The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo hosted the 5th Hawaiʻi Island HOSA – Future Health Professionals Regional Conference on January 18 where UH Hilo students took top honors in several event categories.

The Public Service Announcement (PSA) Team, consisting of juniors Travis Taylor and Shayne Cabudol, freshman Kit Neikirk, and senior Jeremy Villanueva, took 1st Place with their video “Stop the Bleed.”

The Health Career Display Team, comprised of sophomores Bobbi-Jo Oliva and Tara Marie Takafuji, took 1st Place for their display and presentation on the career of a plastic surgeon.

Individuals who placed 1st Place in their respective categories were freshman Zyrill Dayne Dela Cruz in Medical Math and junior Daniel Kimura in Medical Terminology.

Additionally, two officers of the UH Hilo HOSA Executive Council received special recognition for their hard work and dedication to HOSA. Vice President Daniel Kimura received the Outstanding Leadership Award and Chapter President and State Officer Candidate Travis Taylor received the Outstanding Presidential Award. External Advisor and founder of Hawaiʻi Island HOSA, Lark Jason Canico of the UH Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine, delivered a speech on “Leaving a Legacy” as part of the celebration.

More than 100 members representing chapters at UH Hilo, Kamehameha Schools-Hawaiʻi, Kea`au, and Waiakea High Schools competed in a variety of events, including Pharmacology, Medical Terminology, Prepared Speaking, and Public Service Announcement. In all, HOSA offers over 50 competitive events, building attributes of leadership, professionalism, knowledge and experience in the student’s area of interest.

As part of the 5th year anniversary, HOSA hosted its first college expo with over 10 organizations, including the UH Hilo Admissions Office, the UH Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, Hilo Medical Center Foundation, Blue Zones Hawaiʻi, and more.

UH Hilo HOSA will next send 10 ambassadors to compete in the 15th Annual Hawaiʻi HOSA State Leadership Conference February 25-27 at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center on O`ahu.

HOSA – Future Health Professionals is an international organization with more than 245,000 members and 2.5 million alumni. HOSA was established in Hawaiʻi in 2005 and has grown to more than 1,700 members.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo College of Natural and Health Sciences announces its Dean’s List recipients for the Fall 2019 semester:

