UH faculty honored for excellence in teaching and research

UH Regents' Medal for Excellence

University of Hawaiʻi faculty received top awards for their excellence in teaching and engagement and groundbreaking research.

Fifteen UH faculty members from across the state have been awarded the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching, and three received the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research.

In addition, five UH teachers have been recognized with the Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and a Hawaiʻi Community College student has won the Masaki and Momoe Kunimoto Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Vocational Education.

“Our faculty are the heart of the University of Hawaiʻi, and their excellence in teaching and research embodies the values that define our institution—including a deep commitment to serving our communities,” said UH President Wendy Hensel. “These awardees represent the very best of UH: world-class scholars and educators whose work has local impact and global reach. I am proud to recognize their achievements and deeply grateful for the ways they continue to elevate our university and our state.”

Each campus selects awardees for the Board of Regent's Medal for Excellence in Teaching and the Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. For example, at UH Mānoa, the awardees are selected by prior award winners.

The Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching recognizes faculty who exhibit an extraordinary level of subject mastery and scholarship, teaching effectiveness and creativity, and personal values beneficial to students. The awards were given to:

• Mapuana Antonio, associate professor of public health, Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, UH Mānoa
• Matthew Cain, associate professor of chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, UH Mānoa
• William Dressler, student success coordinator, Kauaʻi Community College
• Guy K. Fo, associate professor of architecture, engineering & construction technologies, Honolulu Community College
• Charmaine Higa-McMillan, professor of psychology, UH Hilo
• Ashlee Keolalaulani Kalauli, math instructor, Hawaiʻi Community College.
• Tracie Kuʻuipo Losch, professor of Hawaiian Studies, Leeward Community College
• Joy Mahiko, assistant professor, Division of Education - Special Education, UH West Oʻahu
• Mehana Kaʻiama Makaʻinaʻi, instructor at the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, Hawai‘inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, UH Mānoa
• Hannah Manshel, assistant professor of English, College of Arts, Languages & Letters, UH Mānoa
• Masaru Mito, Japanese language instructor, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, College of Arts, Languages & Letters, UH Mānoa
• Peter (Kalawai‘a) Moore, professor of Hawaiian Studies, Windward Community College 
• Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, associate professor in political science, College of Social Sciences, UH Mānoa
• Carl A. Polley, assistant professor of linguistics and Chinese, Kapiʻolani Community College
• Julie Powers, professor of Early Childhood Education, UH Maui College

For the bios of each recipient:  https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2025/05/18/bor-excellence-in-teaching-2025/

The Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research recognizes a faculty member’s scholarly contributions that expand the boundaries of knowledge and enrich the lives of all in the community, nation and the world, was awarded to:

• Sloan Coats, assistant professor in the Department of Earth Sciences and an affiliate of the International Pacific Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, UH Mānoa
• Matthieu Dubarry, associate researcher at the Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute,  School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, UH Mānoa
• Rick Kazman, Danny and Elsa Lui Distinguished Professor of Information Technology Management, Shidler College of Business, UH Mānoa

For the bios of each recipient: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2025/05/18/bor-medal-for-research-2025/

The Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching recognizes dedication and demonstrated excellence as teachers of undergraduate students. It was established as a memorial to the late Frances Davis, who taught mathematics at Leeward Community College and UH Mānoa for 19 years. This year’s awardees are:

• Kathleen Hagan, professor of nursing, UH Maui College
• Nicholas Krueger, instructor, College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management, UH Hilo
• Mark Nartatez, instructor, Dental Assisting Program director, clinical education coordinator, Kapiʻolani Community College
• Colleen Rost-Banik, instructor in the Department of Sociology, College of Social Sciences, UH Mānoa
• Sara Maaria Saastamoinen, PhD Student, Department of Political Science, College of Social Sciences, UH Mānoa

For the bios of each recipient: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2025/05/18/frances-davis-award-2025/

The Masaki and Momoe Kunimoto Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Vocational Education rewards outstanding achievement and significant contribution to vocational and technical education by a community college faculty member or student. The award was established by family members to honor the namesakes’ role in development of the food industry in Hawai‘i. This year's winner is:

• Cathryn Krueger, student, Hawaiʻi Community College

For more on Krueger: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2025/05/18/kunimoto-award-2025/