university of hawaii innovation initiative

www.hawa i i .edu/ innovat ion RESEARCH THAT MATTERS

The Sky Is Not the LimitThe University of Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative Reaches for the Stars

Engineering Hawai‘i’s FutureOur Islands are beautiful, but they are also fragile and must be protected by all of us who call them home.At the University of Hawai‘i at Ma–noa College of Engineering, our students, faculty and alumni are workingto help develop technologies to meet Hawai‘i’s future engineering challenges in renewable energy, watersupply, food security, communications, sea-level rise and natural disasters, while educating the workforce bywhich Hawai‘i is built.

Re-Engineering Our Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future

(808) 956-7727 • www.eng.hawaii.eduThe University of Hawai‘i at Ma–noa is an equal

opportunity, affirmative action institution.

Photo by Hummer, Inc.

0 2 | H A W A I ‘ I I N N O V A T I O N I N I T I A T I V E

HAWAI ‘ I I NNOVATION IN IT IAT IVE | 03

United States Senator

Daniel K. Inouye

www.hawa i i .edu/ innovat ion

Walter A. Dods, Jr.Chairman of the BoardMatson Navigation

RESEARCH THAT MATTERS

Dear Friends:

I am pleased to support the University of Hawai‘i’s Innovation Initiative or HI2. Thisinitiative provides a clear path forward to grow Hawai‘i’s research industry. Perhaps moreimportantly, it helps to solve some of our most pressing problems in the areas of foodsecurity, clean energy and health care.

Federal investments at the University of Hawai‘i have been steady, and the competitivelywon federal grants have continued to increase. My philosophy has been to invest in cutting-edge assets — ocean research vessel Kilo Moana, Imiloa Astronomy Center, largest solartelescope for Haleakal-a , regional biocontainment lab, 30-meter telescope on Mauna Kea,an expanding renewable energy portfolio, disaster planning, as well as facilities for oceansciences and agricultural sciences, to name some of the more notable initiatives. In turn,the University recruits the talent to parlay a maximum research benefit from each asset.Our partnership has been most successful.

The National Science Foundation ranked UH M-anoa in the top 10 percent of all researchinstitutions. In 2010, UH researchers brought in about $480 million, and last year, about$450 million. These funds help to drive our economy, and do so primarily in science,technology, engineering, math and technician fields — jobs and opportunities for thefuture. UH plans to attract and groom 50 new world-class scientists and will invest in itselfand form crucial partnerships with the private sector, government and internationalorganizations. HI2 will act as an economic fuel cell, supporting cutting-edge research,existing science and technology companies, as well as creating new startup businesses.

Please join me in expanding Hawai‘i’s research industry for a better and brighter tomorrowfor the generations to follow.

Aloha,

DANIEL K. INOUYEUnited States Senator

Shortly before he passed away on Dec. 17, 2012, Sen. Daniel K. Inouyeprovided this letter in support of HI². It is shared in honor of his memory.


Table of Contents

04 | HAWAI ‘ I INNOVATION IN IT IAT IVE

Letters:Sen. Daniel K. Inouye and Walter A. Dods, Jr.

COVER STORY: The Sky Is Not The Limit

The University of Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative reaches for the stars

COVER STORY SPECIAL:BIG MAN ON CAMPUS

Research As an Industry: The Economic Contribution of HI 2

University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization (UHERO)

FEATURES:Every Breath You Take

Research informs our understanding of air quality and water safety

Readying for Liftoff UH prepares to launch its own satellite

Really Big Bytes UH research relies on data capacity and expertise

Biofuels & BeesResearch addresses the critical

problems of food and fuel

Picture of Health From Honolulu to Hilo, UH’s medical

and health research changes lives

Hula to Health Research impacts Native Hawaiians’

well-being in multiple ways

Worker$ Wanted As the UH research initiative creates jobs,

the community colleges train the workforce

Board of RegentsEric Martinson, ChairCarl A. Carlson, Jr., Vice ChairJames H. Q. Lee, Vice ChairJeffrey Tangonan Acido, StudentArtemio C. BaxaMichael A. DahiligJohn C. DeanChuck Y. GeeJohn C. HolzmanBenjamin Asa KudoCoralie Chun MatayoshiBarry T. MizunoSaedene OtaTom H. ShigemotoJan Naoe Sullivan

PresidentM.R.C. Greenwood

Chancellor University of Hawai‘i at M-anoaTom Apple

Chancellor University of Hawai‘i at HiloDonald Straney

Chancellor, University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahuGene Awakuni

Vice President Community CollegesJohn Morton

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37

39

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29

Show Your Support For HI2

Please use the “Support HI2” button on our Web page: hawaii.edu/innovation Or use the “Support HI2” button on our Facebook page:

facebook.com/pages/University-of-Hawaii-Innovation-Initiative

Community College Chancellors: Noreen Yamane, Hawai‘i Community CollegeErika Lacro, Honolulu Community CollegeLeon Richards, Kapi‘olani Community CollegeHelen Cox, Kaua‘i Community CollegeManuel Cabral, Leeward Community CollegeClyde Sakamoto, Maui Community CollegeDouglas Dykstra, Windward Community College

Vice President External Affairs and University RelationsRockne Freitas

Associate Vice PresidentExternal Affairs and University RelationsLynne Waters

HI² Executive DirectorPeter Quigley

HI² Director of Communications and Outreach and EditorKelli Abe Trifonovitch

HI² WritersDavid K. ChooJolyn Okimoto RosaCathy Cruz-GeorgeKyle Galdeira

HI² Copy EditorKathy Reimers

HI² Creative DirectorJames Nakamura

14

8

CHAMPIONS OF INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I

MIXING RESEARCH & BUSINESS

MARKETPLACE

LEARN MORE:www.shidler.hawaii.edu/pace

PACEhawaiiThe University of Hawai‘i is an equal opportunity, affi rmative action institution.

ACCELERATING INNOVATION

H A W A I ‘ I I N N O V A T I O N I N I T I A T I V E | 0 5

Permanent College of Pharmacy building designed by award-winning

WCIT ARCHITECTURE

The only fully accredited program in

Doctor of Pharmacy The only College of Pharmacy to offer the Masters in Clinical Psychopharmacology

Offering advanced training and continuing education for licensed pharmacists

The only program in Hawai‘i

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Serving the community through programs such as the $14 million federally funded

Pharm2Pharm program Hawai‘i’sCollege of Pharmacy

College of Pharmacy Site

Serving Hawai‘iServing the Pacifi c

pharmacy.uhh.hawaii.edu

Improving health and healthcare throughout

Hawai‘i and the Pacifi c



CAPTION CAPTIONPHOTO CREDIT

The University of Hawai‘i Innovation Initiativereaches for the stars

THE

SKY IS NOT

THE LIMIT

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08 | HAWAI ‘ I INNOVATION IN IT IAT IVE | COVER STORY

By David K. Choo

Last fall, Peter Arnade went to KaimukĪfor a haircut and came home with anew perspective. Arnade, a history pro-fessor who had taught in California forthe previous 20 years, had recentlyjoined the University of Hawai‘i at M-anoa as its new dean of the Collegeof Arts & Humanities. He was havinga pleasant conversation with his hair-dresser when she offhandedly men-tioned that, in a couple of weeks, shewould be moving to Las Vegas, andshe wasn’t happy about it.

“She told me that she was born andraised in Hawai‘i but couldn’t afford tolive here anymore,” says Arnade. “WhenI mentioned to her that I had recentlyrelocated to the Islands to work at theuniversity, she said: ‘Sure, you got oneof those high-paying jobs that alwaysgoes to outsiders.’”

Arnade tried to explain that schoolslike UH are global institutions, andthey recruit nationally and internation-ally, but they serve their local commu-nities. He wanted to tell her that theuniversity’s impacts are far-reachingbut often unseen, then decided to listenand learn more about his new home.

“I’d never had a conversation likethat in any of the places I’ve studiedor taught,” says Arnade. “She was politebut she was frustrated. It was a learningexperience.”

