Science & Engineering – Page 2

Biology assistant professor awarded grant to study the evolution of visual systems

Porter and her lab collecting animals in the field.

Megan Porter, biology assistant professor at the University of Hawaiʻiat Mānoa, is among 30 recipients to receive an Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant provides non-tenured researchers with fellowships, partnering them with premier research centers and enhancing their ability to work at the frontiers of science and engineering. Porter’s project is titled Enhancing Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies …

Ecuadorians disproportionately select non-native plants for medicinal use

Plant medicine is practiced widely across the world, however, there is concern that introduced plants could be replacing the use of native plants for medicine in various regions. It is critical to understand the potential influence of introduced plant use on native plant treatments. With hundreds of thousands of native plant treatments used by indigenous peoples worldwide that have yet …

John S. Allen elected Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa mechanical engineering Professor John S. Allen has been elected into the Acoustical Society of America’s (ASA) College of Fellows for his outstanding contributions to the understanding of ultrasound contrast agents. Ultrasound contrast agents are encapsulated microbubbles used in diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound. Allen has been involved in their research since his post-doctoral studies in the U.S. and Japan. Since joining UH, he …

Breakthrough Innovation Challenge seeks food, energy and water solutions

The contest that birthed one of the founding members of Volta, the largest free electric car charging network in the nation, is calling for more entrepreneurial breakthroughs. The University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa’s Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) is inviting entrepreneurs to enter the UHBreakthrough Innovation Challenge to help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. This year’s UH Breakthrough Innovation Challenge, in partnership with …

Tsunami expert honored for excellence in teaching, research and service

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Engineering Professor Ian Robertson has been selected as the inaugural Arthur N.L. Chiu Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The endowment is in the memory of Chiu, a legendary leader in the Hawaiʻi engineering community. He began his lifelong service to the engineering community in 1953 as an instructor at UH Mānoa and went on to serve in multiple leadership positions at …

UH contributes to the study of the evolution of multi-cellularity in animals

microscopic image of Chromosphaera perkinsii NK52, a new microbial eukaryote genus and species cultivated from Hawaiʻi

Scientists have long wondered how single-celled organisms evolved into the multicellular animals we see today, but addressing this has only recently become possible by comparing complete genome sequences of diverse organisms. A study that included newly discovered and known species from Hawaiʻi has provided insights into the evolution of multi-cellularity in animals. Recently published research from an international team that included Associate …

New biological identity of inhaled nanoparticles revealed

Nano-enabled consumer products surround people everyday, from personal care, cosmetics, clothing and electronics, to food and beverage. The Nanotechnology Consumer Products Inventory maintained by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has listed 1,814 nano-enabled consumer products, many of which have a potential safety hazard if inhaled. However, their potential biological risks are still largely unknown. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Engineering Professor Yi Zuo has developed a …

$77.6 million raised for UH students, faculty, research and programs

The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation in partnership with generous donors and UH partners, raised $77.6 million in fiscal year 2017 (July 1,2016–June, 30, 2017). These funds will directly impact students, faculty, research and programs on all 10 University of Hawaiʻi campuses. “This year 29,180 gifts were made to support programs people are passionate about,” said Donna Vuchinich, president and CEO, UH Foundation. “Every day we have the privilege of hearing from …

Partnering for Success: Local IT company trains and hires UH Mānoa students

eWorld Enterprise Solutions (eWorldES), a staunch supporter of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has offered an internship program to students in the Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) program since 2010 and has ended up employing many of them. “It had always been the desire of eWorldES to provide career opportunities for graduating students and local IT professionals who wished to remain in Hawaiʻi,” said Steve …

UH in nation’s top 20 for leading in research and academic reach

The University of Hawaiʻi is ranked among the nation’s top 20 public universities in providing equal access to students from all income levels while being at the forefront of impactful research, says a report recently released by the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. The report, titled “Ladders, Labs or Laggards? Which Public Institutions Contribute the Most,” rates UH, including its community colleges, at number 19 …