University of Hawaii Innovation Initiative

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

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HAWAI‘I INNOVATION INITIATIVE

Engineering Hawai‘i’s Future Our 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 working to help develop technologies to meet Hawai‘i’s future engineering challenges in renewable energy, water supply, food security, communications, sea-level rise and natural disasters, while educating the workforce by which Hawai‘i is built.

Re-Engineering Our Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future

Photo by Hummer, Inc.

(808) 956-7727 • www.eng.hawaii.edu The University of Hawai‘i at Ma– noa is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution.

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Daniel K. Inouye

Walter A. Dods, Jr.

United States Senator

Chairman of the Board Matson Navigation

Shortly before he passed away on Dec. 17, 2012, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye provided this letter in support of HI².

It is shared in honor of his memory.

Dear Friends: I am pleased to support the University of Hawai‘i’s Innovation Initiative or HI2. This initiative provides a clear path forward to grow Hawai‘i’s research industry. Perhaps more importantly, it helps to solve some of our most pressing problems in the areas of food security, clean energy and health care.

Federal investments at the University of Hawai‘i have been steady, and the competitively won federal grants have continued to increase. My philosophy has been to invest in cuttingedge assets — ocean research vessel Kilo Moana, Imiloa Astronomy Center, largest solar telescope for Haleakala- , regional biocontainment lab, 30-meter telescope on Mauna Kea, an expanding renewable energy portfolio, disaster planning, as well as facilities for ocean sciences 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 Manoa in the top 10 percent of all research institutions. 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 the future. UH plans to attract and groom 50 new world-class scientists and will invest in itself and form crucial partnerships with the private sector, government and international organizations. 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 tomorrow for the generations to follow.

Aloha,

DANIEL K. INOUYE United States Senator

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Show Your Support For HI 2 Please use the “Support HI 2” button on our Web page: hawaii.edu/innovation Or use the “Support HI 2” button on our Facebook page: facebook.com/pages/University-of-Hawaii-Innovation-Initiative

Table of Contents Letters:

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

COVER STORY: The Sky Is Not The Limit

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

COVER STORY SPECIAL: BIG MAN ON CAMPUS

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Research As an Industry:

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The Economic Contribution of HI 2 University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization (UHERO)

FEATURES: Every Breath You Take

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Research informs our understanding of air quality and water safety

Readying for Liftoff

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UH prepares to launch its own satellite

Really Big Bytes

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UH research relies on data capacity and expertise

Biofuels & Bees

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

Hula to Health

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Research impacts Native Hawaiians’ well-being in multiple ways

Worker $ Wanted

Community College Chancellors: Noreen Yamane, Hawai‘i Community College Erika Lacro, Honolulu Community College Leon Richards, Kapi‘olani Community College Helen Cox, Kaua‘i Community College Manuel Cabral, Leeward Community College Clyde Sakamoto, Maui Community College Douglas Dykstra, Windward Community College

President M.R.C. Greenwood

HI² Executive Director Peter Quigley

Chancellor University of Hawai‘i at M anoa Tom Apple

HI² Director of Communications and Outreach and Editor Kelli Abe Trifonovitch

Chancellor University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Donald Straney

HI² Writers David K. Choo Jolyn Okimoto Rosa Cathy Cruz-George Kyle Galdeira

Vice President External Affairs and University Relations Rockne Freitas Associate Vice President External Affairs and University Relations Lynne Waters

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Research addresses the critical problems of food and fuel

Picture of Health

Board of Regents Eric Martinson, Chair Carl A. Carlson, Jr., Vice Chair James H. Q. Lee, Vice Chair Jeffrey Tangonan Acido, Student Artemio C. Baxa Michael A. Dahilig John C. Dean Chuck Y. Gee John C. Holzman Benjamin Asa Kudo Coralie Chun Matayoshi Barry T. Mizuno Saedene Ota Tom H. Shigemoto Jan Naoe Sullivan

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Chancellor, University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu Gene Awakuni Vice President Community Colleges John Morton

HI² Copy Editor Kathy Reimers HI² Creative Director James Nakamura

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

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MIXING RESEARCH & BUSINESS

MARKETPLACE

ACCELERATING INNOVATION

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

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

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

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Serving Hawai‘i Serving the Pacific

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SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT The University of Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative reaches for the stars

Courtesy: Thinkstock

By D a v i d K . C h o o

CAPTION CAPTION PHOTO CREDIT

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ast fall, Peter Arnade went to KaimukĪ for a haircut and came home with a new perspective. Arnade, a history professor who had taught in California for the previous 20 years, had recently joined the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa as its new dean of the College of Arts & Humanities. He was having a pleasant conversation with his hairdresser when she offhandedly mentioned that, in a couple of weeks, she would be moving to Las Vegas, and she wasn’t happy about it.

