{"id":227338,"date":"2025-12-30T07:00:59","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T17:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=227338"},"modified":"2025-12-30T12:22:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T22:22:21","slug":"10-top-uh-news-stories-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/12\/30\/10-top-uh-news-stories-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"10 top UH<\/abbr> News stories 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\"Collage<\/p>\n

UHNews.org<\/a> posted more than 1,600 stories in the very eventful 2025. Here are 10 of the most popular UH<\/abbr> News<\/em> stories of the year:[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\n

\"2Jason Momoa casts UH<\/abbr> alum in Chief of War<\/em> TV<\/abbr> series<\/strong><\/a>
\nKaina Makua, who earned a BA<\/abbr> in Hawaiian studies and an MA<\/abbr> in education and \u02bb\u014dlelo<\/span> Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> wasn\u2019t seeking the spotlight at a canoe paddling regatta in 2019. But among the crowd that day, actor Jason Momoa saw something more: the future face of a king.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\n

\"MataFrom Hilo to Miss Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> USA<\/abbr><\/strong><\/a>
\nWhen Issha Rose Mata was crowned Miss Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> USA<\/abbr>, it marked more than a personal milestone\u2014it was a moment of pride for Hilo and the generations of \u02bbohana<\/span>, teachers and mentors who helped shape her journey. Mata grew up across the street from UH<\/abbr> Hilo, where she and two of her siblings studied.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\n

\"DalireUH<\/abbr> West O\u02bbahu<\/span> alumna crowned Miss Hawai\u02bbi<\/span><\/strong><\/a>
\nEmalia Dalire graduated from UH<\/abbr> West O\u02bbahu<\/span> with a bachelor of arts in business administration with a concentration in marketing. Her community service initiative is, \u201cK.E.Y. to Life: Keep Empowering Yourself\u201d the same platform she promoted as Miss Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Teen Volunteer.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\n

\"galaxyUH<\/abbr> astronomer finds the universe could be spinning<\/strong><\/a>
\nA new study by researchers including Istv\u00e1n Szapudi of the Institute for Astronomy suggests the universe may rotate\u2014just extremely slowly. The finding could help solve one of astronomy\u2019s biggest puzzles: measuring how fast the universe is expanding.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\n

\"largeK\u012blauea volcano ash prompts largest open ocean phytoplankton bloom<\/strong><\/a>
\nWhen K\u012blauea erupted in May 2018, an enormous amount of ash was released into the atmosphere, and a study revealed that a rare and large summertime phytoplankton bloom in the North Pacific in summer 2018 was prompted by that ash falling approximately 1,200 miles west of the volcano.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\n

\"SmilingCrowds go \u2018lulu\u2019 for lululemon at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa bookstore<\/strong><\/a>
\nThe lululemon | UH<\/abbr> collection made its exclusive in-store debut in August, and about 200 people lined up before the doors opened at 8 a.m. with the first person lined up before 5 a.m.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\n

\"floodingHawai\u02bbi<\/span> islands sinking faster in some areas; risk for flooding<\/strong><\/a>
\nSome parts of Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> are sinking faster than others, and as sea level rises, the infrastructure, businesses and communities in these low-lying areas are at risk of flooding sooner than anticipated, particularly in certain urban areas of O\u02bbahu<\/span>.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\n

\"RussellQ<\/abbr>&A: Exploring Chief of War<\/em> with UH<\/abbr> kumu<\/strong><\/a>
\nTo help viewers connect with the real history behind the drama, Hawaiian studies instructor Mehana Ka\u02bbiama Maka\u02bbina\u02bbi<\/span> teamed up with Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Public Radio storyteller Russell Kalani Subiono on the Feathers and Fire<\/em> podcast offering historical insight and personal reflection.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\n

\"aColdplay kisscam clip sparks viral frenzy, UH<\/abbr> professor weighs in on parasocial culture
\n<\/strong><\/a>
\nThe huge public reaction reveals deeper insights about how we relate to strangers online, according to Professor Jingyi Gu: \u201cWe create stories or personas around people we don\u2019t know in order to make sense of the world around us, understand others and ourselves, and express our cultural, moral and social values.\u201d<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\"footballHawai\u02bbi<\/span> Bowl champs! Warriors deliver thrilling comeback over Cal<\/strong><\/a>
\nIt was a Christmas Eve miracle in M\u0101noa. A Sheraton Hawai\u02bbi Bowl matchup already brimming with storylines and local connections saved its most dramatic moments for last when a backup quarterback threw the winning touchdown pass with 10 seconds left to lift the University of Hawai\u02bbi at M\u0101noa football team to a thrilling 35-31 win over California.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][\/vc_row][vc_column][\/vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\n

UH<\/abbr> News 2025 recap<\/h2>\n

10 top UH<\/abbr> News stories 2025<\/a>
\n10 top UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa stories 2025<\/a>
\nTop stories from each UH<\/abbr> campus 2025<\/a>
\n10 top UH<\/abbr> leadership stories 2025<\/a>
\nUH<\/abbr> News \u02bb\u014clelo of the Week 2025<\/a>
\nUH<\/abbr> Images of the Week 2025<\/a>
\nIn Memoriam 2025<\/a><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UHNews.org posted more than 1,600 stories in the very challenging 2025. Here are 10 top UH<\/abbr> News<\/em> stories of the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":227551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[61,62,63,64,65,71,14,9,60,947,59,66],"class_list":["post-227338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-hawaii-community-college","tag-honolulu-community-college","tag-kapiolani-community-college","tag-kauai-community-college","tag-leeward-community-college","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-manoa","tag-maui-college","tag-uh-system","tag-uh-west-oahu","tag-windward-community-college","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/top-stories-2025.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227338"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":227730,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227338\/revisions\/227730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/227551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}