Kick-Starting a NewEconomic Engine

A recent University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization (UHERO) study shows that Hawai‘i’seconomy is dominated by sectors thatoffer limited potential for long-termimprovements in the quality of life. Thestate’s traditional economic engines,tourism (19 percent of total employ-ment) and the military/federal govern-ment (12 percent), contribute modestproductivity growth. Over the past 20years, military downsizing and shocksto the tourism industry have hit Hawai‘ihard. While a record number of touristsvisited the Islands in 2012, real visitorspending had been declining an av-erage of 1 percent per year from 1989to 2011. Overall, over the past 40

years, Hawai‘i’s real gross domesticproduct per capita has grown by lessthan half that of the U.S. as a whole,a disappointing 0.7 percent averageannual expansion. Such weak eco-nomic growth is indicative of an econ-omy absent dynamic and high-performing industries, which meansfewer higher-paying jobs.

Peter Quigley doesn’t like to hearstories about people leaving the Islandsbecause of a lack of opportunity. He’s

very familiar with the state’s lacklustereconomic performance, but he’sbuoyed by other statistics that pointto an alternative economic path: Overthe past 10 years, extramural (outside)funding at the University of Hawai‘ihas increased more than 50 percent.In 2009, the National Science Foun-dation ranked UH M-anoa 51st out of689 public and private universities inresearch expenditures. The rankingputs it only 11 spots behind researchheavyweight University of CaliforniaBerkeley, and ahead of other reveredinstitutions such as University of Oregon, Oregon State and NotreDame. In addition, extramural fundingfor the University of Hawai‘i hit a highof $489 million in 2011, during chal-lenging economic times.

“People understand what UCLA isand what it stands for and what Cal


FIRSTS FOR UH:National Academy of Sciences membersDavid Karl and Edward DeLong front UH

M–anoa’s Center for MicrobialOceanography: Research and Education

(C-MORE). Karl is C-MORE’s director. DeLong, a professor of BiologicalEngineering at the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology, is the first

researcher UH has recruited under HI2. C-MORE Hale, in the background, is the

first Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design (LEED) Platinum–certified laboratory

in the state.

Ph

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by A

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“Hawai‘i needs a strongresearch university to fullyrealize the potential of ourknowledge-based industries.”

Jeanne Unemori Skog President and CEO, Maui Economic Development Board

is, but I don’t think they realize that their university— UH — is in that same class,” says Quigley, a UHassistant vice president. “The sky’s the limit in termsof what those research opportunities mean for jobsand the local economy.”

The university’s high ranking and big funding num-bers took many by surprise, including people in thelocal business communities. However, they reflectthe success the university has achieved in movingits research forward. What would happen with evenmore strategic attention?

Over the next several years, the university andthe rest of the state will find the answer to thatquestion. Quigley is executive director of the Uni-

versity of Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative (HI 2), a 10-year effort led by UH President M.R.C. Greenwoodto double the UH system’s outside funding from$500 million to $1 billion per annum to build thestate’s research industry.

Expanding the system’s research capabilitiesbegins with people, and not just any people. HI 2

plans to hire and develop 50 world-class researchersover the next decade. Many of these scientists, alsoreferred to as “principal investigators” (PIs), will con-tribute to UH’s areas of strength and/or opportunity,such as: astronomy and space sciences, clean energy,ocean and climate sciences, biomedical research,and informatics.


“The local businesscommunity has longrecognized thatresearch andinnovation need to bea part of Hawai‘i’sfuture.”Gary Kai, executive director Hawai‘i Business Roundtable


Photo by George Lee, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

COUNTING DOWN:Miguel Nunes is part of UH’s Hawai‘i Space FlightLaboratory team developing satellites to belaunched from Kaua‘i in 2013. UH aims to be the firstuniversity in the world with dedicated rocket launchcapability.

“There are only a few of these kinds of people inthe world,” says Quigley. “A lot of them are currentlyat leading institutions in the world, so we have toconvince them that moving to Hawai‘i is good fortheir research and their academic careers.”

Last year, the initiative signed up the first of its50 distinguished researchers, when Edward DeLong,a globally renowned microbial oceanographer fromthe Massachusetts Institute of Technology and mem-ber of the National Academy of Sciences, agreed torelocate to Hawai‘i. (See “Big Man on Campus”on page 14.) DeLong, who studies microbes andtheir many natural processes, will be setting up shopat UH M-anoa in 2014.

“We can attract someone of the caliber of DeLongbecause he sees the great strength we have in hisarea and he sees tremendous opportunity,” says UHM-anoa Chancellor Tom Apple.

It’s an opportunity that promises economic devel-opment and diversification. “The University of Hawai‘iInnovation Initiative is an effort we hope the communitywill support, because it could determine the futureof the state,” says UH President M.R.C. Greenwood.

Systemwide, Statewide

Much of the new research will likely be led byUH M-anoa. The flagship campus is one ofonly 32 institutions in the nation with the

distinction of being a land-, sea- and space-grantresearch institution. However, the effort will involveall 10 UH campuses and research assets statewide.A couple of PIs will likely be based at UH Hilo, whichboasts the system’s only College of Pharmacy, amongother areas of strength. The new labs at M-anoa, Hiloand elsewhere will need lab workers and other staff;the initiative is working with all campuses to buildthe human infrastructure that will be necessary tosupport a long-term, sustained effort. (See “WorkersWanted” on page 39.)

According to UH vice president for communitycolleges John Morton, the UH system’s seven com-munity colleges will be active players in HI2. Over


“The University of Hawai‘iInnovation Initiative is aneffort we hope thecommunity will support,because it could determinethe future of the state.”M.R.C. Greenwood, PresidentUniversity of Hawai‘i


Photo by Anthony Consillio

INNOVATION LEADER:President M.R.C. Greenwood has been askingbusiness and community groups to help to build thestate s research industry, to create thousands ofnew jobs and a better economic future.

INNOVATION LEADER:President M.R.C. Greenwood has been askingbusiness and community groups to help to build thestate’s research industry, to create thousands of newjobs and a better economic future.

the past two years, the community col-leges have received two workforce de-velopment grants from the U.S.Department of Labor, totaling more than$37 million. They are beefing up theirSTEM (science, technology, engineeringand math) programs, so that they canhelp provide such a workforce. “Weknow what kind of skills will be neces-sary, and we’ll prepare them accordingly,”says Morton.

UH M-anoa’s Apple adds that the di-

rect economic benefits from HI2 will besignificant, but the potential impact onthe larger community can be multifac-eted. “With much of the work involvingIsland issues and challenges, the resultscould change the way we live,” he says.

The university cannot carry out theinitiative by itself. For instance, providingthe necessary support of the resultingtechnologies will require the cooperationof the public and private sectorsstatewide. For this, the Hawai‘i Innovation

Initiative is using San Diego and its economic development organization,CONNECT, as its models. CONNECT,developed in the 1980s, started withthe University of California at San Diegoand linked inventors and entrepreneurswith resources to develop ideas and in-novations into viable businesses. In threedecades, the organization has helpedstart more than 3,000 companies. Asa result, San Diego, which, like Hawai‘i,was dependent largely on tourism andthe military for its economic growth,now has a booming research sector.

“The local business community haslong recognized that research and in-novation need to be a part of Hawai‘i’sfuture,” says Gary Kai, executive directorof the Hawai‘i Business Roundtable.“We are very encouraged by the Hawai‘iInnovation Initiative, because, not onlydoes it have a model that is wholly ap-propriate for Hawai‘i, but it is also ledby President Greenwood, a researcher

Courtesy: University of Hawai‘i


Ocean–resource management is an area of strength for UH Hilo.

Photo by John Coney

Maui College’s Photovoltaic Design and Installation Certificate Program

CMORE

The University of Hawai‘i is an equal opportunity, affi rmative action institution.

cmore.soest.hawaii.edu

The Ocean’s Microbes: from genomes to biomes

herself, who has seen the impacts thatgreat ideas and innovations have had inother communities.”