Zoe Marie Acosta, Zyrene Mae Afan, Joie Keala Agard, Keilynn Ann Aguiar, Shantel-Lee Kamaluonalani Akau, Dason Charles C Albano, Jack Alan Andersen, Katherine Lynn Uchral Anderson, Alden Joel Anger, Alexander Joseph Baker, Alexis Hannah Berlin, Maya Sunshine Pacheco Bernardo, Michelle Marie Biete, Katelin Lili'inoe Rose Branco, Lindsay Brenner, Alexus Monet Buckingham, Kenneth L Bugado, Krisha Nobelle Bugajski-Sharp, Rod Neil Aglibut Burbano, Madeline Emma Bush, Alexandria Elise Cain, Donald Lynn Carter, Mahealani J Case, Lokelani Shyann Case, Edward B Cashman, Christopher Ikaika Chang, Tyron Devera Chavez, Sunni Kalaiuaomapulehu Chow, Caden Alec Christensen, Guthrie Eck Cissell, Marinel Aguinaldo Clemente, Ryan Patrick Coad, Nancy Hoku'ukali Costales, Zachary K Cuison, Persia-Sun Majree Daigle, Jorge Xavier De Leon Tye, Zyrill Dayne Taguicana Dela Cruz, Angelo Teddie Mabanag Dela Cruz, Carli Melenanila'ela'eomahina Denis, Billi Kathleen Derleth, Michael L Devaney, Kostadin Georgiev Devedzhiev, Lindsey Christine Dewey, Sebastian D Dominguez, George Stanley Donev, Gaelin Natalie Drew, Patrick John Dumlao Duyao, Bryana-Marie Napuakeanani Ebbers, Taylor Pulelehua Eleola, Starlyne J Estrada, Alyssa L Faletoi, Sheilla Mae Balila Felipe, Christopher Chikara Ferreira, Eliza Jane Fitzgerald, Kela Marie Fitzgerald, Kirstie Anne Tsuyako SeuLing Flores-Oishi, Ryan Foley, Kaley Grace Fujii, Greta Jeanne Fust, Justine Ira Rosario Gabini, Makena Leahi Galimba, Charlene Mae Quezon Galvez, Lily Kukuiliilii Prani Gavagan, Neilsen Orpilla Gazo, Maxwell Jake Geiger, Jemma Moani Godbout, Alec Chandler Goodson, Drew Thomas Gotshalk, Carson Phillips Green, McKenna Y Green, Melia Kolopua Greene-Duarte, Julia Koba Grootaers, Frank Ventura Guillermo, Cedrei Jan Librea Guinto, Christopher Kalani Hanley, Rondy Hardison, Bethany Rose Hartshorn, Anthony Lazaro Cabreira Haskett, Mingxia June Hawkins, Hannah N Hayes, Aurora Driveklepp Helgeland, Jazmin Natalie Helzer, Rebecca Leigh Hewetson, Kristie Akemi Hirai, Royce Hirayama, Daniel Ho, Maire Kieran Howell, Madison J Hwang, Breanne Takeko Ihara, Kawehi Kaula Iopa-Baring, Joshua Irwin, Hokulani S Iseri, Kaija Meru Jacob-Kline, Laura Ann Jambura, Kaela R Jelsma, Moanikealaonaonaokalani Pilialoha Kahana, Naone Kanekonapiliahi'ola Kanakanui, Teva Kuumakanamaikalani Randolph Kealoha Meyer, Joey Alyssa Keegan, John Timothy Kendall, Harley Kamaleionalani Kinney, Aspen Montegomery Klein, Kassi Louise Joernsdatter Klepper, Allison Leping Knuth, Caleb Kainalu Kow, Timothy Peter Kudryn, Stephanie Gi Ying Kung, Liezl Leilani Alcon Lagua, Annie Makaye Larson, Heather Nalani Lee, Sydney Lyn Lewis, Kekoa K Lima, Brooke Elizabeth Lindquist, Mary Lynn De Guzman Llaguno, Caitlin K Lochmann, Sarah Kahiau Loving, Nevan Tibor Lowe, Allison Loy, Dana Wren Makida, Sarah J Maloy, Keala Keahi Punahele Indreginal Mamala, Micah J. Marshall, Williamson James Akil Marshall, Alice Mary Martin, Miranda Martin, Adam Lee Mastel, Russ Shigeru Masuda, Darien Lee Matlock, Tyler Kekoa Matsukawa, Jaden Haruo Matsunaka, Chanel Mattheus, Jonathan Willis Matthiesen, Alexis Ella Ramos Matundan, Zoe K Mayhew, Catherine Rose McTighe, Roxie Kaehukaimaikalani Medeiros, Brandon Kahalimalulani Haaheo Meyers, Alexander Middleton, Inbar Milstein, Chloe Utoctoc Norkiwoh Nalyal Molou, Jo-Anna K. K. M Moniz, Riana Kalaihopeokauanui Mutabdzija, Marche Susan Yuriko Nagao, Cole C Nagata, Kealaulaokalaealohilohinei Lily Kum Lung Nahuina, Shanxi Keaonani Nakaahiki, Keane Kiyoshi Nakatsu, Kit Callahan Neikirk, Nena Nena Jr., Tarmau Sabina Ngiramengior, Kenneth Kahiau Niheu, Chloe Yukie Kehaulani Nishioka, Skyler Shinji Nishiyama, Mary Noble, Kaitlyn Elizabeth Noyes, Michael Bautista Nozares, Bryanne K Olson, Macie Ann Otenbriet, Nicole My-Kimi Otsuka, Ashlynn Nicole Overly, Jaisele Ann Paguirigan, Sabrina Pando Estrada, Christiane Miyo Pang, Charles Jake Humilde Patris, Jaedyn J Pavao, Tiana Marie Quinn, David Gilberto Quinones, Shantel Kanani Rabanal, Herald Jasffer Yuson Racadio, Haley Keala-Faith Rasse, Emmalani Isabella Reynolds, Alyssa-Jade Mariko Riglos, Emily Rose Risley, Brendan Michael Roanoke, Charlene Mae B Ruiz, Carly Sharon Ryder, Ashley Jean Rynkewicz, Hera Hoku Salmeron, Ilysia Sharai K Sana, Grant Ernest Sanderson, Katrina E Santiago, Jameson K Sato, Lea Franziska Seidel, Ella Theone Seipel, Jasmine T Smeraglia, Tiare Alohalani Soria, Kelsey Lauren Spears, Alexander James Spengler, Natalie Rose Strauss, Camille Antonia Strazzo, Te'a Keakalena Strong, Sarah Autumn Stuart-Smith, Sueun Suh, Heidi Elizabeth Swinhoe, Tory K Taboniar, Tara Marie Rebuenog Takafuji, Lexie Ilihia Taylor, Jodie Chiemi Tokihiro, GellieAnn Tolentino, Kanaikoa Sonny Belanio Tolentino, Morgan Bridget Towers, Emily Kay Travis, Steven Truslow, Jonathan Lian Tsao, Kaelyn Kanae Uchida, Majorette U Umayas, Maria-Rovella V Umayas, Brian Rios Urena, Kalana N Uweko'olani, Kim Thanh Vu, Sasa Vuksanovic, Shannon Marie Wallace, Vanessa Ambayec Watkins, William Charles Wenrich, Dylan Enrique Wentz, Rachel L Whetten, Rachel Brittany Willard, Elijah Winger, Megan Tiffany Woolsey, Emily E Wright, Casey Nobutori Yamauchi, Katelyn Barbra Yockey, Bradyn Bryan Yoshida, Lino Yoshikawa, Chelsie Lynn Ziegler, Juliana Audrey Zolopa .

