A led by researchers at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa reveals that surface water ice in the Moon’s permanently shaded regions (PSRs) is less abundant than previously thought. The research provides the most detailed look yet into the lunar PSRs where sunlight cannot reach directly, suggesting that while ice may exist, it is likely present in low concentrations or small, isolated pockets.

This study builds on nearly a decade of breakthroughs by the team, led by Shuai Li, an associate researcher at the in the UH Mānoa . Li previously led the 2018 discovery of the first direct evidence of surface ice using data from India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission.

Less water on the Moon means future lunar explorers may face tighter constraints for sourcing drinking water and fuel, making planning and resource management even more critical.

Reflected sunlight, crater walls

In this latest effort, the team utilized NASA’s ShadowCam, an ultra-sensitive camera aboard the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter. ShadowCam is specifically designed to image the Moon’s darkest corners by capturing sunlight reflected off nearby crater walls.

Researchers found no evidence of “widespread” water ice at high concentrations (above 20% to 30% by weight). This discovery highlights a puzzling disparity between the Moon and other airless bodies like Mercury and Ceres, which host substantial, nearly pure ice deposits in their poles although the Moon’s poles are even colder.

While the delivery of water via impacts may be similar across the Moon and Mercury, Li suggests Mercury’s much hotter surface may facilitate substantially more water formation from solar wind than the Moon. Alternatively, the Moon’s unique environment—including space weathering from solar wind, volcanic degassing and mixing of rock layers from impact—may destroy or bury surface ice more effectively.

Science of light scattering

This study was made possible during ShadowCam’s extended mission, which allowed the team to capture images from multiple angles to analyze how light scatters off the lunar surface. This is the first time researchers used scattering properties of water ice to search for it on the Moon. Rocks and dust on the lunar surface sends more light back toward the direction from which it came, while water ice scatters light forward.

“Water ice doesn’t just make the surface brighter,” said Li. “The way it scatters light is a fingerprint. By using stereo observations to look at these shadowed craters from different perspectives, we were able to detect this distinctive forward-scattering behavior for the first time.”

In the high-resolution images, the team identified a few small areas, roughly 20 to 50 meters in size, that exhibit both high reflectance and unique forward-scattering properties. These optical signatures are consistent with ice concentrations greater than 10%.

Li said, “I thought we’d find more bright, ice-rich areas, so the small number we found was a bit surprising. However, the forward-scattering signal was a true and exciting surprise because it required stereo observations that were only possible during the extended mission.”

University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis Syrmos has named Robert Wright, the current director of the UH Mānoa (HIGP), as the next Interim Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship, effective January 1, pending UH President Wendy Hensel’s approval and posting at the November 20 Board of Regents meeting. Wright will succeed Christopher Sabine who has served in the position since February 2022.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity and to build on the incredible work being done across our campus,” Wright said. “UH Mānoa’s research community has a tremendous impact, from �鶹��ý to the global stage, and I’m excited to help further that momentum.”

Sabine will return to faculty as an professor in the (SOEST).

“It has been an honor to serve on the UH Mānoa leadership team and to contribute to the university’s mission alongside such dedicated colleagues,” Sabine said. “I’m deeply grateful for the support, collaboration and shared commitment that make our work so meaningful. I look forward to returning to SOEST and continuing my research and teaching.”

During Sabineʻs tenure as interim vice provost, UH Mānoa saw extramural funding grow from $352.6 million in FY2021 to a record $570.4 million in FY2025. The external investments—from federal agencies, private industry and nonprofits—support research and workforce development across disciplines.

“I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Chris for his dedicated service over the past nearly four years,” Syrmos said. “His leadership, commitment and vision have made a lasting impact on our university community. Chris is also among the most respected researchers in the field of oceanography, and we are fortunate that his expertise will continue to enrich our campus as he returns to the faculty.”

Prior to his appointment as interim vice provost for research and scholarship, Sabine was the associate dean for research at SOEST. Before coming to UH, Sabine was the director of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and has been a scientific advisor for a number of research programs nationally and internationally. His research focuses on understanding the global carbon cycle, the role of the ocean in absorbing carbon dioxide released from human activity and ocean acidification.