“Hawai‘i needs a strong research uni-versity to fully realize the potential of ourknowledge-based industries,” saysJeanne Unemori Skog, president and

CEO of the Maui Economic DevelopmentBoard and chair of the Economic De-velopment Alliance of Hawai‘i. “Invest-ment in University of Hawai‘i’s researchcould lead to a cure for skin cancer, un-ravel the mysteries of the sun or helpfeed a hungry world through break-

throughs in aquaculture. The possibilitiesare endless, but we’ll never know unlesswe explore them,” she says.

Greenwood and Quigley have givenpresentations to groups across the stateand are heartened by the responses theyhave received, especially from UH grad-uates, who are surprised and proud oftheir school’s prominence in the researchworld. However, Quigley is really lookingforward to reaching out to those outsidethe university community – people likethe Kaimuk hairdresser.

“I’d like to tell people like her that theschool down the street, the one that youdrive by all the time, is one of those placeswhere knowledge is not only taught butcreated,” says Quigley. “I’d like to tell herthat, at UH, she and her kids don’t haveto move away to study with some of thesmartest people in the world. More im-portantly, they don’t have to move awayto become some of the smartest peoplein the world.”


HAWAI ‘ I I NNOVATION IN IT IAT IVE | 1 3

University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center Associate Professor Haining Yang leads a team that isresearching malignant mesothelioma, a dangerous form of cancer.

Researcher Angel Yanagihara has developed a medicine that effectively treats

the sting of a box jellyfish.


HIGP

www.higp.hawaii.edu

Hawai‘i Institute ofGeophysics and Planetology



CAPTION CAPTIONPHOTO CREDIT


For Edward DeLong, good thingscome in small packages—verygood and very small. DeLong,

a professor of Biological Engineering atthe Massachusetts Institute of Technol-ogy and a member of the National Acad-emy of Sciences, studies the biology,ecology and evolution of marine mi-crobes. He uses some of the latest tech-nologies, such as genome sequencing,in his work to learn how ecologically crit-ical yet unseen microbial processes workto sustain ecosystems, particularly thosefound in the ocean.

His research could go a long way inexplaining how the world works. It couldhave potential applications in solvingsome of the world’s biggest challenges,everything from energy generation torecycling to sustainable, “green” industrialprocesses.

“Microbes can perform almost anychemical reaction that is possible, quicklyand efficiently. They generate the energyand matter that sustains the food chain.They’re also able to eat and recycle allkinds of substances, which regeneratesnutrients and detoxifies noxious com-pounds,” says DeLong. “Basically, theyare naturally occurring, tiny chemicalfactories that help recycle things thatwe don’t want, as well as synthesize use-ful products that we do.”

DeLong’s research has taken him tolocations across the globe, but he saysthat Hawai‘i is the best place in the worldto study open-ocean ecosystems. Hehas collaborated with colleagues at theUniversity of Hawai‘i at M-anoa for morethan two decades.

It’s a collaboration that has growncloser over the years. Seven years ago,

he became the co-director and researchcoordinator at M-anoa’s Center for Mi-crobial Oceanography: Research andEducation (C-MORE). In the fall of 2014,DeLong will relocate to the Islands, be-coming the first researcher recruitedunder the University of Hawai‘i InnovationInitiative (HI2), the university’s coordinatedeffort to attract and develop 50 world-class researchers and to double outsidefunding from $500 million to $1 billionper year.

C-MORE’s director, David Karl, one ofUH’s most prolific researchers and also amember of the National Academy of Sci-ences, says, “Ed DeLong will be a greataddition to the UH ‘ohana. Now we willbe able to collaborate daily, exchange ideas in the hallways and on walks across campus, and plan new and exciting labo-ratory and field experiments. I am excited

about learning from the master, and feellike a student all over again.”

Currently, C-MORE has research fund-ing of approximately $4 million per yearover 10 years. DeLong hopes to continuethat level of funding for an additional 10years. He expects to bring along only oneor two of his staff, so he says that he willbe “going local” when he moves his lab.

“I knew that if I was lucky enough toget an opportunity (to work at UH), Iwould go for it,” says DeLong. “I’ve alreadyhad such great interactions with my col-leagues here at UH over the years. Andthe innovation initiative presents evenmore exciting opportunities. UH is alreadya great place, and the initiative could really accelerate the research enterpriseeven more, especially in cutting-edgescience and technologies that societyneeds today.”

Big Man on Campus

COVER STORY SPECIAL:

“UH is already a great place, and the initiativecould really accelerate the researchenterprise even more.” Edward DeLong

—DKC

FIRST RECRUIT:Edward DeLong, a professorof Biological Engineering atthe Massachusetts Institute

of Technology and a memberof the National Academy of

Sciences, is the firstresearcher to be recruited

under HI2.

Photo by Anthony Consillio

The University of Hawai‘i is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution.

Sea Grant College Program of the University of Hawai‘i at Ma–noa

Science serving coastal communities for over 40 years with a focus on:• Smart Building and Community Design• Sustainable Coastal Tourism• Island Hazard Resiliency and Climate Adaptation• Marine Science Education• Sustainable Aquaculture and Fisheries

Did you knowthat Sea Grant and its supported researchers:

• Developed the Hanauma Bay Education Program and hascontinued to operate it for more than 22 years?

• In partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency,introduced Smart Growth principles to Hawai‘i, changingcommunity design to support the development andproduction of vibrant communities with less impact tothe environment?

• Invented seawater air conditioning?• Developed the new tsunami run-up and evacuation maps

for Hawai‘i?

• Ranks first among Sea Grant programs nationally in thenumber of PhD students produced and second in thenumber of peer-refereed scholarly publications produced?

Did you know that a former Honolulu mayor and acurrent U.S. senator were members of Sea Grant extensionbefore they entered politics?

Did you know that Sea Grant generates more than $9 inadditional funding for every $1 it receives from the university?


The spirit of innovation and aloha that defines the University of Hawai‘i - West O‘ahu is celebrated at our new home in Kapolei. Be among the first students to meet up with friends on the expansive Great Lawn, exchange ideas in state-of-the-art classroom and laboratory facilities designed for maximum instructor-student interaction, and enjoy a farm-to-table meal at the Hawaiian Grown Café. Financial aid, scholarships, flexible class schedules and distance learning opportunities make it even more convenient to complete your degree, get out and accomplish your dreams. Discover what a degree from the University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu can do for you.Now accepting applications for fall 2013. 689-2900 l [email protected]

U N I V E R S I T Y O F H A W A I ‘ I - W E S T O ‘ A H U

EXCELLENCE IS A STATE OF MIND AND A WAY OF BEING.


The University of Hawai‘i is an excellent university,and its research is an important part of its contributionto Hawai‘i’s economy. The University of Hawai‘isystem includes 10 campuses and dozens of edu-cational, training and research centers across thestate.

UH M-anoa is one of the top research universitiesin the world. The 2012 Academic Ranking of WorldUniversities places UH M-anoa among the top 54to 67 schools in the United States, a categoryshared with the University of Virginia and ahead ofOregon State University, the University of Oregon

and Notre Dame. UH M-anoa has also been verysuccessful at securing lucrative federal researchgrants. A National Science Foundation report rankedUH M-anoa 51st among 689 public and privateuniversities in federal R&D expenditures for fiscalyear 2009. By comparison, the University of Cali-fornia Berkeley ranked 40th. This success comesfrom excellent faculty and staff at UH conductingcutting-edge research, advancing the frontiers ofknowledge and being entrepreneurial in their questfor research funding. To not only remain competitive,but also to surpass other top schools, UH will need

to continue to expand its research programs, andattract significantly more research funding.

The Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative (HI2) is an effortled by University of Hawai‘i President M.R.C. Green-wood to more than double the UH system’sextramural (outside) research funding from thecurrent level of less than $500 million to an am-bitious $1 billion per year by 2022. To meet theHI2 goals, the university will need to identify itsstrengths in fields of study that are well funded —particularly by federal agencies — and to attracttop faculty who are adept at securing extramural


Research As an Industry:

The Economic Contribution of HI2

University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization (UHERO)

Federal Academic Funding to Research and Development Since 1970

30000

25000

20000

15000

10000

5000

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

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1989

1990

1991

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1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Billions2005$

1990

2009$30 Billion(doubled from 1990)

$14 Billion

$7 Billion

Federal obligations for academicR&D have doubled in the past20 years – and we expect thesame trend to occur throughoutthe next 20 years.

SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science andEngineering Statistics, Survey of Research and Development Expendituresat Universities and Colleges: FY 2009



resources in these areas. To that end,the university plans to hire or develop50 top scientists over the next decade.

Hawai‘i should be encouraged by thesuccess that other regions have expe-rienced. In many ways similar tomodern-day Hawai‘i, San Diego in the1960s was viewed as isolated, ill po-sitioned for industry growth, andrestricted by a narrow economy, com-posed primarily of real estate, tourismand the military. Using UC San Diegoas a leverage point proved to be a soundstrategy; today San Diego boasts agross regional product of $175 billionand a population of 3 million people.Approximately 14 percent of SanDiego’s economy is currently attributedto the research and technology indus-tries, compared to only 3 percent inHawai‘i. The goal of HI2 is to expandthe research and technology portion ofHawai‘i’s economic pie over the nextdecade by strengthening areas ofproven excellence (astronomy andspace sciences, ocean and earth sci-

ences, health sciences), enhancingemerging strengths (clean energy, newagriculture, cancer research, pharma-cology) and building up new areas(informatics and cyber infrastructure,diabetes and obesity research).

Building onProven Areas of Excellence, Targeting Emerging Sectors

The University of Hawai‘i systemhas already made significant

strides nurturing world-class research,especially in the areas of astronomyand space sciences, ocean and earthsciences, and health sciences. To getan idea of what a world-class principalinvestigator (PI) means, consider thecurrent research-funding situation.Eleven PIs across four fields accountfor 30 percent of the UH system’s ex-tramural funding. Over the past two

years, four fields have generated $248million in research funding — $65 million(six PIs in energy), $62 million (13 PIs in ocean sciences), $55 million (11PIs in biomedical sciences), and $66million (three PIs in cyber infrastructure).Recruiting additional research leaderscan therefore have a disproportionatelylarge effect on overall funding levels.If this is true for existing areas ofstrength, similar potential exists inemerging areas of federal funding.

Technology Transfer

Technology transfer is an importantway in which university research

spills over into the broader economy.UH has struggled to effect high ratesof technology transfer. An importantgoal of HI2 is to advance the licensingand commercialization of UH research.There are several examples of researchinitiatives ripe for commercialization. Forexample, UH plans to be the first uni-

versity in the world with dedicated rocketlaunch capability for satellites that areconstructed and operated by its studentsand faculty. The Hawai‘i Institute of Geo-physics and Planetology, a research unitwithin UH M-anoa, receives approxi-mately $15 million a year and plans tolaunch these satellites from the islandof Kaua‘i next fall. The Institute alreadypartners with optics labs on instrumen-tation, data analysis and softwaredevelopment, creating tremendous po-tential here for related technologytransfer. In the School of Engineering,corrosion research for the U.S. Navyand advanced tsunami research havethe potential to be commercialized andpatented through accelerated technol-ogy transfer. Within the highly productiveInstitute for Astronomy, applied researchcurrently accounts for only 10 percentof its $20-million to $30-million budget,and none of it is currently being com-mercialized.

161153

56

142

28

173634

HAWAII (STATE)

TOURISM RESEARCH/TECH MILITARY LOCAL ECONOMY

SAN DIEGO

773

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, DBEDT, UHERO. Total employment includes civilian, military, part-time and self-employed workers.

Thousands of Jobs by Sector

www.hawa i i .edu/ innovat ion RESEARCH THAT MATTERSwww.hawa i i .edu/ innovat ion RESEARCH THAT MATTERS


Return on Investment: An Economic Analysis of HI2

While it is costly to recruit highly pro-ductive research scholars, the

premise of HI2 is that this investment willboth pay for itself and produce increasedeconomic activity in the form of extramuralresearch expenditures, jobs, technologytransfer and harder-to-quantify socialbenefits. The table on this page displaysthe net present value (NPV) and internalrate of return (IRR) for HI2 under variousassumptions about growth in extramuralfunds and the success of researchers.The baseline scenario assumes that eachnew PI costs $233,000/year plus a one-time startup cost of $1.2 million inlaboratory equipment, research assistanceand similar expenses. The incremental

Economic Return Scenarios for HI2

Scenario Parameters Total Total NPV IRRGrant JobsVol. FY2022

Baseline g=4%, n=$1.5M $737.6M 13,014 $250.4M 96%Low new PI funding levels g=4%, n=$1M $706.8M 12,471 $130.3M 59%Low overall funding growth g=3%, n=$1.5M $671.3M 11,844 $232.1M 94%Low new funds, low growth g=3%, n=$1M $642.8M 11,341 $118.1M 56%Very low new funds g=4%, n=$0.7M $688.3M 12,145 $58.3M 33%Low growth, very low new funds g=3%, n=$0.7M $625.7M 11,040 $49.8M 29%

Source: UHERO Calculations


benefit from such hires is calculatedas the difference between the totalexpected grant volume with and with-out HI2, over and above the benefitsaccrued in past years. Based on thehistorical growth of federal R&Dfunds, we assume that the total ex-isting grant volume will grow at arate of 4 percent per year, and eachnew HI2 PI will bring in an additional$1.5 million in annual extramuralfunds. These assumptions about PIcosts and productivity are similar tosome of UH M-anoa’s recent high-profile recruits.

In the baseline scenario, the totalgrant volume grows to $737.6 millionby FY2022, the NPV of HI 2 is$250.4 million, more than 13,000jobs are attributed to the UH sys-tem’s total research expendituresand the IRR for HI2 is 96 percent.This is clearly an exceptional returnon investment, and will result in morethan 5,000 new jobs statewide.

Under our baseline assumptions,UH will not reach the ambitious goalof $1 billion of research funding inthe 10-year period we considered.Reaching that goal is largely de-pendent on how successful PIs arein conducting research and in at-tracting extramural funds. Over thepast five fiscal years, the top five PIsin the UH system have averaged al-most $17 million per year in

extramural funding. If UH is able torecruit 10 top research faculty thatachieve this level of success, whilethe remaining 40 faculty in the HI 2

plan meet our baseline assumptions,then the target of $1 billion in fund-ing can be reached in just over 10years. Obviously, the success of HI2

PIs and the actual growth of researchfunds are highly uncertain. The table“Economic Return Scenarios for HI2”displays several more-conservativescenarios. These scenarios result inlower, but still impressive, rates ofreturn on investment.

Beyond the large, positive ex-pected return on investment — ashigh as 96 percent in the best-casescenario — other benefits includethousands of new jobs created inthe state, new discoveries, and thedevelopment of new support busi-nesses and opportunities. Theseadditional benefits generate a win-win outcome for both UH and thestate. Research activity requires sup-port staff, equipment and materials,which, in turn, boost local businesses.Simultaneously, new businesses arenurtured by the Hawai‘i researcheconomy, and additional growth mayresult from technology transfer. Inthis way, the research industry am-plifies investment into broaderstatewide benefits.