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo International Student Association presents International Nights on Friday, February 21 and Saturday, February 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the UH Hilo Performing Arts Center. This 45th annual event features performances from around the world and is a favorite tradition among students, the campus, and larger communities.

This year’s shows feature 15 different performances spanning the globe. Crowd favorites include Tupulaga O Samoa Mo a Taeao representing Samoa and Taishoji Taiko representing Japan. Other performances will showcase the unique cultures of the Philippines, India, Micronesia, Ireland, West Africa, Tonga, Palau, and the Marshall Islands.

Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 senior citizens, and $5 students and children 17 years and under. Tickets may be purchased online at http://artscenter.uhh.hawaii.edu or by phone at 932-7490. Tickets can also be purchased at the UH Hilo Performing Arts Center Box Office from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, Tuesday through Friday, or at the door if tickets are still available the night of the shows. Advance ticket purchase is recommended as tickets typically sell out prior to the shows.

For ticket information, contact the UH Hilo Performing Arts Center Box Office at 932-7490.

The Center for Community Engagement at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo offers Spring Break Camp 2020 - Kindness Camp March 16-20, 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., in the UH Hilo Old Gym. The camp is designed for students ages 8-10. Cost is $150, and students must bring their own snacks, lunches, and water.

Keiki will have fun while learning the importance of caring for themselves, others, and their communities. Activities include creating kindness journals, facilitating collaboration and respect through art-based activities, caring for the environment with Upcycle Hawaiʻi, Recycle Hawaiʻi, and UH Hilo’s Vermicomposting class, making dog toys and treats for Aloha Ilio Rescue, and more! Keiki will also enjoy yoga, team-focused physical activities and water play.

For more information and to register, contact UH Hilo CCE at 932-7830 or

visit https://hilo.hawaii.edu/cce/.

The popular and multi-award-winning Goitse performs at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Performing Arts Center Wednesday, February 26, at 7:30 p.m.

Goitse has released five critically acclaimed recordings and maintains a year-round touring schedule that includes performances throughout Ireland, the UK, Germany, France and the United States.

Laying the foundation for their music are World and All-Ireland Bodhrán champion Colm Phelan and Conal O’Kane representing rhythm, the voice of Áine McGeeney, named "Best Female Vocalist” by the Irish American News 'Best of the Year’ awards, and Tadhg Ó Meachair on piano.

Tickets are reserved seating and priced at $25 General, $20 Discount and $12 UH Hilo/HawCC students (with a valid student ID) and children, up to age 17, pre-sale, and $5 more at the door. Tickets are available by calling the UH Hilo Box Office at 932-7490, Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., or by ordering online at artscenter.uhh.hawaii.edu.

The Center for Community Engagement at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo offers Digital Photography Fundamentals for Marketing with Gareth Makino. Classes are held Fridays, March 6 and 13, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., in UH Hilo’s PB-5 classroom. Cost is $45. Parking fees apply, and participants should bring a smartphone or digital camera.

This beginner’s course will cover the fundamentals of digital photography to help participants improve the quality of their images. From image capture to post-processing, participants will learn the basic skills for creating images with impact for multi-channel digital marketing.

Makino is a full-time corporate buyer and customer relationship manager who specializes in digital advertising and social media marketing.

For more information and to register, contact CCE at 932-7830 or visit https://hilo.hawaii.edu/cce/.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo invites the public to its second annual Women in STEM conference Thursday, March 5, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., in Campus Center 301. The conference is free, but there is a $3 parking fee per day.

