years.

The inaugural class celebrates six advisors who mentor chapter leaders, maintain effective operations, elevate the impact of HKN programs and champion the organization within their campus communities. Inductees demonstrate excellence in mentoring and extracurricular engagement. Shiroma was recognized at the ±õ·¡·¡·¡â€‘H°­±· Student Leadership Conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on November 8.

“It’s an incredible honor to be recognized alongside so many dedicated advisors,” Shiroma said. “The credit goes to our students—they set the standard for excellence year after year. Supporting their growth as engineers and leaders has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career, and I’m grateful to help foster a community where they can thrive.”

Since 1999, Shiroma has served as faculty advisor to the ±õ·¡·¡·¡â€‘H°­±· Delta Omega Chapter at UH Mānoa, which has earned the ±õ·¡·¡·¡â€‘H°­±· Outstanding Chapter Award every year since the 2005–06 academic year. Under his mentorship, four graduating seniors have received the ±õ·¡·¡·¡â€‘H°­±· Alton B. Zerby and Carl T. Koerner Outstanding Student Award, among the highest honors for undergraduate electrical and computer engineering students.

Shiroma earned his BS degree from UH Mānoa, MEng from Cornell University and PhD from the University of Colorado Boulder, all in electrical engineering. He joined UH Mānoa in 1996.

—By Justin Scott

Future engineers are getting a firsthand look at Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s growing microelectronics field, as the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa wrapped up its first internship cycle tied to a multi-million-dollar national innovation hub.

The internship experience was part of the , which received $15.3 million in federal funding as part of a larger $238 million U.S. Department of Defense initiative to strengthen U.S. leadership in advanced computer chip design and production. UH is part of the Northwest AI Hub along with several institutions, including Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley.

Five undergraduate students participated in the inaugural internship at UH Mānoa, including three undergraduates who transferred from a UH community college. Their 10-week long experience included research and lectures on chip design and fabrication, with projects ranging from organic light-emitting diodes to pressure sensors. Students also became familiar with cleanroom practices and equipment, laying the foundation for continued work this fall.

Internship participant Jenny Brown, an major, was also selected to travel to the University of Washington for four days to observe a cleanroom internship there. The visit provided insight into how other partner institutions run their programs and offered ideas that UH Mānoa can adapt for the next cohort, expected to expand in 2026.

“Working in UH’s microelectronics internship and visiting the cleanroom program at the University of Washington gave me a full perspective on how advanced chip design programs operate,” Brown said. “It showed me the growth and value of investing in Â鶹´«Ã½‘s future. We have incredible, growing talent here, and I’m eager to bring back the inspired ideas and strategies to the next student cohort.”

Connecting with employers

As part of their experience, students took part in site visits to Nalu Scientific and the Naval Information Warfare Center, building connections with local employers. Program leaders said such visits are critical for showing students career opportunities in Â鶹´«Ã½ and supporting efforts to retain technical talent in the state.

“This first internship cycle showed how powerful hands-on training can be for our students,” Professor Jeffrey Weldon said. “They not only gained technical skills, but also built connections with local employers that will help strengthen Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s high-tech workforce.”

UH Mānoa’s role in the $15.3 million project emphasizes both workforce training and industry engagement, bridging research expertise with practical experience. With the first round of internships completed, UH leaders plan to scale the program to reach more students in future years.

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.

More than 20 students in seven teams faced off in a robotics competition at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹, putting months of preparation to the test as their autonomous robots attempted to navigate a complex obstacle course.

The competition, the final project for the ’s Fundamentals of Robotics and Cyberphysical Systems course, challenged students to design and program robots capable of independently following a black line through a winding track.

“We’re pushing the students right to the edge, but keeping it positive at the same time,” said Assistant Professor Daniel Drew, who oversees the course.

Students spent weeks mastering mobility, perception and intelligent systems, with many facing repeated setbacks before achieving success. The competition showcased a range of results, with some robots smoothly tracking the line while others struggled to maintain course.

For computer science major Kai Garcia, the course offered rare hands-on experience with hardware components.

“This class was a great introduction to something I’ve never done before,” Garcia said.

Teams added personal touches to their robots through creative decorations, bringing personality to their technical projects. The competition represented more than just technical achievement, highlighting the students’ growth in problem-solving and engineering skills throughout the semester.

.