“She told me that she was born and raised in Hawai‘i but couldn’t afford to live here anymore,” says Arnade. “When I mentioned to her that I had recently relocated to the Islands to work at the university, she said: ‘Sure, you got one of those high-paying jobs that always goes to outsiders.’”

Kick-Starting a New Economic Engine A recent University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization (UHERO) study shows that Hawai‘i’s economy is dominated by sectors that offer limited potential for long-term improvements in the quality of life. The state’s traditional economic engines, tourism (19 percent of total employment) and the military/federal government (12 percent), contribute modest productivity growth. Over the past 20 years, military downsizing and shocks to the tourism industry have hit Hawai‘i hard. While a record number of tourists visited the Islands in 2012, real visitor spending had been declining an average of 1 percent per year from 1989 to 2011. Overall, over the past 40

“Hawai‘i needs a strong research university to fully realize the potential of our knowledge-based industries.”

Jeanne Unemori Skog President and CEO, Maui Economic Development Board Arnade tried to explain that schools like UH are global institutions, and they recruit nationally and internationally, but they serve their local communities. He wanted to tell her that the university’s impacts are far-reaching but often unseen, then decided to listen and learn more about his new home.

“I’d never had a conversation like that in any of the places I’ve studied or taught,” says Arnade. “She was polite but she was frustrated. It was a learning experience.”

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years, Hawai‘i’s real gross domestic product per capita has grown by less than half that of the U.S. as a whole, a disappointing 0.7 percent average annual expansion. Such weak economic growth is indicative of an economy absent dynamic and highperforming industries, which means fewer higher-paying jobs.

Peter Quigley doesn’t like to hear stories about people leaving the Islands because of a lack of opportunity. He’s

Photo by Anthony Consillio

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very familiar with the state’s lackluster economic performance, but he’s buoyed by other statistics that point to an alternative economic path: Over the past 10 years, extramural (outside) funding at the University of Hawai‘i has increased more than 50 percent.

In 2009, the National Science Foundation ranked UH M anoa 51st out of 689 public and private universities in research expenditures. The ranking puts it only 11 spots behind research heavyweight University of California Berkeley, and ahead of other revered institutions such as University of Oregon, Oregon State and Notre Dame. In addition, extramural funding for the University of Hawai‘i hit a high of $489 million in 2011, during challenging economic times.

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

FIRSTS FOR UH: National Academy of Sciences members David Karl and Edward DeLong front UH – Manoa’s Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE). Karl is C-MORE’s director.

DeLong, a professor of Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is the first researcher UH has recruited under HI 2.

C-MORE Hale, in the background, is the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum–certified laboratory in the state.

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Photo by George Lee, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

COUNTING DOWN: Miguel Nunes is part of UH’s Hawai‘i Space Flight Laboratory team developing satellites to be launched from Kaua‘i in 2013. UH aims to be the first university in the world with dedicated rocket launch capability.

“The local business community has long recognized that research and innovation need to be a part of Hawai‘i’s future.”

Gary Kai, executive director Hawai‘i Business Roundtable

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

The university’s high ranking and big funding numbers took many by surprise, including people in the local business communities. However, they reflect the success the university has achieved in moving its research forward. What would happen with even more strategic attention?

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

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

Expanding the system’s research capabilities begins with people, and not just any people. HI 2 plans to hire and develop 50 world-class researchers over the next decade. Many of these scientists, also referred to as “principal investigators” (PIs), will contribute 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.

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“The University of Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative is an effort we hope the community will support, because it could determine the future of the state.”

M.R.C. Greenwood, President University of Hawai‘i

Photo by Anthony Consillio

INNOVATION LEADER: President M.R.C. Greenwood has been asking business and community groups to help to build the state s research state’s research industry, industry, to to create create thousands thousands of of new new jobs jobs and aand better a better economic economic future. future.

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

Last year, the initiative signed up the first of its 50 distinguished researchers, when Edward DeLong, a globally renowned microbial oceanographer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and member of the National Academy of Sciences, agreed to relocate to Hawai‘i. (See “Big Man on Campus” on page 14.) DeLong, who studies microbes and their many natural processes, will be setting up shop at UH Manoa in 2014.

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“We can attract someone of the caliber of DeLong because he sees the great strength we have in his area and he sees tremendous opportunity,” says UH Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple.