This year’s theme is “Educate to Empower: Uplifting All Women in STEM.” The conference will feature training, workshops, and panel discussions. The keynote address by Alexandra Colón Rodriguez, a postdoctoral researcher in the B3 Lab at the University of California, Davis, begins at 9:15 a.m.

Rodriguez is a neurotoxicologist whose current research is focused on reproductive neurogenomics, the study of the interactions among genotypes, phenotypes and the environment. She will share her current science communication initiatives and her journey from graduate student to scientist as a first-generation Puerto Rican woman.

The B3 lab at UC Davis is an integrative research program that investigates avian biology (birds), reproductive neuroendocrinology and genomics (brains), and science communication (banter).

A free networking lunch takes place from noon to 1 p.m in Campus Center 301. Attendees will be automatically entered into a raffle giveaway at the time of registration. The winner will be announced at the end of the conference.

For more information about the conference or for a detailed schedule of the day’s events, visit http://tcbes.uhh.hawaii.edu/WIS/. To register for the conference, visit https://forms.gle/p2n7k84DccTrwJhp7.

The event is sponsored by the TCBES MATERS Club, LGBTQ+ Center, Women's Center, and the Office of Equal Opportunity at UH Hilo. The keynote address is sponsored by a National Science Foundation ADVANCE BRIDGE grant, “Next Steps: Mentoring and Coaching with ADVANCE-BRIDGE Grant at UH Hilo and UHCCS.” The grant’s principal investigator is Marina Karides, professor of sociology at UH Hilo.

For questions, email the TCBES MATERS Club at uhhtcbes@hawaii.edu.

For disability accommodations, call (808) 932-7642 or email eeoaa@hawaii.edu.

In celebration of International Women’s Day and Girls’ Day, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo invites the public to a special free screening of the film “Yokosuka 1953” on Tuesday, March 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the Student Services Center Room W-201.

The documentary tells the story of Yoko, who was born in Yokosuka, Japan in 1947 to a Japanese lady and an American soldier. Her mother was a single mother and Yoko was adopted to the United States in 1953. The film is about Yoko’s journey to Japan to trace her mother’s footsteps and to meet her mother, revealing hidden history about Japan and the United States along the way.

Director Dr. Tsuyoshi Kigawa will be present at the screening and will discuss the background of the documentary. Kigawa is an associate professor at Wakayama University in Japan.

The screening is sponsored by the UH Hilo International Student Services program. For more information, call 932-7467.

A team of researchers led by the Biology Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has its new study on animal biodiversity patterns on the planet featured in the February 28, 2020 issue of the journal Science.

Dr. Matthew Knope, assistant professor of biology, is lead author of “Ecologically diverse clades dominate the oceans via extinction resistance,” which demonstrates that animal biodiversity in the modern oceans is best explained by lower extinction rates in animal groups that are ecologically diverse, rather than by higher origination rates, as previously predicted. Co-authors include Andrew M. Bush, University of Connecticut, Luke O. Frishkoff, University of Texas at Arlington, Noel A. Heim, Tufts University, and Jonathan L. Payne, Stanford University.

“Animals in the oceans today are more diverse than they have ever been in the history of life on Earth and scientists have long worked to describe how they have come to be that way,” Knope said. The study examined approximately 20,000 genera of fossil marine animals across the past 500 million years, and approximately 30,000 genera of living marine animals.

“Our findings clearly show that the most ecologically diverse animal groups are also the most dominate animals in terms of numbers of genera in the modern oceans,” Knope noted. “Being a member of an ecologically flexible group makes you resistant to extinction, particular during mass extinctions, that primarly impacted ecologically homogenous groups. The oceans we see today are filled with a dizzying array of species in groups like fishes, arthropods, and mollusks, not because they had higher origination rates than groups that are less common, but because they had lower extintion rates over very long intervals of time.”

Rosemary Gillespie, professor of evolutionary biology at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the study, explained, “Understanding how biodiversity is structured, both in space and time, has always been a major focus in biology. A significant difficulty in doing so is that current patterns of biodiversity are dictated both by origination and extinction, and while we can infer origination rates through examination of extant biodiversity, elucidating the role of extinction is notoriously difficult. This study represents some of the most detailed and careful analyses of the fossil record to date, showing very clearly the importance of the ‘slow and steady’ development of lineages through time has been a key factor in dictating which lineages have achieved the highest diversity.”

