Tag Archive for "UH Manoa" - UH Matters - page 2

Posts Tagged ‘UH Manoa’

May 22, 2012

UH Manoa’s spring commencement

With Senator Dan Akaka at the UH Manoa’s pre-commencement reception

It was with great pride that I saw more than 2,000 UH Mānoa students receive their hard earned diplomas in both the undergraduate and advanced degree commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 12.

Senator Daniel Akaka attended our pre-commencement reception before the advanced degree ceremonies in the afternoon, where he received an honorary degree for his lifelong dedication and contributions in public service.

Internationally renowned author Haruki Murakami also received an honorary degree.

We were also fortunate to have Anton Krucky as our featured speaker at the advanced degree ceremony. He is co-founder and CEO of Tissue Genesis and also very active in philanthropic and community affairs.

About 800 graduate students heard him speak before receiving their advanced degrees.

Earlier, 1,400 undergraduate students received their bachelor’s degrees. During the pre-commencement reception, I had the honor of meeting with educators and philanthropists Bernard and Barbro Osher, who received the Honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters.

Dr. Claire Asam and Dr. J. Kuhio Asam—both UH Mānoa graduates—were featured speakers during the undergraduate degree ceremony.

We also had the pleasure of welcoming student speaker Jenna Robinson, who captivated her fellow graduates and the thousands who attended the undergraduate ceremony. Jenna received her BA in history and ethnic studies and is an intern and researcher for the African American Diversity Cultural Center of Hawaii, where she is working on empowering African–American youth in Hawaiʻi through artistic expression. She has an amazing story. She is one of seven children and the only college graduate.

Congratulations to all graduates.

With Anton Krucky at UH Manoa’s advanced degree ceremony

At UH Manoa’s pre-commencement reception with, from left, Bernard and Barbro Osher and UH Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw

At UH Manoa’s undergraduate ceremony with, from left, Claire Asam, Kuhio Asam, Chancellor Hinshaw and Board of Regents Chair Eric Martinson

November 18, 2011

Legislative tour of cancer center site

Group of people in orange vests and hard hats in front of multi-story building under construction

Lawmakers visiting the UH Cancer Center project with, from left, Regent Dennis Hirota, Mānoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw and UH Cancer Center Director Michele Carbone

A number of lawmakers joined us this week for a tour of the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center construction project. The new center will help us improve health care for Hawaiʻi cancer patients, advance understanding of cancers that are prevalent in our island population and explore potential new cures found in our unique environment.

View more photos from the tour.

November 16, 2011

Thirty Meter Telescope reception

<p>University of Hawai‘i President M.R.C. Greenwood, Sen. Daniel Inouye, UH Institute for Astronomy Director Gunther Hasinger and Irene Inouye.</p>

TMT Reception at Washington Place

University of Hawai‘i President M.R.C. Greenwood, Sen. Daniel Inouye, UH Institute for Astronomy Director Gunther Hasinger and Irene Inouye.

<p>From left,UH Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw, UH Hilo Chancellor Donald Straney, Dilling Yang, University of California System President Mark Yudof, UC Berkeley Professor Steven Beckwith, Senator Daniel and Irene Inouye, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan Director General Shoken Miyama, UH System President M.R.C. Greenwood, UH Institute for Astronomy Director Gunther Hasinger, UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Henry Yang, California Institute of Technology President Jean-Lou Chameau.</p>

TMT Reception at Washington Place

From left,UH Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw, UH Hilo Chancellor Donald Straney, Dilling Yang, University of California System President Mark Yudof, UC Berkeley Professor Steven Beckwith, Senator Daniel and Irene Inouye, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan Director General Shoken Miyama, UH System President M.R.C. Greenwood, UH Institute for Astronomy Director Gunther Hasinger, UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Henry Yang, California Institute of Technology President Jean-Lou Chameau.

<p>IfA Director Hasinger and President Greenwood welcome Steven Beckwith, University of California, Berkeley vice president of research and graduate studies.</p>

TMT Reception at Washington Place

IfA Director Hasinger and President Greenwood welcome Steven Beckwith, University of California, Berkeley vice president of research and graduate studies.