It’s an opportunity that promises economic development and diversification. “The University of Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative is an effort we hope the community will support, because it could determine the future of the state,” says UH President M.R.C. Greenwood.

Systemwide, Statewide uch of the new research will likely be led by UH Manoa.

The flagship campus is one of only 32 institutions in the nation with the

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distinction of being a land-, sea- and space-grant research institution. However, the effort will involve all 10 UH campuses and research assets statewide.

A couple of PIs will likely be based at UH Hilo, which boasts the system’s only College of Pharmacy, among other areas of strength. The new labs at Manoa, Hilo and elsewhere will need lab workers and other staff; the initiative is working with all campuses to build the human infrastructure that will be necessary to support a long-term, sustained effort. (See “Workers Wanted” on page 39.)

According to UH vice president for community colleges John Morton, the UH system’s seven community colleges will be active players in HI 2. Over

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Courtesy: University of Hawai‘i

Maui College’s Photovoltaic Design and Installation Certificate Program

the past two years, the community colleges have received two workforce development grants from the U.S. Department of Labor, totaling more than $37 million. They are beefing up their STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs, so that they can help provide such a workforce. “We know what kind of skills will be necessary, and we’ll prepare them accordingly,” says Morton.

UH Manoa’s Apple adds that the di-

rect economic benefits from HI 2 will be significant, but the potential impact on the larger community can be multifaceted. “With much of the work involving Island issues and challenges, the results could change the way we live,” he says.

The university cannot carry out the initiative by itself. For instance, providing the necessary support of the resulting technologies will require the cooperation of the public and private sectors statewide. For this, the Hawai‘i Innovation

CMORE s

Initiative is using San Diego and its economic development organization, CONNECT, as its models. CONNECT, developed in the 1980s, started with the University of California at San Diego and linked inventors and entrepreneurs with resources to develop ideas and innovations into viable businesses. In three decades, the organization has helped start more than 3,000 companies. As a result, San Diego, which, like Hawai‘i, was dependent largely on tourism and the military for its economic growth, now has a booming research sector.

“The local business community has long recognized that research and innovation need to be a part of Hawai‘i’s future,” says Gary Kai, executive director of the Hawai‘i Business Roundtable.

“We are very encouraged by the Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative, because, not only does it have a model that is wholly appropriate for Hawai‘i, but it is also led

by President Greenwood, a researcher

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

Photo by John Coney

The Ocean’s Microbes: from genomes to biomes

cmore.soest.hawaii.edu The University of Hawai‘i is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution.

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Courtesy: University of Hawai‘i

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

herself, who has seen the impacts that great ideas and innovations have had in other communities.”

“Hawai‘i needs a strong research university to fully realize the potential of our knowledge-based industries,” says Jeanne Unemori Skog, president and

CEO of the Maui Economic Development Board and chair of the Economic Development Alliance of Hawai‘i. “Investment in University of Hawai‘i’s research could lead to a cure for skin cancer, unravel the mysteries of the sun or help feed a hungry world through break-

HIGP

throughs in aquaculture. The possibilities are endless, but we’ll never know unless we explore them,” she says.

Greenwood and Quigley have given presentations to groups across the state and are heartened by the responses they have received, especially from UH graduates, who are surprised and proud of their school’s prominence in the research world. However, Quigley is really looking forward to reaching out to those outside the university community – people like the Kaimuk hairdresser.

“I’d like to tell people like her that the school down the street, the one that you drive by all the time, is one of those places where knowledge is not only taught but created,” says Quigley. “I’d like to tell her that, at UH, she and her kids don’t have to move away to study with some of the smartest people in the world. More importantly, they don’t have to move away to become some of the smartest people in the world.”

Researcher Angel Yanagihara has developed a medicine that effectively treats the sting of a box jellyfish.

Courtesy: University of Hawai‘i

Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology

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COVER STORY SPECIAL: FIRST RECRUIT:

Big Man on Campus

Edward DeLong, a professor of Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first researcher to be recruited under HI 2.

Photo by Anthony Consillio

“UH is already a great place, and the initiative could really accelerate the research enterprise even more.” Edward DeLong

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or Edward DeLong, good things come in small packages—very good and very small. DeLong, a professor of Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, studies the biology, ecology and evolution of marine microbes. He uses some of the latest technologies, such as genome sequencing, in his work to learn how ecologically critical yet unseen microbial processes work to sustain ecosystems, particularly those found in the ocean.

His research could go a long way in explaining how the world works. It could have potential applications in solving some of the world’s biggest challenges, everything from energy generation to recycling to sustainable, “green” industrial CAPTION CAPTION processes.