Further, Michal Kowalewski, professor of invertebrate paleontology at the University of Florida, who was also not involved with the study, said, “In a clever analysis of massive data derived from the fossil record, Knope and colleagues directly address one of the critical questions of biology, as to why do certain types of animals occupy exceptionally broad spectra of ecological niches. As importantly, the study highlights the truly unique value of paleontological data for assessing core questions of biology and exploring historical roots of the modern biosphere.”

Knope further explained, “Perhaps the fable of the tortoise and the hare is apt in explaining marine animal diversification: some groups jumped out to an early diversity lead only to be surpassed by other groups that were more ecologically diverse and less evolutionarily volatile, with steady diversification rates and strong resistance to mass extinctions.”

The entire study is available at: https://science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.aax6398.

An assistant professor in the computer science department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo was recently awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation. The $549,790 award will take place over a five-year time period and will help to solidify the University’s growing expertise in the field of data science.

The grant will fund Travis Mandel's research into Accelerating Scientific Data Collection Through Human-in-the-Loop Artificial Intelligence. This cross-disciplinary work seeks to transform the process of scientific data collection across a wide variety of scientific domains, including psychology, marine science, and ecology, allowing scientists to “do more with less” - uncovering more scientific discoveries while spending less time, effort, and funding collecting data.

“The goal of this project is to create new algorithms and interaction paradigms that enable humans and artificial intelligence systems to work together, leveraging each other's strengths to collect better data,” Mandel explained. The grant extends Mandel's program of research that explores how Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning systems can collaborate with humans to solve real-world problems too challenging for either to address alone.

“I'm particularly excited about the opportunities this grant will provide for our talented and hardworking undergraduate students to get involved in cutting-edge computer science and data science research,” Mandel said. “The project also includes components that integrate research and education, such as building new data science curriculum and developing interactive video game exhibits at the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center and the Hawaiʻi Science and Technology Museum.”

Mandel's award is through the NSF's Cyber-Human Systems Program, which is part of the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) directorate. The CAREER award is NSF's most prestigious award offered in support of junior faculty and awarded to those who are likely to become role models and leaders in research and education.

For more details on the award, see: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1942229.

Students from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo claimed top honors in various event categories at the 15th Annual Hawai’i HOSA – Future Health Professionals State Leadership Conference held recently on O`ahu.

UH Hilo HOSA’s Public Service Announcement Team, comprised of juniors Travis Taylor and Shayne Cabudol, freshman Kit Neikirk, and senior Jeremy Villanueva, captured 1st Place in Public Service Announcement event with their 30-second PSA on “Stop the Bleed.” To view their PSA, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKB6TcflDzU.

In the individual competition, junior Daniel Kimura received 2nd Place in Medical Terminology and junior Rhodney Hernando advanced as a 2nd Round Finalist in the Physical Therapy event.

Taylor, current UH Hilo chapter president, was elected as the Hawaiʻi HOSA State Postsecondary Vice President.

The UH Hilo HOSA team next participates in the 2020 International Leadership Conference, scheduled for June 24-27, 2020 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

HOSA – Future Health Professionals is an international organization with more than 245,000 members and 2.5 million alumni. HOSA was established in Hawaiʻi in 2005 and has grown to more than 1,700 members.

The public is advised that the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo campus gates on Nowelo Street will be closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., seven days a week, effective Friday, March 13, 2020. The gates are located makai (ocean side) of the Nowelo Street and A`ohoku Place intersection, and makai of the Nowelo Street bridge near the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management building.

The campus entrances at Komohana Street and Lanikaula Street will remain open. However, there will be no thru access from Komohana Street to Lanikaula Street between the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., seven days a week.

“Reducing access to campus during the late night/early morning hours helps to make campus safer for our campus community,” noted Interim Vice Chancellor for Administrative Affairs Kalei Rapoza.

The University’s Campus Security will be sweeping the areas around Hale`olelo and the `Imiloa Astronomy Center prior to closing gates. If anyone’s vehicle is locked in this corridor after gate closure, contact Campus Security at 974-7911 for assistance.

The Center for Community Engagement at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo offers Wire Jewelry 101 with Alexander Middleton. Classes are on Saturdays, March 28 to May 2, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., in UH Hilo’s PB-5 classroom. Cost is $125.

Participants will learn about the tools, techniques, and history of wire jewelry as well as an introduction to eco-friendly jewelry, the modern jewelry industry, and the next generation of jewelry making.

Participants should bring a notebook and pen or pencil. Basic supplies will be provided for each class. However, it is recommended that participants have their own pliers set, which will be discussed at the first class. Purchasing craft wire and beads are optional.