Wright has been the director of the �鶹��ý Institute of Geophysics and Planetology since 2017 and was appointed Director of the Space Science Institute at UH Mānoa in 2025. He is an accomplished Earth scientist whose pioneering work in satellite-based monitoring of volcanoes and remote sensing has earned more than $20 million in research funding from NASA and other federal agencies. He has published extensively, led multiple NASA missions, including the HyTI CubeSat project, and continues to advance UH Mānoa’s global reputation in Earth and planetary science.

Materials science is the study and design of new materials and their properties, and it plays a crucial role in industries ranging from renewable energy and aerospace to electronics and national defense. Researchers at University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa’s (HIGP) are leading new initiatives to advance materials science across the state.

Materials Science Consortium for Research and Education

UH Mānoa launched the Materials Science Consortium for Research and Education (MSCoRE) in 2017, with a goal of bringing together materials experts and infrastructure scattered around several colleges and departments under one group in support of education, innovation and to lay the foundation for a future materials science center at UH Mānoa.

Under MSCoRE, UH Mānoa developed a popular research experience class for undergraduates and became successful in obtaining grants to bolster its materials science program. One of its early successes was earning a U.S. Department of Energy grant to study hydrogen storage materials.

Materials Research and Education Consortium

Utilizing this momentum, researchers from UH Mānoa and the University of Washington (UW) received a seed award from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) program in 2021. The collaboration, known as the Materials Research and Education Consortium (MRE-C), is made up of seven UH Mānoa faculty from HIGP, , and , as well as faculty from the UW Molecular Engineering Materials Center.

MRE-C conducts public school visits around the islands to increase student interest and participation in materials science and STEM, and facilitates student exchanges at the undergraduate and graduate levels between UH Mānoa and UW. The grant was recently renewed by NSF for a full six years at $4.2 million.

�鶹��ý Institute of Materials Research

As a testament to UH Mānoa’s expanding capacity and expertise in this space, the Office of Naval Research just awarded a three-year, $4.5 million grant to conduct innovative, high-risk scientific research with the potential to enhance naval capabilities and national security in the Indo-Pacific region. Together with the NSF PREM grant, UH Mānoa will now have a formal structure in place with the establishment of the �鶹��ý Institute of Materials Research (HIMaR). HIMaR will be a virtual, interdisciplinary institute of applied and fundamental research in materials science, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and advanced manufacturing.

Read more on materials science research at UH . Noelo is UH’s research magazine from the .

A groundbreaking scientific expedition was just completed off the west coast of �鶹��ý Island in search of something unexpected: fresh water beneath the ocean floor. Researchers from the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� and Scripps Institution of Oceanography teamed up for a two-week offshore imaging survey in July 2025, through a contract with the Natural Energy Laboratory of �鶹��ý Authority (NELHA) and funding from the �鶹��ý State Legislature.

The goal was to confirm the existence of a potentially massive underground reservoir of fresh or brackish water hidden beneath the seafloor—an idea that challenges conventional understanding of island hydrology.

“If proven, this deep water could explain long-standing mysteries about �鶹��ý Island’s water cycle—namely, why observed coastal discharge doesn’t match estimated groundwater recharge,” said Peter Kannberg, associate researcher at the (HIGP) in the UH ����ԴDz� , who led the survey. “In simple terms, a lot of water is missing from current models.”

The roots of this investigation trace back to 2018, when scientists first detected anomalies suggesting a deep, confined aquifer where none should exist. Their theory? Rainwater may be funneled underground trapped beneath layers of volcanic basalt and ash, extending far beneath the basal freshwater lens and even miles offshore.

“If confirmed, this hidden aquifer could reshape our understanding of island hydrology and inform future water resource planning—offering a potential new source of fresh water in a region increasingly affected by drought and climate change,” said Alex Leonard, senior project manager for NELHA.

“If a significant fraction of freshwater is escaping through these deep aquifers, then we need to re-calculate how much water can can be withdrawn from the nearshore basal lens for human consumption and how much needs to remain in these shoreline aquifers to provide nutrients to the reefs and nearshore marine environment,” added Don Thomas, HIGP faculty who has spent decades studying water and subsurface features across the Hawaiian Islands.