PHOTO CREDIT

“Microbes can perform almost any chemical reaction that is possible, quickly and efficiently. They generate the energy and matter that sustains the food chain.

They’re also able to eat and recycle all kinds of substances, which regenerates nutrients and detoxifies noxious compounds,” says DeLong. “Basically, they are naturally occurring, tiny chemical factories that help recycle things that we don’t want, as well as synthesize useful products that we do.”

DeLong’s research has taken him to locations across the globe, but he says that Hawai‘i is the best place in the world to study open-ocean ecosystems. He has collaborated with colleagues at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa for more than two decades.

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

he became the co-director and research coordinator at Manoa’s Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE). In the fall of 2014, DeLong will relocate to the Islands, becoming the first researcher recruited under the University of Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative (HI 2), the university’s coordinated effort to attract and develop 50 worldclass researchers and to double outside funding from $500 million to $1 billion per year.

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

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

Currently, C-MORE has research funding of approximately $4 million per year over 10 years. DeLong hopes to continue that level of funding for an additional 10 years. He expects to bring along only one or two of his staff, so he says that he will be “going local” when he moves his lab.

“I knew that if I was lucky enough to get an opportunity (to work at UH), I would go for it,” says DeLong. “I’ve already had such great interactions with my colleagues here at UH over the years. And the innovation initiative presents even more exciting opportunities. UH is already a great place, and the initiative could really accelerate the research enterprise even more, especially in cutting-edge science and technologies that society needs today.”

—DKC

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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 know that Sea Grant and its supported researchers: • Developed the Hanauma Bay Education Program and has continued to operate it for more than 22 years?

• In partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency, introduced Smart Growth principles to Hawai‘i, changing community design to support the development and production of vibrant communities with less impact to the 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 the number of PhD students produced and second in the number of peer-refereed scholarly publications produced?

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

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

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

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U N I V E R S I T Y

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O ‘ A H U

EXCELLENCE IS A STATE OF MIND AND A WAY OF BEING. 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 uhwo.admissions@hawaii.edu

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Research As an Industry:

The Economic Contribution of HI 2

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University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization (UHERO)

he University of Hawai‘i is an excellent university, and its research is an important part of its contribution to Hawai‘i’s economy. The University of Hawai‘i system includes 10 campuses and dozens of educational, training and research centers across the state.

UH Manoa is one of the top research universities in the world. The 2012 Academic Ranking of World Universities places UH M anoa among the top 54 to 67 schools in the United States, a category shared with the University of Virginia and ahead of Oregon State University, the University of Oregon

and Notre Dame. UH M anoa has also been very successful at securing lucrative federal research grants. A National Science Foundation report ranked UH M anoa 51st among 689 public and private universities in federal R&D expenditures for fiscal year 2009. By comparison, the University of California Berkeley ranked 40th. This success comes from excellent faculty and staff at UH conducting cutting-edge research, advancing the frontiers of knowledge and being entrepreneurial in their quest for research funding. To not only remain competitive, but also to surpass other top schools, UH will need

to continue to expand its research programs, and attract significantly more research funding.

The Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative (HI 2) is an effort led by University of Hawai‘i President M.R.C. Greenwood to more than double the UH system’s extramural (outside) research funding from the current level of less than $500 million to an ambitious $1 billion per year by 2022. To meet the HI 2 goals, the university will need to identify its strengths in fields of study that are well funded — particularly by federal agencies — and to attract top faculty who are adept at securing extramural

Federal Academic Funding to Research and Development Since 1970 30000

Federal obligations for academic R&D have doubled in the past 20 years – and we expect the same trend to occur throughout the next 20 years.

25000 20000

Billions 2005$

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2009

$30 Billion (doubled from 1990)

$14 Billion

1990

10000 $7 Billion

1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

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resources in these areas. To that end, the university plans to hire or develop 50 top scientists over the next decade.

Hawai‘i should be encouraged by the success that other regions have experienced. In many ways similar to modern-day Hawai‘i, San Diego in the 1960s was viewed as isolated, ill positioned for industry growth, and restricted by a narrow economy, composed primarily of real estate, tourism and the military. Using UC San Diego as a leverage point proved to be a sound strategy; today San Diego boasts a gross regional product of $175 billion and a population of 3 million people.

Approximately 14 percent of San Diego’s economy is currently attributed to the research and technology industries, compared to only 3 percent in Hawai‘i. The goal of HI 2 is to expand the research and technology portion of Hawai‘i’s economic pie over the next decade by strengthening areas of proven excellence (astronomy and space sciences, ocean and earth sci-

ences, health sciences), enhancing emerging strengths (clean energy, new agriculture, cancer research, pharmacology) and building up new areas (informatics and cyber infrastructure, diabetes and obesity research).