Middleton is a local artist who has been teaching wire jewelry classes in the local community for several years. He won the “Judge's Choice Award” in 2017 and 2019 at the East Hawaiʻi Cultural Center’s annual Young at Art competition/exhibit, as well as the “Award of Recognition” in 2016.

For more information and to register, contact CCE at 932-7830 or visit https://hilo.hawaii.edu/cce/.

A graduate student in the MA program in Counseling Psychology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has been awarded the American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship in the area of Services for Transition Age Youth. This is the first award of its kind for a student at UH Hilo.

Rachel Gibson is a first-year graduate student whose specialization is in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. The APA Minority Fellowship provides financial support of up to $10,000 for one year, and is funded by a grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Gibson has a strong commitment to a career in mental health services and serving ethnic minority transition age youth and their families. Before entering the MA program, she worked with incarcerated and/or at-risk youth, particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds, including Mexican American youths. Gibson noted that during this time, although most of her clients spoke proficient English, many of their families were Spanish-speaking. Gibson studied Spanish for six years and lived in a Spanish-speaking country for some time, which helped her greatly in connecting with the clients’ families.

“I’m very honored and humbled and am eager to get started with this Fellowship program,” Gibson said. “I see this as a tremendous opportunity to further my knowledge and skills and am grateful to APA for giving me this award.”

“The Fellowship is very prestigious and I’m so happy for Rachel,” said Dr. Bryan S. K. Kim, professor of psychology and director of the MA program. “The Fellowship is a testament to her commitment to addressing diversity issues in mental health and her past and present efforts in this area.

“I interpret the Fellowship as an investment by APA in Rachel to be a leader in this underattended area of work in our communities,” he added.

Kim will serve as a training mentor for Gibson per the Fellowship requirement.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo College of Business and Economics announces registration is underway for its online summer program.

“The College of Business and Economics is offering a wide variety of class offerings, from introductory courses to upper-division text analytics, and community members are encouraged to register for courses that appeal to them,” said Interim Dean Emmeline de Pillis.

A sample of summer courses includes:

BUS 100 - Intro to Business: Survey course covering business functions, methods of business operation, types of business ownership, and the role of business organizations in contemporary society. Course provides an excellent overview of all the major areas of business.

BUS 110 - Freshmen Business Experience: Introduction to basic business disciplines and terminology as well as strategies for creative and critical thinking, effective communication, teamwork, and leadership. Course helps to identify potential career fields in the realm of business administration, and address challenges that first semester university students typically encounter.

MGT 394 - Special Topics in Management – Strategic Leadership: Covers the complex roles of a leader, major theories and models of leadership, and leader-follower relationships.

MKT 394 - Special Topics in Mkt – Retail Marketing: Covers positioning, electronic commerce, inventory management, pricing, atmospherics, and customer satisfaction, automation, artificial intelligence, and the latest retail/distribution tools.

QBA 394 - Special Topics in QBA – Social Media and Text Analysis: Addresses the challenges of processing and analyzing unstructured data such as social media posts and web pages. Students will familiarize themselves with state-of-the-art text analytics techniques for a deeper understanding of online users and their social networks. No programming experience required.

To see the complete list of courses and summer session dates, view: http://business.uhh.hawaii.edu/cobe-summer-program.php.

For more information, including registration information, email cobeuhh@hawaii.edu or call 932-7272.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has long been recognized for the diversity of its student body, and on the weekend of April 4-5, UH Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College students really learned how important that diversity is in approaching solutions to local problems.

In planning for over a year, UH Hilo and HawCC collaborated with HIplan Executive Director Jason Ueki and the BizGenics Foundation to offer a HIplan Hackathon for students. The goals were to develop students’ understanding of how to conceptualize and design a business concept for an app-based solution to a real community issue, which centered on the recovery efforts around the 2018 lava flow.

Roughly 50 students from both campuses had initially registered for the face-to-face event, which had to be completely restructured as a virtual event due to COVID-19. Since many students had returned home or experienced a shift in priorities, 15 students participated in the online event, spanning the globe from Hawaiʻi Island to Spain. Luca Checchia Adell, a sophomore at UH Hilo studying Business, participated from his hometown of Valencia, Spain, which meant that he stayed up all night to collaborate with his teammates.

The event lasted two days, bringing students together from different campuses, majors, and backgrounds to share their global perspectives and approaches to problem-solving. Collaborating in teams of three or four students, the students were provided with training in business models and the BizzyB.com collaborative learning platform, and heard a presentation from Helen Tien, instructor at UH Hilo’s College of Business and Economics, on the challenges the community still faces from the 2018 lava flow.