UHERO principal investigators:Inna Cintina (assistant specialist),Kimberly Burnett (associate special-ist), and Carl Bonham (UHEROexecutive director and professor ofeconomics)

Research assistance by: Christopher Wada (post-doctoral re-searcher), James Jones (economicresearch specialist), Atsushi Shibata(graduate research assistant), BenTrevino (database manager), andNatalie Schack (graphic design sup-port)


2777 Kalakaua Ave. Honolulu, HI 96815OPEN DAILY 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

(except Christmas and Honolulu Marathon Day)

108 years young, Hawai‘i’s State Aquarium and the third oldest in the United States, the Waikıkı Aquarium is committed to education, research and conservation of Pacific marine life. As the first marine research laboratory in Hawai‘i, a Coastal America Learning Center, and part of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa since 1919, the Aquarium’s education and conservation programs have garnered national recognition. Internationally renowned for its coral propagation programs, its many ‘firsts’ in aquarium keeping, and its diverse research activities, the Aquarium houses a myriad unique and endemic marine species.

www.waquarium.org

Every year, more than 330,000 people,

including 30,000 Hawai‘i school age children, visit the Waikıkı Aquarium.


Research informs our understanding of air quality and water safety

By Jolyn Okimoto Rosa

A sthmatics and others with breathingsensitivities have a tool to navigate

the voggy weather that has plagued us oflate. The University of Hawai‘i at M-anoa’sSchool of Ocean and Earth Science andTechnology (SOEST) runs the Vog Meas-urement and Prediction Project, part ofwhich predicts the vog plume’s movement.

Co-principal investigators SteveBusinger and Keith Horton head the vogproject. Businger says, “Vog representsa tangible health hazard for those of usin Hawai‘i who are sensitive to it. Duringvog episodes, every breath can cause dis-tress. For folks who suffer from allergies,emphysema or asthma, having a vogmodel that forecasts the position of theplume helps them plan their activities tominimize their exposure.”

G ood planning depends on good sci-ence. Sea-level rise is a longer-term

example of this. Seas have been risingfor more than 100 years among theHawaiian Islands, which has caused wide-

spread coastal erosion and worsened theimpact of tsunami and flooding duringheavy rains. SOEST Associate DeanCharles “Chip” Fletcher says climatechange will probably cause an increasein sea-level rise that worsens existingproblems and leads to new ones.

“Our research on sea-level rise is de-signed to improve our understanding ofwhere, when and how these hazards willmaterialize,” Fletcher says. “Hopefully, withimproved knowledge, our community willtake steps to adapt to these impacts mosteconomically, safely and sustainably.” Ona daily schedule, Fletcher's group alsomaintains the Hawai‘i beach safety web-site that informs beachgoers about high-risk locations.

Projects like these illustrate how theschool’s research informs residents’ un-derstanding of natural hazards and affectstheir daily lives. As SOEST Dean BrianTaylor says, “We are the go-to place forscience on such issues in the HawaiianIslands.”

SOEST Online:Vog Measurement and Prediction Project

weather.hawaii.edu/vmap/index.cgi

Sea Level Rise Hawai‘isoest.hawaii.edu/coasts/sealevel/

Beach Safety Hawai‘ioceansafety.ancl.hawaii.edu/

Every Breath

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IN A VOG:(Top) Kamoamoa Fissure(Bottom) Pu‘u ‘ -O‘-o Vent

“Our research on sea-level rise is designed to improve our understanding of where, whenand how these hazards will materialize.”— SOEST Associate Dean Charles “Chip” Fletcher

WAIK-IK

-I UNDERWATER:

Because of climate change, sea level is projected to rise 3 feet or more by the end of the century. This map depicts vulnerability to flooding due to sea-level rise. Blue indicates flooding by 4 feet of sea-level rise and yellow shows lands that may be flooded by 4 feet of sea-level rise, but this is uncertain. Buildings are color-codedby vulnerability to sea level based on their elevation. Red buildings are located at modern high tide. Orange build-ings are vulnerable to 1 foot of sea-level rise. Yellow buildings are vulnerable to 2 feet of sea-level rise. Greenbuildings are vulnerable to 3 feet of sea-level rise. Purple buildings are vulnerable to 4 feet of sea-level rise.



SOEST


www.soest.hawaii.edu


Satellite Launch

he University of Hawai‘i isworking to become the onlyuniversity in the world with

dedicated rocket-launch capability for itsown satellites.

In 2007, UH M-anoa’s School of Oceanand Earth Science and Technology(SOEST) joined with the College of Engineering to create Hawai‘i Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL). The primaryobjectives of HSFL include the develop-ment of a new, highly trained workforce,by offering opportunities to design,

build, test, launch and operate small satel-lites in the space environment. The lab-oratory’s work should lead to expandedeconomic opportunities in Hawai‘i.

HSFL is one of the key partners sup-porting the fall 2013 launch of a smallSuper Strypi rocket, carrying a UH-de-veloped satellite called HiakaSat. Theproject, called ORS-4, will be the firstsatellite to be launched from Kaua‘i’s Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF).

“This will be the first of a series of UHEarth-monitoring satellites,” says HSFLdirector Luke Flynn. “We expect HSFL-

trained students to spin off their ownniche companies in the future.”

The project is part of a congressionallydirected program funded through the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office of the Department of Defense.Other partners include launch-systemscontractor Sandia National Laboratories

and rocket-motor contractor Aerojet Inc.Kaua‘i Community College is providing

the location infrastructure and facilitiesfor an HSFL ground station and mission-control room, and will be able to directUH’s satellites to take photos for a numberof scientific applications.

TESTING: ORS-4 static fire of rocketmotor at Edwards Air Force Base

in August 2012.

BELOW: The Hawai‘i SpaceFlight Laboratory team.

Director Luke Flynn isthird from left.



UH prepares to launch its own satellite

Satellite launches and tracking, two new world-classtelescopes, and a portable space habitat: Some of themost exciting projects in these Islands are in areas ofastronomy and space. These projects bring hands-onlearning opportunities and high-tech careers.

Readying for Liftoff

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World-Class Telescopes

In November, construction started onthe world’s largest solar telescope,

the $300-million Advanced TechnologySolar Telescope (ATST) on Maui’s MountHaleakal-a.

The ATST is important to both the sci-entific community and Hawai‘i’s economy.Project operations are expected to con-tribute approximately $18 million a yearto the local economy.

According to UH M-anoa Institute forAstronomy director Günther Hasinger, “TheATST will lead to tremendous advances inour understanding of the sun, includingthose aspects of its variable activity thataffect life on Earth.”

Another telescope, the Thirty Meter Tel-escope (TMT), is planned for Mauna Keaon the Big Island. The estimated $1.3 billionproject, which will produce the world’s largest optical telescope, involves an association ofresearch universities and the governmentsof Canada, Japan, India and China.

Space Habitat

H awai‘i Space Exploration Analog andSimulation (HI-SEAS) is a small,

portable space habitat in a Mars-like areaat 8,200 feet on the slopes of Mauna Loaon the Big Island. The first HI-SEAS projectfocuses on new forms of food and foodpreparation for long-duration space missions. According to co-investigator Kim Binsted of UH M-anoa’s Informationand Computer Sciences Department, the project received $950,000 in NASA funding and is seeking funding for future years.

FOLLOW THE SUN: A cutaway and rendering of what will be the world'slargest solar telescope, the Advanced TechnologySolar Telescope (ATST).

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www.ifa.hawaii.eduEnjoy our newsletters available atwww.ifa.hawaii.edu/publications/newsletters

Join the Friends of the Institute for Astronomy www.ifa.hawaii.edu/friends

We sponsor free public events on three islands, O‘ahu, Maui, and Hawai‘i:

www.ifa.hawaii.edu/specialevents

Join us at free public events on three islands:www.ifa.hawaii.edu/specialevents/

Thursday, January 31, 2013, at 7:30 p.m.Free public lecture. Campus parking $6.00Great Comets: What Makes Them So Great? with Alan Fitzsimmons, Queen’s University, BelfastUH Manoa Art Building Auditorium

Sunday, April 14, 2013, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.Annual IfA Manoa Open HouseA fun family event with talks and activities for all ages at our O‘ahu location: 2680 Woodlawn Drive.www.ifa.hawaii.edu/open-house/

Saturday, May 4, 2013 AstroDay, a celebration of astronomy and Hawaiian culture on the Big Island of Hawai‘i at the Prince Kuhio Plaza, Hilo. www.mkaoc.org/calendar/17/559-AstroDay.html

If you would like to be notified of future events by e-mail, send an e-mail to [email protected].