Building on Proven Areas of Excellence, Targeting Emerging Sectors

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he University of Hawai‘i system has already made significant strides nurturing world-class research, especially in the areas of astronomy and space sciences, ocean and earth sciences, and health sciences. To get an idea of what a world-class principal investigator (PI) means, consider the current research-funding situation.

Eleven PIs across four fields account for 30 percent of the UH system’s extramural funding. Over the past two

Thousands of Jobs by Sector HAWAII (STATE)

years, four fields have generated $248 million in research funding — $65 million (six PIs in energy), $62 million (13 PIs in ocean sciences), $55 million (11 PIs in biomedical sciences), and $66 million (three PIs in cyber infrastructure).

Recruiting additional research leaders can therefore have a disproportionately large effect on overall funding levels.

If this is true for existing areas of strength, similar potential exists in emerging areas of federal funding.

Technology Transfer

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echnology transfer is an important way in which university research spills over into the broader economy.

UH has struggled to effect high rates of technology transfer. An important goal of HI 2 is to advance the licensing and commercialization of UH research.

There are several examples of research initiatives ripe for commercialization. For example, UH plans to be the first uni-

versity in the world with dedicated rocket launch capability for satellites that are constructed and operated by its students and faculty. The Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, a research unit within UH M anoa, receives approximately $15 million a year and plans to launch these satellites from the island of Kaua‘i next fall. The Institute already partners with optics labs on instrumentation, data analysis and software development, creating tremendous potential here for related technology transfer. In the School of Engineering, corrosion research for the U.S. Navy and advanced tsunami research have the potential to be commercialized and patented through accelerated technology transfer. Within the highly productive Institute for Astronomy, applied research currently accounts for only 10 percent of its $20-million to $30-million budget, and none of it is currently being commercialized.

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

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hile it is costly to recruit highly productive research scholars, the premise of HI 2 is that this investment will both pay for itself and produce increased economic activity in the form of extramural research expenditures, jobs, technology transfer and harder-to-quantify social benefits. The table on this page displays the net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) for HI 2 under various assumptions about growth in extramural funds and the success of researchers.

The baseline scenario assumes that each new PI costs $233,000/year plus a onetime startup cost of $1.2 million in laboratory equipment, research assistance and similar expenses. The incremental

Economic Return Scenarios for HI 2 Scenario

Parameters

Total Grant

Total Jobs

NPV

IRR

13,014 12,471 11,844 11,341 12,145 11,040

$250.4M $130.3M $232.1M $118.1M $58.3M $49.8M

96% 59% 94% 56% 33% 29%

Vol. FY2022

Baseline Low new PI funding levels Low overall funding growth Low new funds, low growth Very low new funds Low growth, very low new funds Source: UHERO Calculations

g=4%, n=$1.5M g=4%, n=$1M g=3%, n=$1.5M g=3%, n=$1M g=4%, n=$0.7M g=3%, n=$0.7M

$737.6M $706.8M $671.3M $642.8M $688.3M $625.7M

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benefit from such hires is calculated as the difference between the total expected grant volume with and without HI 2, over and above the benefits accrued in past years. Based on the historical growth of federal R&D funds, we assume that the total existing grant volume will grow at a rate of 4 percent per year, and each new HI 2 PI will bring in an additional $1.5 million in annual extramural funds. These assumptions about PI costs and productivity are similar to some of UH Manoa’s recent highprofile recruits.

In the baseline scenario, the total grant volume grows to $737.6 million

by FY2022, the NPV of HI 2 is $250.4 million, more than 13,000 jobs are attributed to the UH system’s total research expenditures and the IRR for HI 2 is 96 percent.

This is clearly an exceptional return on investment, and will result in more than 5,000 new jobs statewide.

Under our baseline assumptions, UH will not reach the ambitious goal of $1 billion of research funding in the 10-year period we considered.

Reaching that goal is largely dependent on how successful PIs are in conducting research and in attracting extramural funds. Over the past five fiscal years, the top five PIs in the UH system have averaged almost $17 million per year in

extramural funding. If UH is able to recruit 10 top research faculty that achieve this level of success, while the remaining 40 faculty in the HI 2 plan meet our baseline assumptions, then the target of $1 billion in funding can be reached in just over 10 years. Obviously, the success of HI 2 PIs and the actual growth of research funds are highly uncertain. The table “Economic Return Scenarios for HI 2” displays several more-conservative scenarios. These scenarios result in lower, but still impressive, rates of return on investment.