<p>From right, UH Regent Jan Naoe Sullivan, Governor Abercrombie and UH Vice President Howard Todo welcome from the international TMT consortium.</p>

TMT Reception at Washington Place

From right, UH Regent Jan Naoe Sullivan, Governor Abercrombie and UH Vice President Howard Todo welcome from the international TMT consortium.

<p>Governor Abercrombie talks with UC President Mark Yudof, center, and California Institute of Technology President Jean-Lou Chameau.</p>

TMT Reception at Washington Place

Governor Abercrombie talks with UC President Mark Yudof, center, and California Institute of Technology President Jean-Lou Chameau.

<p>U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye addresses a reception for officials associated with the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope.</p>

TMT Reception at Washington Place

U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye addresses a reception for officials associated with the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope.

<p>Ricard Ellis, CIT; Gary Sanders, TMT; Mike Bolte, UC; Suijian Xue, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Shoken Miyama, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan; Hawaiʻi Governor Neil Abercrombie; Hideki Takami and Masanori Iye, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan; Henry Yang, UC Santa Barbara; Ray Carlberg, University of Toronto; A. N. Ramaprakash, University of Pune.</p>

TMT Reception at Washington Place

Ricard Ellis, CIT; Gary Sanders, TMT; Mike Bolte, UC; Suijian Xue, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Shoken Miyama, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan; Hawaiʻi Governor Neil Abercrombie; Hideki Takami and Masanori Iye, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan; Henry Yang, UC Santa Barbara; Ray Carlberg, University of Toronto; A. N. Ramaprakash, University of Pune.

<p>University of California Observatories Director Michael Bolte, left, and Governor Abercrombie greet Hawai‘i Congresswoman Mazie Hirono while Masanori Iye, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, waits in front of TMT backdrop.</p>

TMT Reception at Washington Place

University of California Observatories Director Michael Bolte, left, and Governor Abercrombie greet Hawai‘i Congresswoman Mazie Hirono while Masanori Iye, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, waits in front of TMT backdrop.

<p>Hilo businessman Barry Taniguchi and Debbie Goodwin of the Keck Observatories were among the guests, who included representatives from Big Island and astronomy communities; federal, state and university officials; and benefactors.</p>

TMT Reception at Washington Place

Hilo businessman Barry Taniguchi and Debbie Goodwin of the Keck Observatories were among the guests, who included representatives from Big Island and astronomy communities; federal, state and university officials; and benefactors.

Governor Abercrombie joined me in hosting partners and benefactors for the Thirty Meter Telescope project at Washington Place on Veteran’s Day.

TMT will be the most advanced and powerful optical telescope on Earth when completed in 2018 on Mauna Kea. It will allow astronomers to look back 12 billion years to watch the formation of the first stars and galaxies; probe the turbulent regions around supermassive black holes, including the one at the center of our Milky Way galaxy; and reveal details of planets around nearby stars.

Guests at the reception included officials from TMT partners California Institute of Technology, University of California and the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy and participating institutions including the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Department of Science and Technology of India.

We were also delighted to see representatives of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which is providing significant funding for the project, as well as local, state, national and international leaders.

UH scientists will have guaranteed observing time on the new telescope, and the partnership has pledged $1 million a year to support education on the Big Island.

October 12, 2011

APEC, Hawaii and Vietnam

In addition to meeting alumni and addressing preliminary meetings and workshops to the APEC summit in Honolulu next month, my trip to Vietnam has afforded opportunities to remind our Vietnamese hosts of Hawaiʻi’s unparalleled position bridging East and West, both culturally and geographically. Above, I am addressing an APEC workshop in Hanoi. Below, Shidler College of Business Professor Tung Bui showed UH Foundation President Donna Vuchinich and me around the college’s popular Vietnam Executive MBA program, which was featured recently in Mālamalama magazine.

View more photos.