The students worked with mentors who shared their extensive knowledge in business and technology to develop the teams’ concepts, business plans and pitches. The teams then pitched their concept and answered questions from a panel of judges.

UH Hilo participant Ryen Helzer, a senior studying Geography & Environmental Science, said, “The HIplan Hackathon allowed me to practice creative problem-solving and presenting skills that apply to real-world careers. The opportunity to quickly meet and work with a diverse group of individuals to create solutions is a positive experience for future endeavors.”

For some, the online format might have been helpful.

Makamae Kamaka-Mauhili, a UH Hilo freshman studying Business and Women’s Studies, reflected, “I am someone who tends to stay in the background, but with my team, I was able to emerge from my shell and share what I thought comfortably. Since it was virtual, in my opinion it was easier for us to work together.

“The overall hackathon experience really broadened my scope of learning alongside applying knowledge and skill sets to produce a positive outcome,” she added.

Kamaka-Mauhili and teammates Brian McMichael (HawCC, IT), Karly Requelman (Sophomore, HawCC, Culinary Arts) and Zoe Whitney (Senior, UH Hilo, Environmental Science and TESOL) took First Place and were awarded $2,500 for designing an app that connects community members with skills and materials to rebuild homes that were lost as a result of the lava flow. Second Place and $1,500 went to Kevianna Adams (Junior, UH Hilo, Chemistry & Psychology), Santos Gutierez (Sophomore, HawCC, Information Technology), Ryen Helzer (Senior, UH Hilo, Geography & Environmental Sciences) and Catherine Kane-Paulo (Junior, UH Hilo, Business Administration) for their app named Coconut Grove. Third Place and $1,000 went to Luca Checchia Adell (Sophomore, UH Hilo, Business Administration), Casey Chow (Freshman, HawCC, ITS), Kevin Oh (Freshman, HawCC, Information Technology), and Jena Shidaki (Sophomore, UH Hilo, Communication) for their Disaster Defense app. Fourth Place and $300 went to the team of Alan Cincunegui Corres (Sophomore, UH Hilo, Finance), Kapaia`alaopuna Earle (Junior, UH Hilo, Communication & Hawaiian Studies), and Garnett Stone Jr. (Junior, UH Hilo, Business Administration) for their app called Second Wave.

Judges included Melanie Wilson, Dean of Liberal Arts & Public Services at HawCC, tech entrepreneur Steve Sakoman of Steve Sakoman Inc., and Chris Rehkamp, former program manager at the Digital Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland. Mentors included Director of Accelerator Operations at Elemental Excelerator Sherrie Totoki in San Francisco, Americas Advisory Learning Leader Louise Lorton of Ernst & Young in North Carolina, and Phillipe Rosse from RFP Match in North Carolina. Facilitators included local entrepreneur Mike Nakamura, former tech executive Wayne Morris, and retired tech professional Walter McCoy.

Event sponsors were Kamehameha Schools, Ulupono Initiative, County of Hawaiʻi, UH Hilo and HawCC.

Ten students preparing to graduate in May 2020 from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy recently were matched to post-graduate residency programs at hospitals and health care systems around the county. Two DKICP graduates from the class of 2019 were also matched for a second year of postgraduate residency.

The annual residency match program is coordinated by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists and provides a process to help connect top graduates from pharmacy colleges with residency programs throughout the United States. Residency match is a highly competitive process for pharmacy graduates.

From the class of 2020 for PGY-1 residency:

• Robyn Hart: Providence Alaska Medical Center, Anchorage, AK

• Taylor Hori: VA Southern Nevada Health Care System, North Las Vegas, NV

• Kelly Kofalt: VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System, Reno, NV

• Kamala Lizama: VA Pacific Islands Health Care System, Honolulu, HI

• Mary Lui: VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA

• My Nguyen: Yuma Regional Medical Center, Yuma, AZ

• Stacey Nguyen: MountainView Hospital, Las Vegas, NV

• Brent Ocker: Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

• Shaina Saiki: Scripps Memorial Hospital-La Jolla, La Jolla, CA

• Thi Hong Vo: University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, Hilo, HI

From the class of 2019 for PGY-2 specialty residency:

• Kelsey Noetzelmann: Oncology, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy, Aurora, CO

• Leigh Heffner: Psychiatry and Mental Health, William S. Middleton VA Medical Center, Madison, WI

“Match Day, and all the preparations for it, can be very stressfull,” said DKICP Dean Carolyn Ma. “We are proud of all our students in the Class of 2020 who dedicated themselves to fulfilling the many requirements of the program. For our matches from the Class of 2019, the progression to a specialty residency demonstrates their desire to commit to an area of specialty practice that will set them apart from their peers and offer the possibility of the prestigious future of specialty board certification.”