Our research programs range from studies of near- Earth asteroids to those of distant galaxies. www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/press-releases

Our state-of-the-art technology initiatives include the Pan-STARRS project, an innovative wide-field imaging observatory. http://pan-starrs.ifa.hawaii.edu/public

Our astronomy graduate program at UH Manoa is one of the best in the nation. www.ifa.hawaii.edu/gradprog

We are working toward offering a new under-graduate degree in astrophysics. See under-graduate at www.ifa.hawaii.edu/gradprog

The Akamai Workforce Initiative trains Hawai‘i undergraduate students for careers in astronomy, remote sensing, and other high-technology industries in Hawai‘i. http://kopiko.ifa.hawaii.edu/akamai

HI STAR is a one-week summer program at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa designed for students (incoming grades 8 –11) and their secondary school teachers. Participants work on astronomy research projects with UH scientists and the Faulkes Telescope on Haleakala. www.ifa.hawaii.edu/UHNAI/HISTAR.html


Our scientists conduct research into galaxies, cosmology, stars, planets, and the sun.Our faculty and staff are also involved in astronomy education and deep space missions.The Institute operates facilities on the islands of O‘ahu, Maui, and Hawai‘i.

Tax-deductible donations for public programming, teacher education, K–12 visits, and student support can be made online: https://uhfoundation.org/GiveToIfA

UH Institute for Astronomy

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I INSTITUTE FOR ASTRONOMY

Excellence in science, technology, education, and public outreach

,


hilo.hawaii.eduUH Hilo is an Equal Opportunity/Affi rmtive Action Institution

The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo is helping to build a research industry on Hawai‘i island of state and global importance. UH

Hilo faculty researchers are covering the bases, investigating land, sea, sky, and the island’s people, with many investigators studying some of the most important topics of the 21st century:

Astronomy and its relation to Earth systems

Conservation biology and climate science

Culture and language

Food and fuel sustainability

Health care and pharmaceutical sciences

Ocean resource management

This activity produces immensely important data about the greatest challenges of our times and also brings a big jolt to the local economy. There are 574 people employed through UH Hilo’s research activity, with total grants and contracts over the past three years ranging between $17 million and $33 million annually. The average annual salary of those employed on these projects is $43,000, signifi cantly above East Hawai‘i’s average salary of $23,000. Students are included in faculty research projects so they graduate ready to apply what they have learned to further study or work.

Hawai‘i island’s unique island culture and environment make it a natural for scientifi c research funding. Granting agencies include the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Education, all of which recognize the national and global signifi cance of research conducted at UH Hilo.

ʻAʻohe pau ka ʻ

i

ke i ka hālau hoʻokahi

One learns from many sources

t Misaki Takabayashi (center), associate professor of marine science, and her research team discovered evidence that growth anomalies significantly affect coral’s biological function. Makani Gregg (left) is an undergraduate student, and John Burns is a master’s candidate in UH Hilo’s tropical conservation biology and environmental science program.

t Research by Hilo biologists shows that the island’s coqui frog invasion is not having a large adverse ecological impact on lowland Hawai‘i ecosystems. Photo of coqui eggs taken by William Mautz, professor of biology who has conducted extensive coqui research.

t Hilo researchers are studying diseases of taro, ginger, and lettuce, all major crops of the Big Island agricultural community. Photo by Michael Shintaku, professor of plant pathology, who is working to develop taro varieties with resistance to taro leaf blight.

Building a Future wi†h †he People of Hawai i

t Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of an eriophyoid mite feeding on a ‘ōhi‘a lehua leaf. Biology professor Elizabeth Stacy is studying the diversity of trichome (hairs) found on lehua, which may impact interdependent species of insects. Colorized image captured by Nick Turner, a researcher at UH Hilo’s Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization Lab.

t Researchers from UH Hilo’s Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language are recognized internationally for work in Hawaiian language revitalization, notably for providing pathways for other indigenous groups around the world to learn from the highly successful work occurring in Hilo. Photo of Hawaiian newspaper by William Ing.

t Research into sustainable food and fuel production is high on the priority list at UH Hilo. This photo shows cattle grazing in Pololu Valley, where soil scientists are working with a wet-lands grant to study soil nutrient bioavailability. Photo courtesy of Bruce Mathews, professor of soil science who is conducting the research.

Background image: Keiki silhouetted against a time lapse photo of the night sky taken atop Mauna Kea. Composite photos courtesy ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai‘i.


HAWAI ‘ I I NNOVAT ION IN IT IAT IVE | 29

Really Big BytesUH research relies on data capacity and expertise

A Whole Yotta DataData storage is measured in “bits” and “bytes” of information. Each bit containseither a one or a zero, and a byte is usually made up of eight bits. Largeramounts of data are referred to using metric prefixes, with each term referringto 1,000 times the previous level, as follows:

kilobyte - 1,000 (thousand) bytesmegabyte - 1,000,000 (million) bytesgigabyte - 1,000,000,000 (billion) bytesterabyte - 1,000,000,000,000 (trillion) bytespetabyte - 1,000,000,000,000,000 (quadrillion) bytesexabyte - 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 (quintillion) byteszettabyte - 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (sextillion) bytesyottabyte - 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (septillion) bytes

Two years ago, as Hiroki Tokinagastood on the beach watching waves

rise higher with the strengthening wind, hegot the idea to analyze 100 million recordsof wind and wave data from old ship logs.Synthesizing the data and computer models,the researcher for the University of Hawai‘iat M-anoa’s International Pacific ResearchCenter (IPRC) tracked regional patterns ofclimate change in the tropical Indo-Pacificregion in the past 60 years.

Tokinaga’s historic findings help scientistsunderstand bizarre weather patterns – suchas flooding and droughts – plaguing thePacific region. Locally, his study tracksweakening trade winds contributing to thedecrease in Hawai‘i rainfall since the 1950s.Hawai‘i could have less rain in future yearsif the trend continues, a cause for concern.

His study is one example of UH researchprojects with real-life impacts that involvethe gathering, analysis and storage of “bigdata,” with techniques often referred to withterms such as “informatics” or “cyberinfra-structure.” From the Pan-STARRS telescopeon Haleakal-a, used to track killer asteroids,to the culling through demographic andgenomic databanks to decode a disease,researchers increasingly need to collect,securely store, manage, analyze and access

huge amounts of data. Some sectors thatincreasingly rely heavily on big data fornew insights include meteorology, marineand earth sciences, astronomy, environ-mental studies, energy systems, publichealth, biomedical sciences, and agriculture.

The IPRC uses computer models to proj-ect climate changes over the next centuryto provide information that will be used inassessing impacts on Hawaiian birds andplants in the next century.

“UH needs as much cyberinfrastructureas we can get,” says IPRC director KevinHamilton. This includes data storage, high-performance computing and advanced net-works for collaboration.

David Lassner, UH’s vice president forinformation technology and chief informa-tion officer, says the new $41-million in-formation-technology building underconstruction at UH M-anoa will support re-searchers’ growing data and cyberinfra-structure needs. Storage capacity at thenew building will be sized to supportpetabyte-scale data (see box), with the ca-pacity to grow to exabytes.

“We just want to make it easy for ourscientists and researchers to focus on theirscholarship,” says Lassner.

By Cathy Cruz-George

“We just want to make iteasy for our scientists and

researchers to focus ontheir scholarship.”

David Lassner, vice president for information

technology and chief information officer,

University of Hawai‘i

COMPUTER SIMULATIONShows ocean temperatures, currents,

and clouds in the Pacific region.

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Courtesy: International Pacific ResearchCenter/Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science


About one mouthful in three inour diet directly or indirectly ben-efits from honeybee pollination,

according to the United States Depart-ment of Agriculture (USDA). Moreover,bee pollination is responsible for morethan $15 billion nationally in increasedcrop value each year.