September 12, 2011

Parvin Fellows observe PBS Hawaiʻi panel

Group of people standing

Parvin Fellows, from left, Guo Likun, Zhao Lina, Hu Yongqi, Cai Muyan, Peng Yining and, far right, Nie Xiaoyang with President Greenwood and Professor Kato

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Associate Professor of Journalism Gerald Kato brought six visiting Chinese journalists, the 2011–12 class of Parvin Fellows, to the PBS Hawaiʻi studio recently. Insights on PBS Hawaiʻi, with host Dan Boylan, featured a live, one hour call-in dialogue focusing on the University of Hawaiʻi and the latest exciting activities on our 10 campuses. Joining me as Dan’s guests were UH West Oʻahu Chancellor Gene Awakuni, UH Hilo Chancellor Don Straney and Hawaiʻinuiākea College of Hawaiian Knowledge Dean Maenette Benham, and it was a lively and engaging hour! You can watch the show online at www.pbshawaii.org (the show was on at the same time as Wahine Volleyball!). The journalists from China are here to learn more about American media and culture, and they sat in on our live program to see how U.S. television works. It was a pleasure to meet them and to have the live studio audience as well!

July 27, 2011

Cancer center construction underway

AC Kobayashi and UH officials from left: Russell Young, Caroll Takahashi, Brian Minaai, M.R.C. Greenwood, Myles Ikeda, Kathy Inouye and Warren Leong

One of the major bright spots on the economic and construction horizon is our beautiful state-of-the-art UHCancer Center. I had a chance to tour the site recently and was impressed to see the progress of this on-schedule, on-budget exciting new piece of the economic fabric of our community.

Read more about the cancer center project.

May 12, 2011

Annual CTAHR banquet

Sylvia Yuen, MRC Greenwood, Robert Paull

It is always a pleasure to attend an event hosted by the college that works with Hawaiʻi growers to bring us tasty and beautiful plants to enjoy at home and export abroad.

The College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources’ annual banquet honored one of those community partners. Harold Tanouye, president and owner of Green Point Nurseries on Oʻahu, received the 2011 Ka Lei Hano Heritage Award for his leadership in strengthening Hawaiʻi’s tropical flower industry.

The college’s floral handiwork was evident in the centerpieces like that held by Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Science Chair Robert Paull, pictured chatting with me and CTAHR Dean Sylvia Yuen.

The college is involved in so much more, of course, as evidenced by the work of 2011 Outstanding Alumnus PingSun Leung (MS and PhD ’77). An international expert on aquaculture and fishery economics and regional economics, PingSun remains with the college as professor and chair in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management.

The May 6 banquet at the Ala Moana Hotel honored exceptional students, faculty, staff and alumni and community partners in other fields as well, from my own discipline of human nutrition to product design and merchandising and from natural resource management to bioengineering.

May 10, 2011

Visiting Pacific Command HQ

Visit to Pacific Command HQ

Visit to Pacific Command HQ

Visit to Pacific Command HQ

Visit to Pacific Command HQ

Visit to Pacific Command HQ

Visit to Pacific Command HQ

Visit to Pacific Command HQ

Visit to Pacific Command HQ

Visit to Pacific Command HQ

Visit to Pacific Command HQ

For a modest-sized state, Hawaiʻi has what is almost an embarrassment of riches in natural resources and location. Two of our islands’ most important institutions, the University of Hawaiʻi and the U. S. Pacific Command, have linked arms to work together on sustainability in energy, water resources and ability to withstand natural disasters. This is a direct result of a conference in January 2011, exploring how we can enhance our activities in these areas.

I was honored recently to sign a memorandum of agreement with Admiral Robert F. Willard, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, headquartered at Camp Smith, along with UH Mānoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw, formalizing our commitment to collectively work toward increased stability, security and resiliency for the state and the Asia-Pacific region.

This partnership is especially significant as we continue to plan for the APEC meeting in Honolulu in November, and as we continue to respond to natural disasters in the region such as the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Nursing students participating in humanitarian missions and internships at PACOM are just a couple of examples of how we can pool our resources and support each other. Check back for updates on more specifics as this partnership takes form in the coming months and years!

Mahalo nui to the U.S. Navy and the staff at PACOM for a dignified and extremely well-organized singing ceremony!

View photos from the ceremony in the slideshow and thumbnails below.