Dr. Sheri Tokumaru, associate professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, is one of 12 medical professionals from around the country chosen to develop a set of guidelines for the acute treatment of cerebral edema in neurocritical care patients. Published in late March 2020 in Neurocritical Care Journal, these guidelines have been endorsed by the Society of Critical Care Medicine, American Academy of Neurology and American Association of Neuroscience Nursing.

“These guidelines will be most useful in mid-size and smaller hospitals with mixed Intensive Care Units that handle all types of critical care,” Tokumaru said. “For instance, here in Hawaiʻi, we have many hospitals with Intensive Care Units that may not have quick access to a neurocritical care expert.”

The guidelines were written based on a careful review of all existing research on treatment of cerebral edema (brain swelling), which is a common issue in patients with neurological injury. The publication provides practical, evidence-based recommendations for selecting and monitoring therapies to manage the conditions, she explained.

“Producing the guide required interprofessional collaboration, with a panel made up of medical doctors, nurse practioners and four pharmacists from around the country and Canada,” Tokumaru noted. “We also had tremendous help from medical reference libarians, including Donna Ohora at UH Hilo’s Mookini Library.”

Authors were all nominated to be on the panel, said Carolyn Ma, dean of DKICP.

“They all bring with them a high level of achievement in their respective fields within neurocritical care, and our College is very proud to have Dr. Tokumaru included as a collaborator on these guidelines.”

Tokumaru is director of interprofessional education and development for DKICP, with a current practice site in the neuroscience ICU at The Queen’s Medical Center on O`ahu. She has worked as a clinical pharmacist in hospital ICUs in Kentucky and California, and taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy prior to joining the DKICP faculty in 2010.

Four University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Marine Option Program (MOP) students recently participated in the annual UH MOP Symposium held April 18 via Zoom and brought home awards, including Best Research Presentation, which has now been won by UH Hilo for 27 of the past 32 years.

Sofia Ferreira Colman, a sophomore, won Best Research Presentation for her work on “Seascape Ecology and 3D Photogrammetry can Elucidate the Relationships between Coral Patch Characteristics and Chaetodontidae Assemblage Patterns at Laehala, Hilo.

Junior Clara Whetstone won Best Internship Presentation for “Internship with Ocean Era: Hawaiian Macroalgae (limu) Culturing Techniques for Future Offshore Demonstration.”

Jastine Honea, a senior, won the Pacon Award for the project involving the best use of technology with a Pacific focus. Her project was on “Patterns of Morphological Variation in an Introduced Population of Peacock Grouper Cephalopholis Argus around Hawaiʻi Island.”

Senior Kainalu Steward co-won the Craven Award for the Most Inspired and Inspirational Presentation by a MOP “Child of the Sea” for his project on “Investigating Spawning of `Alamihi (Metophograpsus Thukuhar) in Relation to the Hawaiian Lunar Calendar and Tidal Changes.”

“These MOP students carried out amazing projects, and were outstanding representatives of UH Hilo at the Statewide MOP Symposium,” said MOP Co-Coordinator Lisa Parr.

A third-year student pharmacist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy recently won the national American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Patient Counseling competition.

Henry Quach, who competed against students from pharmacy schools across the country, will receive a plaque and $1,000 prize.

The national counseling competition is designed to encourage student pharmacists to develop their skills as healthcare providers and educators. The contest mimics a patient picking up medication for the first time and requires pharmacy students to counsel the patient on safe and effective drug use. This year’s final round of competition involved the scenario of a mother picking up medication for her young son.

“She showed some signs of concern and anxiousness but was very responsive to learning about the medication,” Quach said.

Quach added that Dr. Jarred Prudencio, DKICP assistant professor of pharmacy practice, played a big role in helping him prepare for the contest.

“I don’t think I could have done it without all of his help and encouragement,” he said.

Quach achieved some of his counseling skills working with the Pacific Island Mobile Screening Clinic, an organization manned by DKICP students to conduct health screenings and educate local residents about issues relating to chronic diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. This past year, Quach served as lead on-site chair for the group.

As this year’s national winner, Quach will return to help judge next year’s APhA competition.