Beyond the large, positive expected return on investment — as high as 96 percent in the best-case scenario — other benefits include thousands of new jobs created in the state, new discoveries, and the development of new support businesses and opportunities. These additional benefits generate a winwin outcome for both UH and the state. Research activity requires support staff, equipment and materials, which, in turn, boost local businesses.

Simultaneously, new businesses are nurtured by the Hawai‘i research economy, and additional growth may result from technology transfer. In this way, the research industry amplifies investment into broader statewide benefits.

UHERO principal investigators: Inna Cintina (assistant specialist), Kimberly Burnett (associate specialist), and Carl Bonham (UHERO executive director and professor of economics)

Research assistance by: Christopher Wada (post-doctoral researcher), James Jones (economic research specialist), Atsushi Shibata (graduate research assistant), Ben Trevino (database manager), and Natalie Schack (graphic design support)

Every year, more than 330,000 people, including 30,000 Hawai‘i school age children, visit the Waikı¯kı¯ Aquarium.

108 years young, Hawai‘i’s State Aquarium and the third oldest in the United States, the Waikı¯kı¯ 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 Maˉnoa 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.

2777 Kala¯kaua Ave. Honolulu, HI 96815 OPEN DAILY 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (except Christmas and Honolulu Marathon Day) www.waquarium.org The University of Hawai‘i is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution.

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Every Breath You Take Research informs our understanding of air quality and water safety B y J o l y n O ki m o t o R o s a

sthmatics and others with breathing A sensitivities have a tool to navigate

SOEST Online: Vog Measurement and Prediction Project weather.hawaii.edu/vmap/index.cgi Sea Level Rise Hawai‘i soest.hawaii.edu/coasts/sealevel/ IN A VOG: (Top) Kamoamoa Fissure - o - Vent (Bottom) Pu‘u ‘O‘

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Beach Safety Hawai‘i oceansafety.ancl.hawaii.edu/

the voggy weather that has plagued us of late. The University of Hawai‘i at Manoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) runs the Vog Measurement and Prediction Project, part of which predicts the vog plume’s movement.

Co-principal investigators Steve Businger and Keith Horton head the vog project. Businger says, “Vog represents a tangible health hazard for those of us in Hawai‘i who are sensitive to it. During vog episodes, every breath can cause distress. For folks who suffer from allergies, emphysema or asthma, having a vog model that forecasts the position of the plume helps them plan their activities to minimize their exposure.” ood planning depends on good sciG ence.

Sea-level rise is a longer-term example of this. Seas have been rising for more than 100 years among the Hawaiian Islands, which has caused wide-

spread coastal erosion and worsened the impact of tsunami and flooding during heavy rains. SOEST Associate Dean Charles “Chip” Fletcher says climate change will probably cause an increase in sea-level rise that worsens existing problems and leads to new ones.

“Our research on sea-level rise is designed to improve our understanding of where, when and how these hazards will materialize,” Fletcher says. “Hopefully, with improved knowledge, our community will take steps to adapt to these impacts most economically, safely and sustainably.” On a daily schedule, Fletcher's group also maintains the Hawai‘i beach safety website that informs beachgoers about highrisk locations.

Projects like these illustrate how the school’s research informs residents’ understanding of natural hazards and affects their daily lives. As SOEST Dean Brian Taylor says, “We are the go-to place for science on such issues in the Hawaiian Islands.”

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“Our research on sea-level rise is designed to improve our understanding of where, when and how these hazards will materialize.”

— SOEST Associate Dean Charles “Chip” Fletcher - WAIK IKI 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-coded by vulnerability to sea level based on their elevation. Red buildings are located at modern high tide. Orange buildings are vulnerable to 1 foot of sea-level rise. Yellow buildings are vulnerable to 2 feet of sea-level rise. Green buildings are vulnerable to 3 feet of sea-level rise. Purple buildings are vulnerable to 4 feet of sea-level rise.

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SOEST

www.soest.hawaii.edu The University of Hawai‘i is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution.

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TESTING: ORS-4 static fire of rocket motor at Edwards Air Force Base in August 2012.

Courtesy: Operationally Responsive Space Office, Department of Defense

BELOW: The Hawai‘i Space Flight Laboratory team.

Director Luke Flynn is third from left.

Readying for Liftoff UH prepares to launch its own satellite

Photo by George Lee, Honolulu Star-Advertiser

B y J olyn O kimo to Ro s a

Satellite launches and tracking, two new world-class telescopes, and a portable space habitat: Some of the most exciting projects in these Islands are in areas of astronomy and space. These projects bring hands-on learning opportunities and high-tech careers.