Hawai‘i depends on honeybees to pol-linate many of its tropical crops, and theyare an integral component in the foodproduction web in these Islands. That’swhy research of the Varroa mite, a vectorfor viral diseases that is decimating hon-eybee populations, is so critical. Our foodsupply may depend on what researchersat the University of Hawai‘i at M-anoa’sCollege of Tropical Agriculture and HumanResources (CTAHR) and their partnersare able to find.

The UH Honeybee Project, in cooper-

ation with researchers from Sheffield Uni-versity, observed that the spread of theVarroa mite has led to an increase inprevalence and virulence of the DeformedWing Virus among colonies. The spreadof the Varroa mite has caused this virus,which is of low prevalence and minimalimpact in Varroa-free areas, to emergeas a lethal pathogen. These findings werepublished in the journal Science in 2012.

The researchers hypothesize that thesame interactions between the mite andvirus may be a contributing factor in thedeaths of millions of bee colonies world-wide. As such, the ongoing work is notonly important for honeybee conservationand food production locally, but potentiallyaround the globe.

FUEL

More than 90 percent of Hawai‘i’senergy needs are met throughimported fossil fuels. Yet re-

searchers are looking at ways such cropsas fast-growing grasses – such as thosein Waim-analo and on Maui – may helpthe state grow its way to fuel self-suffi-ciency. CTAHR and its research partnershave been awarded a four-year, $6 millionfederal grant for biofuels research, raising

the project’ s federal funding total in recentyears to $15 million.

“When people ask me, ‘Is it economicallyviable at this point?’ I say we don’t havethe answers yet,” says Professor AndrewHashimoto of CTAHR. “That’s why we dothe research.”

UH M-anoa’s Hawai‘i Natural EnergyInstitute (HNEI) has been exploring al-ternative energy since 1974, and extra-mural funding has exploded from $2million in 2001 to $31 million in 2011.Among HNEI’s diverse projects is thedevelopment of hydrogen production infrastructure at the Puna GeothermalVenture’s plant on the island of Hawai‘i.

Then there’s the Maui Smart Grid Project,funded by the U.S. Department of Energyas part of a nationwide set of demon-stration projects. Students from the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui atUH Maui College completed energy au-dits for the project. HNEI Director RickRochelau says the goal is to reduce peakdemand and facilitate the integration ofrenewable technologies such as windand solar.

“With a total expenditure around $13million, with about half coming from ourindustry partners, this project should endup helping in other regions of the country,”says Rochelau.

BIOFUELS & Bees

UH Honeybee Project | www.uhbeeproject.com Maui Smart Grid | www.hnei.hawaii.edu/projects/maui-smart-grid Western Insular Pacific Sun Grant Subcenter | www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/bioenergy/Reports.aspx

Research addresses the critical problems of food and fuel

FOOD


Photo By Anthony Consillio

VARROA MITE

INFECTED BEE: The worker bee on top displays

deformed wings due to a viral infection, and will not be able

to forage or raise more bees forthe colony.

Courtesy: Ethel Villalobos, College of TropicalAgriculture and Human Resources.

GROWING GRASS: Andrew Hashimoto directs

biofuels research in Waiman-alo.


Courtesy: Ethel Villalobos, College of TropicalAgriculture and Human Resources


Serving OurCommunityAnd The World

Serving OurCommunityAnd The World


John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM)

N early half of all the practicingphysicians in Hawai‘i trained at

UH M-anoa’s John A. Burns School ofMedicine (JABSOM). The school expe-rienced a 62 percent increase in researchawards from the National Institutes ofHealth (NIH) from 2007 to 2012. JAB-SOM currently draws about $42 millionannually in external research funding.

Recently, the NIH invested $6 millionover five years in the medical school’sCenter for Cardiovascular Research tostudy heart disease, Hawai‘i’s No. 1 killer.The institute also granted $12.6 million tothe school’s R-MATRIX program, a Uni-versity-wide effort to turn research findingsinto measurable health improvements for

Hawai‘i’s unique island community. JABSOM’s Department of Native

Hawaiian Health is the only clinical de-partment in an accredited U.S. medicalschool specifically dedicated to improvingthe health of an indigenous people,Native Hawaiians.

University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center

T he University of Hawai‘i CancerCenter will soon have a new home.

The 150,000-square-foot building isscheduled to open in early 2013. TheNational Cancer Institute recently awardedthe UH M-anoa unit another five years ofrecognition and funding, making it oneof only 67 research facilities to receivethat designation. This guarantees con-

tinued funding and gives Hawai‘i patientsaccess to new clinical trials and tech-nologies through the center’s consortiumpartners at The Queen’s Medical Center,JABSOM, Kuakini Medical Center andHawai‘i Pacific Health system hospitals.

University of Hawai‘i Cancer Centerdirector Dr. Michele Carbone says thehope is to eliminate the need for Hawai‘iresidents to have to travel for treatment.“Our goal is to give Hawai‘i citizens thesame or better treatment options of dif-ferent cancers than those available onthe U.S. mainland.”

The center has generated about $80million in research funding over the pasttwo years. Recent awards include $2.4million from the NIH for the developmentof therapies against the Stat3 protein,which has been identified as the main

HAWAI ‘ I I NNOVAT ION IN IT IAT IVE | 33

Health care of the future requires an integrated approach, and professionals who can work acrossdisciplines will deliver it. Research units within the University of Hawai‘i system are working both in-dependently and collaboratively to generate discoveries to improve health outcomes and save lives.

From Honolulu to Hilo, UH’s medical and health research changes lives

By Cathy Cruz-George

Picture of Health



trigger in several types of cancer, in-cluding lung, breast and pancreatic, and $1.56 million to research mesothe-lioma, one of the most dangerousforms of cancer, linked to asbestosand erionite exposure.

UH Hilo College of Pharmacy

G roundbreaking work is underwayon the Big Island, where the

UH Hilo College of Pharmacy welcomedits inaugural class six years ago.

Dianqing Sun is doing tuberculosisresearch with a grant for $406,257from the NIH. TB is the second-leadinginfectious disease in the world.

“Notably, no TB-specific drugs havebeen discovered since the introductionof Rifampin 40 years ago,” says Sun.“In particular, due to the emergenceand evolution of drug-resistant bacteria,there is an urgent need to discovernew chemotype TB drugs with novelmechanisms of action and low toxicproperties.”

In June, the federal Center forMedicare and Medicaid Innovationawarded the college $14.3 million todevelop a pharmacist-care system designed to save more than $27.1 mil-lion in healthcare costs. The project,called “Pharm2Pharm,” is designed toreduce medication-related hospitaliza-tions and emergency room visits byestablishing teamwork between hospitaland community pharmacists.

“The school is attracting researchersin areas that didn’t exist six years ago,generating ideas that are going tomarket,” says UH Hilo Chancellor Don-ald Straney.

UH M-anoa researcher Angel Yanagiharahas developed a therapy to treat theburning sting of the Hawaiian box jellyfishand to block the venom of its deadlycousins, such as the Australian box jellyfish.Her patented technology has been li-censed by Waterlife Research, which isin the process of doing clinical trials andbringing the product to market. Yanagi-hara’s work is part of an interdisciplinaryeffort across the University of Hawai‘iknown as RMATRIX, which helps investi-gators turn health research into healthimprovements and treatments, especiallyfor Hawai‘i’s multicultural population.

Taking Away the Sting

Photo by Robert Harwick

Box Jellyfish

SAVING LIVES:(Top) University ofHawai‘i CancerCenter Director Dr.Michele Carbonesays the goal is togive Hawai‘i citizensthe same or bettertreatment optionsthan those availableon the Mainland.(Below) UH Hilo’sDianqing Sun isresearching newdrugs to battletuberculosis, thesecond-leadinginfectious disease inthe world.


The School of Nursing and Dental HygieneThe school’s mission is to provide an innovative, caring, and multiculturalenvironment in which faculty, students and staff work together to generateand transmit knowledge, wisdom, and values to promote quality of life andhealth for present and future generations.

