{"id":237030,"date":"2026-07-06T14:56:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T00:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=237030"},"modified":"2026-07-06T14:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T00:57:08","slug":"ctahr-faculty-honored-by-weda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/06\/ctahr-faculty-honored-by-weda\/","title":{"rendered":"CTAHR<\/abbr> faculty honored as best in Western U.S.<\/abbr>"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Group
Team award: CTAHR<\/abbr> Associate Extension Agent Amjad Ahmad, Professor Brent Sipes, Professor Thao Le and Professor Koon-Hui Wang, winners of the award of excellence in programming for a team, with college dean Parwinder Grewal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A cohort from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience<\/a> (CTAHR<\/abbr>) was recognized out of 16 schools by the Western Extension Directors Association (WEDA<\/abbr>) and agInnovation-West for leadership in education, research, and Cooperative extension.<\/p>\n

\"Two
Lifetime award: Kevin Olival, associate dean for research at CTAHR<\/abbr>, and Professor Rachel Novotny, who was honored with the lifetime achievement award in agriculture research innovation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“At CTAHR<\/abbr>, we are building a movement rooted in collaborative innovation,” said CTAHR<\/abbr> Dean Parwinder Grewal. “These honors reflect our commitment to bringing out the best in our students and faculty as they lead the way in creating solutions that support families and communities, food producers, and the natural environment.”<\/p>\n

WEDA<\/abbr> presented its Award of Excellence in Programming for a Team to the Organic Sweetpotato Integrated Pest Management and Soil Health Management Team. Led by Koon-Hui Wang of the Department of Plant & Environmental Protection Sciences, the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> team includes Amjad Ahmad, Thao Le and Brent Sipes, along with collaborators from Auburn University\u2019s College of Agriculture.<\/p>\n

The combined team has secured more than $1 million in competitive funding and developed tools for pest management and soil health, on-farm research trials, and educational resources that strengthen organic farming systems.<\/p>\n

The 2026 Excellence in Agricultural Research Innovation Award – Lifetime was presented to Professor Rachel Novotny of CTAHR<\/abbr>\u2019s Department of Human Nutrition, Food & Animal Science.<\/p>\n

\"Two
New teacher award: CTAHR<\/abbr> Dean Parwinder Grewal and fashion Professor Andy Reilly, who accepted the new teacher award of excellence.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Novotny has dedicated her career to building scientific evidence and policies to improve the nutrition of underserved communities throughout Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and the Pacific. Her signature achievement is establishing the college\u2019s Children\u2019s Healthy Living Center<\/a> in 2011. This initiative has played a major role in helping thousands of children and families lead healthier, more active lives.<\/p>\n

The Western region\u2019s land-grant network awarded the 2026 Western Region New Teaching Award to Professor Andy Reilly.<\/p>\n

Reilly is a professor in CTAHR<\/abbr>‘s Fashion Design and Merchandising program whose academic research explores the historic and cultural aspects of the fashion industry in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>. He has authored seven books and 40 academic papers, and is now writing a comprehensive book on fashion in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The awards were presented at the 2026 Western Region Joint Summer Meeting, hosted by CTAHR<\/abbr> in Hilo, from June 22 to 25.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recognized at the 2026 Western Region Joint Summer Meeting, recipients were honored for achievements in agricultural research, teaching and community outreach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":237060,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[212,598,698,9],"class_list":["post-237030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-college-of-tropical-agriculture-and-human-resilience","tag-faculty-recognition","tag-staff-recognition","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t