Satellite Launch

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he University of Hawai‘i is working to become the only university in the world with dedicated rocket-launch capability for its own satellites.

In 2007, UH Manoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) joined with the College of Engineering to create Hawai‘i Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL). The primary objectives of HSFL include the development of a new, highly trained workforce, by offering opportunities to design, w w w. h a w a i i . e d u / i n n o v a t i o n

build, test, launch and operate small satellites in the space environment. The laboratory’s work should lead to expanded economic opportunities in Hawai‘i.

HSFL is one of the key partners supporting the fall 2013 launch of a small Super Strypi rocket, carrying a UH-developed satellite called HiakaSat. The project, called ORS-4, will be the first satellite to be launched from Kaua‘i’s Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF).

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

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

The project is part of a congressionally directed program funded through the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office of the Department of Defense.

Other partners include launch-systems contractor Sandia National Laboratories

and rocket-motor contractor Aerojet Inc. Kaua‘i Community College is providing the location infrastructure and facilities for an HSFL ground station and missioncontrol room, and will be able to direct UH’s satellites to take photos for a number of scientific applications.

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World-Class Telescopes n November, construction started on Ithe world’s largest solar telescope, the $300-million Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) on Maui’s Mount Haleakala.

The ATST is important to both the scientific community and Hawai‘i’s economy.

Project operations are expected to contribute approximately $18 million a year to the local economy.

According to UH M anoa Institute for Astronomy director Günther Hasinger, “The ATST will lead to tremendous advances in our understanding of the sun, including those aspects of its variable activity that affect life on Earth.”

Another telescope, the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), is planned for Mauna Kea on the Big Island. The estimated $1.3 billion project, which will produce the world’s largest optical telescope, involves an association of research universities and the governments of Canada, Japan, India and China.

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

Courtesy: National Solar Observatory

portable space habitat in a Mars-like area at 8,200 feet on the slopes of Mauna Loa on the Big Island. The first HI-SEAS project focuses on new forms of food and food preparation for long-duration space missions. According to co-investigator Kim Binsted of UH M anoa’s Information and 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's largest solar telescope, the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST).

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www.ifa.hawaii.edu We sponsor free public events on three islands, O‘ahu, Maui, and Hawai‘i: www.ifa.hawaii.edu/specialevents

Enjoy our newsletters available at www.ifa.hawaii.edu/publications/newsletters Join the Friends of the Institute for Astronomy www.ifa.hawaii.edu/friends

UH Institute for Astronomy Excellence in science, technology, education, and public outreach 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.

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://panstarrs.ifa.hawaii.edu/public Our astronomy graduate program at UH Ma¯noa is one of the best in the nation. www.ifa.hawaii.edu/gradprog We are working toward offering a new undergraduate degree in astrophysics. See undergraduate at www.ifa.hawaii.edu/gradprog The Akamai Workforce Initiative trains Hawai‘i undergraduate students for careers in astronomy, remote sensing, and other hightechnology 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 Ma¯noa 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

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 $6.00 Great Comets: What Makes Them So Great? with Alan Fitzsimmons, Queen’s University, Belfast UH Ma¯noa Art Building Auditorium Sunday, April 14, 2013, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Annual IfA Ma¯noa Open House A 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 Ku¯hio¯ 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 ifaevents@ifa.hawaii.edu.

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

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

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Building a Future wi†h †he People of Hawaiʻi

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he 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, significantly 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 scientific 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 significance of research conducted at UH Hilo.

hilo.hawaii.edu UH Hilo is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmtive Action Institution

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 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 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. 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 wetlands grant to study soil nutrient bioavailability. Photo courtesy of Bruce Mathews, professor of soil science who is conducting the research. 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.

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.

ʻAʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi One learns from many sources

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Photo by Anthony Consillio

“We just want to make it easy for our scientists and researchers to focus on their scholarship.”

David Lassner, vice president for information technology and chief information officer, University of Hawai‘i

Really Big Bytes UH research relies on data capacity and expertise COMPUTER SIMULATION Shows ocean temperatures, currents, and clouds in the Pacific region.

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wo years ago, as Hiroki Tokinaga stood on the beach watching waves rise higher with the strengthening wind, he got the idea to analyze 100 million records of wind and wave data from old ship logs.

Synthesizing the data and computer models, the researcher for the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa’s International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) tracked regional patterns of climate change in the tropical Indo-Pacific region in the past 60 years.