The School offers multiple degree programs, including a Baccalaureate inScience, Master’s of Science (including a Master’s Entry Program in Nursing), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and PhDin nursing. These programs (including accredited nurse practitioner and an advanced clinical nurse specialist training)prepare students for careers in nursingand dental hygiene primarily for the stateof Hawaiì and the Asia Pacific region.

The school is researching self-manage-ment interventions for chronic diseasemanagement and interdisciplinary edu-cation using problem-based learning,simulation (shown above) and clinicalskills laboratories and 3D technology. In partnership with the World Health Organization, the school is building edu-cation capacity in the Asia-Pacific region.

Health Sciences at UH M–anoaIn collaboration with other academic units, the Schools of Nursing, Social Work and Medicine are building

innovative research and educational partnerships. These institutions are forging a new generation of scientist and care provider; a future workforce that integrates knowledge from the research laboratory into care delivery

in the clinic, hospital and community and fosters care delivery by multi-professional, inter-disciplinary teams.

The Myron B. Thompson School of Social WorkThe Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work advances social justice inthree educational programs – Baccalaureate in Social Work (BSW), Master’sin Social Work (MSW), and Doctor of Philosophy in Social Welfare (PhD).The School prioritizes education in a Hawaiian place of learning in contextof a global community. With support ofdistance education technology, we arenow also able to provide broadened access to neighbor island (Hawaiì, Maui,Kauaì, Molokaì) and Pacific nation students (University of Guam).

Our faculty are leaders in work that isgrounded in the needs of the community.The School hosts or is affiliated with Centers engaged in pioneering research,policy and practice around healthy aging.H-a K -upuna, the National Resource Centerfor Native Hawaiian Elders, and the UHMCenter on Aging provide innovative information on aging among diverse populations. We have specialists who engage in research with benefit for Hawaiìsuch as breast cancer, child welfare anddecolonization, as well as research withinternational benefits such as social welfare policies in China, South Korea, and Japan.

The John A. Burns School of MedicineThe John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) is leading the way in new research relatedto health disparities and meeting the health care needs of Native Hawaiians and other PacificIslanders. Translational science in cardiovascular and neurological health, diabetes, infections(including HIV/AIDS), and healthy babies represent research strengths of the school.

The school’s Office of Public Health Studies has active international exchange programs withWuhan and Fudan Universities in China. Public health has a vital economic influence in thestate through control and management of infectious disease transmission, chronic diseasemanagement (to maximize workforce productivity), and injury prevention.




Hula toHealthResearch impacts Native Hawaiians’well-being in multiple ways

ula’s graceful rotation of thehips may be just what thedoctor ordered in terms of

cardiac rehabilitation therapy. Re-searchers from the University of Hawai‘iat M-anoa’s John A. Burns School ofMedicine (JABSOM) and its partnershave found that the Native Hawaiiandance form can be effective rehabilitationtherapy for heart-attack victims.

Mele Look, director of community en-gagement for JABSOM’s Departmentof Native Hawaiian Health, says, “Whatwe found was that hula can match thecardiac workout of a pickup basketballgame.”

The school has based its clinical trans-lational research program upon assistingthe development of investigators focus-

ing on reducing health differences thatdisproportionately impact Native Hawai-ians. Moreover, JABSOM is the only accredited medical school in the countrywith a clinical department aimed at improving the health of an indigenouspeople, in this case Native Hawaiians.

The University of Hawai‘i’s new research initiative should also benefitthe Native Hawaiian community in sev-eral other ways, according to MaenetteBenham, dean of the Hawai‘inu -akeaSchool of Hawaiian Knowledge at UHM-anoa. First, it promotes the health andproductivity of Hawai‘i’s “thriving lands,”including watersheds, and agriculturalareas that are essential to quality of living. Second, the initiative enhancesthe School of Knowledge’s mission topursue traditional and modern forms ofHawaiian knowledge. Third, a host ofpartnerships stemming from the effortare expected to create clear pathwaysin the sciences, humanities, social sciences and economics, and healthprofessions for budding Native Hawaiianprofessionals and scholars.

Those new scholars will be in goodcompany. In September, Dana-Lynn T.

Koomoa-Lange, an assistant professorin the College of Pharmacy (CoP) at theUniversity of Hawai‘i at Hilo, received aprestigious career-development awardof $675,000 from the National CancerInstitute (NCI), the only award of thistype from the NCI to be given to a NativeHawaiian in the entire UH System.

Benham says she sees HI2 as an effort that engages the work of scholarsand researchers to address the socialeconomic, environmental, health and ed-ucative conundrums of Hawai‘i and theAsia-Pacific region.

“Indeed, an initiative such as this has the potential to unleash cutting-edge collaborative research projects in areas asdiverse as informatics, biotechnology, energy, health and well-being, and food safety, to name just a few, that can positivelyimpact our Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) communities,” Benham says.


HBy Kyle Galdeira

POSITIVE IMPACT: (Top) HI2 should benefit the

Native Hawaiian community in anumber of ways, including creating

clear research pathways for buddingprofessionals and scholars. (Left)Windward Community College’s

Agripharmatech Program preparesstudents for work in agricultural and

pharmaceutical labs.

“An initiative such as this has the potential to unleash cutting-edgecollaborative researchprojects.”

Maenette BenhamDean, Hawai‘inui-akea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at UH M-anoa



n addition to creating thou-sands of jobs, the University ofHawai‘i Innovation Initiative

(HI2 ) is also expected to develop the workers to fill many of the new positions,through UH’s seven community colleges.

The U.S. Department of Labor awardeda $24.6 million grant in 2011 – the largestof its kind in the nation – to the Universityof Hawai‘i Community Colleges. The workforce development grant, known asC3T, targets three key growth sectorsthat are aligned with important UH research: agriculture, health and sustain-able energy. The grant will help the com-munity colleges to update the skills ofworkers. Several UH community collegesreceived a $12.7 million grant as part ofthe second round of funding in 2012.

“These industry-focused, employer-dri-ven programs are geared toward the per-son who’s already in the workforce and

is looking to retool themselves,” said BillieTakaki Lueder, director of communicationsfor the C3T Grant. “We’re developing training specific to the three industriescoupled with support services to ensurethat all C3T participants are successfulin whatever pathway they choose.”

Occupations targeted are those thatare high wage and high skill, such asagricultural entrepreneurs; veterinary technicians; hybrid and electric auto main-tenance technicians; renewable energytechnicians and salespeople; and nursesand nurses’ aides.

Separately, UH Maui College is alsooffering a program called Kahikina O KaL-a, which is geared toward helping stu-dents interested in science, technology,engineering and mathematics (STEM)and related fields within a Hawaiian Stud-ies and cultural context. The program isfunded by the National Science Founda-

tion as part of a 10-year, $20-million mitigation initiative to address the impactsof the Advanced Technology Solar Tele-scope (ATST) being constructed onHaleakal-a. The program has already se-lected 35 students for annual perform-ance-based stipends ranging from $3,500to $5,000, and is currently reviewingspring 2013 applications for approximately25 additional students.

Damien Cie, project director for Kahikina

O Ka L-a, says, “One of our focuses is tomake a complete loop – such as engi-neering students completing their edu-cation in the Engineering Technologyprogram at Maui College, or transferringto either Hilo or M-anoa for other degrees,and eventually returning to Maui to workon the $300-million Advanced TechnologySolar Telescope or in numerous other career positions that will soon be offeredthrough local support industries.”

WORKER$WANTED

BIG BUCKS:The University of Hawai‘i has

received grants totaling more than$37 million for workforce training

programs in key growth sectors, such as Photovoltaic Design and

Installation at Maui College.


By Kyle Galdeira

As the UH research initiative creates jobs, thecommunity colleges train the workforce

I

Photo by University of Hawai‘i

GREEN GROWTH:Kaua‘i Community Collegeoffers a Certificate ofProfessional Developmentin Aquaponics.

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