High-tech imaging survey takes to the sea

The 2025 survey used advanced electromagnetic imaging techniques. Instruments were deployed on the seafloor to listen for electromagnetic echoes, while a 150-foot-long towed sensor emitted a low-power signal that is recorded on a 3,300-foot-long receiver array. The study spanned two areas: north of Kiholo Bay to Honōkohau Harbor and the coastline south of Kailua Bay to Kealakekua.

The team will now begin processing data from the surveys to determine whether this reservoir is present and better understand how much water may be in this hidden offshore aquifer.

“We are now applying state-of-the-art technologies to better characterize the complexity of island hydrology—advancing knowledge that could fundamentally improve how we manage and sustain freshwater resources across volcanic islands both here and abroad,” said Amir Haroon, faculty member at HIGP, who studies water resources on Oʻahu and Maui.

More information

For more on the project and answers to frequently asked questions, visit .

NASA has developing instruments for Moon travel through the Artemis campaign. Two instruments, including UH’s, will be integrated onto a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), which astronauts will drive on the Moon. Another instrument will orbit the Moon.

“I’m so excited to see this project come into reality,” said Matthew Siegler, associate researcher in the (HIGP) at the UH ����ԴDz� , who will lead the team developing the Lunar Microwave Active-Passive Spectrometer (L-MAPS). “�鶹��ýhas become a major player in the search for ice on the Moon. This instrument selection takes us to the next level.”

The L-MAPS instrument will help determine what is below the Moon’s surface, the heat production of the Moon and search for possible locations of buried ice. The UH science and spacecraft engineering team will work in partnership with instruments developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the German Technical University at Dresden.

Siegler and deputy principal investigator Shannon Brown, a researcher at JPL, and their team have been designing and testing the L-MAPS instrument for more than five years, preparing for an opportunity to get to the Moon. Being selected for the LTV instrument team moves the development to the next stage—the build—which will primarily take place at JPL.

Outfitting the first crew-driven vehicle on the Moon in 50 years

The LTV vehicle is part of NASA’s efforts to explore the lunar surface as part of the Artemis campaign and is the first crew-driven vehicle to operate on the Moon in more than 50 years. Designed to hold up to two astronauts, as well as operate remotely without a crew, this surface vehicle will enable NASA to achieve more of its science and exploration goals over a wide swath of lunar terrain.

In the , Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., emphasized that the Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle will advance humanity across the lunar frontier toward exploration and discovery and added that the instruments planned for the LTV combine the best of human and robotic exploration.

When combined, data from the L-MAPS and other instruments will paint a picture of the components of the lunar surface and subsurface to support human exploration and will uncover clues to the history of rocky worlds in our solar system.

“I feel incredibly lucky to be working on lunar research in a time when NASA has prioritized the Artemis return of humans to the Moon,” said Siegler. “Work like this is possible because of researchers at the University of �鶹��ý working for years leading in planetary science and developing spaceflight technologies. It is exciting to be in the right place and time to ride this wave.”

Collaboration is key to success

At JPL, the L-MAPS instrument will be built with components from Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt and Ohio State University. Final testing will be done partially at UH ����ԴDz�. The instrument production and operation on the Moon will be managed by HIGP faculty Miguel Nunes and Trevor Sorensen and will include many roles for UH faculty, undergraduate and graduate students.

—By Marcie Grabowski

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 �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� 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 ����ԴDz� (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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A program at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� that supported dozens of career development activities for women in geosciences and community outreach was terminated by the loss of federal funding.

In April, Barbara Bruno, project lead and faculty member at the in the UH ����ԴDz� (SOEST), was given a termination notice with instructions to immediately close operations on the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded program. About two-thirds of the nearly $200,000 budget was forfeited when the grant was terminated.

“SOEST is �鶹��ý’s largest producer of geoscience graduates—alumni who go on to monitor volcanic hazards, predict extreme weather, conduct assessments of environmental impacts, ensure sustainable use of �鶹��ý’s freshwater resources, and more,” said Bruno. “I think the biggest impact of this termination is the loss of professional development opportunities for women. STEM is hemorrhaging women—we need programs to keep them.”

The NSF award supported a mini-grant program, , that funded geoscience workforce development in two ways: outreach and community engagement to attract the next generation of STEM professionals; and professional development for current SOEST students and early career scientists.

Loss of career development and outreach opportunities

Through the mini-grants program, female students, post-doctoral researchers, staff and faculty submitted applications to secure funding to attend professional meetings, technical or career development workshops; or engage in field work or research collaborations. For example, this project supported activities of a co-writing group for women in SOEST and multiple student-oriented groups focused on diversity, equity and inclusion within UH.

The federal funding cut also resulted in terminating two months of Bruno’s salary and several mini-grants that were in process. Funding was pulled from a Palauan graduate student who is pursuing her doctoral degree in the Marine Biology Graduate Program and studying the unique and diverse coral communities of Ngermid Bay in the Republic of Palau.

The successfully completed outreach and community engagement efforts supported by this program include training for ; and workshops, hands-on activities, and presentations to community members and middle and high school students that focused on and .

“We were also actively soliciting applications for the next round of CASA funding when we received the termination notice,” said Bruno. “Ending this grant eliminates the support for future professional development opportunities and K–12 and community engagement.”

Next steps

On May 28, �鶹��ý Attorney General Anne Lopez and 15 other attorneys general filed a lawsuit to stop illegal attempts to cut critical NSF programs and funding that help maintain the U.S.’ position as a global leader in STEM. Bruno submitted a declaration in support of this federal lawsuit, attesting to the adverse impacts of the sudden termination of her NSF grant. Bruno is actively pursuing alternative funding sources to support these initiatives.

The , based at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�, hosted its research and education collaborative partners from the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at the University of Washington (UW) in spring 2025. The consortium engages in interdisciplinary research that fosters key breakthroughs in materials research and education important for sustainability on remote island communities.

“We are committed to continuing to grow materials science research and education offerings to all students at UH through this unique partnership with UW,” said Godwin Severa, the project principal investigator and a researcher in the at the UH ����ԴDz� .

Connecting with �鶹��ý’s middle and high school students

The second half of the visit was dedicated to educating middle and high school students at �鶹��ý public schools about materials science through hands-on activities, interactions with scientists and presentations utilizing the UW-developed “Nanocamp” materials science modules. UH and UW students led the NanoCamp activities at six �鶹��ý schools: ʻIlima Intermediate, Waipahu High, Kaiser High, University Laboratory School, Kaimuki Middle and McKinley High. More than 650 students participated in the materials science activities.

“Launching the program with these activities was critical for our members to get to know each other, learn to work together, develop detailed research plans, and appreciate the diverse perspectives that each of us bring to the partnership,” said Lilo D. Pozzo, Boeing-Roundhill Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington, and project co-investigator. “The outreach activities with K–12 schools cemented our motivation to support growth of materials research in �鶹��ý and to serve its communities.”

Elevating material science research

The consortium partners aim to boost research for clean energy and sustainability, elevate material science research and STEM education at both undergraduate and graduate levels, broaden related education through new courses and workshops, and integrate local knowledge and insights to material science education.

The first half of the spring visit was focused on workshops on energizing materials science research and education in the partnership and included faculty presentations and discussions on current focus area activities and future plans. Research focus area working sessions and laboratory tours with the UW faculty and graduate students further clarified future collaborative activities. The activities concluded with a poster session, where students presented their research work and engaged with peers and faculty.

The consortium is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials and is comprised of 12 UH ����ԴDz� faculty and 14 UW faculty.

—By Marcie Grabowski

Liliane Burkhard, a University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� research affiliate, was selected as one of two for the European Geosciences Union (EGU) 2025 General Assembly in Vienna, Austria. In this week-long role spanning April and May, Burkhard created a large-scale installation that bridges science and art, specifically, transforming discarded conference posters into a floating cloud sculpture.

“Science is how we explain the world, art is how we make sense of it,” said Burkhard, a planetary geologist in the (HIGP) at the UH ����ԴDz� School of (SOEST). “I am deeply honored to be selected as an Artist in Residence for EGU25, where I can merge my passions for science and art in a meaningful way.”

The Artist in Residence program offers scientist-artists an opportunity to engage with scientific research in a dynamic setting and be inspired by the many new discoveries being presented at one of the largest international geoscience conferences.

“My installation served as a metaphor for how scientific ideas form and evolve, often starting as nebulous concepts that, over time, take shape and lead to something tangible,” Burkhard shared. “The act of reusing the physical posters to craft something new reflects the iterative process of research itself. In this, I hope to encourage viewers to consider how ideas, much like clouds, are always in flux: constantly forming and dissolving, yet impactful in the way they inspire both imagination and progress.”

With the installation, “Clouds of Insights,“ Burkhard created a space for reflection and conversation, while also emphasizing sustainability by repurposing materials from the conference itself.

In addition to her work as a sculptural mixed media artist, Burkhard has conducted planetary science research previously as a graduate student in the SOEST and now as a HIGP research affiliate. Through her investigations, she has explored the geology and histories of icy moons in our solar system, including Saturn’s largest moon, , and Jupiter’s largest moon, .

Sharing the science-art connection

Burkhard and Emily Costello, a researcher at HIGP, co-hosted a short course at the EGU conference, “Unlocking creativity through paper sculptures: Overcoming blocks in writing and idea generation.” They offered more than 60 attendees an opportunity to use the art of paper folding and sculpture to overcome creative blocks, spark fresh ideas and explore the transformative connections between hands-on creativity and scientific innovation.

“There was quite a lot of interest overall, which was very exciting!” said Burkhard. “The participants said they very much enjoyed doing something tactile and hands-on to help them with their work as scientists, connecting themselves to art and seeing things from a different perspective.”

—By Marcie Grabowski

Scientists have been on the hunt to determine where and how much ice is present on the Moon. Water ice would be an important resource at a potential future lunar base, as it could be used to support humans or be broken down to hydrogen and oxygen, key components of rocket fuel. University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� researchers are using two innovative approaches to advance the search for ice on the Moon.

NASA‘s ShadowCam scouts for surface ice

Water ice was previously detected in the permanently shaded regions of the Moon’s north and south poles by Shuai Li, assistant researcher at the (HIGP) in the UH ����ԴDz� (SOEST). A led by Jordan Ando, planetary sciences graduate student in Li’s laboratory, examined images from a specialized camera, NASA‘s ShadowCam, that is aboard the Korea Aerospace Research Institute Korea Lunar Pathfinder Orbiter.

Related UH News stories:

• Water on the Moon; team confirms with ground equipment, January 10, 2022
• Direct evidence of ice on Moon surface discovered, August 21, 2018

Craters in the Moon’s polar regions receive no direct sunlight, but sunlight that bounces off of one side of a crater can indirectly illuminate another side. The ShadowCam, designed specifically to look only at the dark, permanently shaded areas on the Moon, is extremely sensitive to the indirect light reflected off the lunar surface.

“Ice is generally brighter, that is, reflects more light, than rocks,” said Ando. “We analyzed high-quality images from this sensitive camera to look really closely into these permanently shaded areas and investigate whether water ice in these regions leads to widespread brightening of the surface.”

The analysis of Shadow Cam images indicates that water ice makes up less than 20% of the lunar surface.

Cosmic rays help search for buried ice

Another group of UH ����ԴDz� researchers with HIGP and recently in Geophysical Research Letters that outlines an innovative approach to detect buried ice deposits at the Moon’s poles.

“We showed that a new technique for detecting buried water ice on the Moon is possible using naturally occurring cosmic rays,” said Emily S. Costello, study lead author and researcher at HIGP. “These ultra-high-energy cosmic rays strike the lunar surface and penetrate to the layers below. The rays emit radar waves that bounce off buried ice and rock layers, which we can use to infer what’s below the surface.”

The team used an advanced computer simulation that tests how radar waves travel through the lunar soil and how they encode information about possible buried ice layers. A team of HIGP and Department of Physics and Astronomy researchers are working to assemble a radar instrument specifically tuned to listen for these signals on the Moon and hope to test the full system by early 2026. They will look for opportunities to send it to the Moon to hopefully detect large deposits of buried water ice on the Moon for the first time.

“More and more, �鶹��ý is becoming a hub for space exploration, and specifically the exploration of the Moon,” said Costello. “These projects, led by UH ����ԴDz� scientists, represent up-and-coming opportunities for students and professionals in �鶹��ý to lead and participate in the budding space industry.”

Read the entire story on the .

—By Marcie Grabowski