Tokinaga’s historic findings help scientists understand bizarre weather patterns – such as flooding and droughts – plaguing the Pacific region. Locally, his study tracks weakening trade winds contributing to the decrease in Hawai‘i rainfall since the 1950s.

Hawai‘i could have less rain in future years if the trend continues, a cause for concern.

His study is one example of UH research projects with real-life impacts that involve the gathering, analysis and storage of “big data,” with techniques often referred to with terms such as “informatics” or “cyberinfrastructure.” From the Pan-STARRS telescope - used to track killer asteroids, on Haleakala, to the culling through demographic and genomic databanks to decode a disease, researchers increasingly need to collect, securely store, manage, analyze and access

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huge amounts of data. Some sectors that increasingly rely heavily on big data for new insights include meteorology, marine and earth sciences, astronomy, environmental studies, energy systems, public health, biomedical sciences, and agriculture.

The IPRC uses computer models to project climate changes over the next century to provide information that will be used in assessing impacts on Hawaiian birds and plants in the next century.

“UH needs as much cyberinfrastructure as we can get,” says IPRC director Kevin Hamilton. This includes data storage, highperformance computing and advanced networks for collaboration.

David Lassner, UH’s vice president for information technology and chief information officer, says the new $41-million information-technology building under construction at UH Manoa will support researchers’ growing data and cyberinfrastructure needs. Storage capacity at the new building will be sized to support petabyte-scale data (see box), with the capacity to grow to exabytes.

“We just want to make it easy for our scientists and researchers to focus on their scholarship,” says Lassner.

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

A Whole Yotta Data Data storage is measured in “bits” and “bytes” of information. Each bit contains either a one or a zero, and a byte is usually made up of eight bits. Larger amounts of data are referred to using metric prefixes, with each term referring to 1,000 times the previous level, as follows: kilobyte megabyte gigabyte terabyte petabyte exabyte zettabyte yottabyte

- 1,000 (thousand) bytes - 1,000,000 (million) bytes - 1,000,000,000 (billion) bytes - 1,000,000,000,000 (trillion) bytes - 1,000,000,000,000,000 (quadrillion) bytes - 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 (quintillion) bytes - 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (sextillion) bytes - 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (septillion) bytes R E S E A R C H T H AT M AT T E R S

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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 for the colony.

Courtesy: Ethel Villalobos, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources

BIOFUELS & Bees Research addresses the critical problems of food and fuel

By J o l y n O k i m o t o R o s a

FOOD

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bout one mouthful in three in our diet directly or indirectly benefits from honeybee pollination, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Moreover, bee pollination is responsible for more than $15 billion nationally in increased crop value each year.

Hawai‘i depends on honeybees to pollinate many of its tropical crops, and they are an integral component in the food production web in these Islands. That’s why research of the Varroa mite, a vector for viral diseases that is decimating honeybee populations, is so critical. Our food supply may depend on what researchers at the University of Hawai‘i at M anoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) and their partners are able to find.

The UH Honeybee Project, in cooperVARROA MITE

Courtesy: Ethel Villalobos, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

ation with researchers from Sheffield University, observed that the spread of the Varroa mite has led to an increase in prevalence and virulence of the Deformed Wing Virus among colonies. The spread of the Varroa mite has caused this virus, which is of low prevalence and minimal impact in Varroa-free areas, to emerge as a lethal pathogen. These findings were published in the journal Science in 2012.

The researchers hypothesize that the same interactions between the mite and virus may be a contributing factor in the deaths of millions of bee colonies worldwide. As such, the ongoing work is not only important for honeybee conservation and food production locally, but potentially around the globe.

FUEL

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ore than 90 percent of Hawai‘i’s energy needs are met through imported fossil fuels. Yet researchers are looking at ways such crops as fast-growing grasses – such as those in Waimanalo and on Maui – may help the state grow its way to fuel self-sufficiency. CTAHR and its research partners have been awarded a four-year, $6 million federal grant for biofuels research, raising

GROWING GRASS: Andrew Hashimoto directs biofuels research in Waimanalo.

Photo By Anthony Consillio

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

“When people ask me, ‘Is it economically viable at this point?’ I say we don’t have the answers yet,” says Professor Andrew Hashimoto of CTAHR. “That’s why we do the research.”

UH Manoa’s Hawai‘i Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) has been exploring alternative energy since 1974, and extramural funding has exploded from $2 million in 2001 to $31 million in 2011.

Among HNEI’s diverse projects is the development of hydrogen production infrastructure at the Puna Geothermal Venture’s plant on the island of Hawai‘i.

Then there’s the Maui Smart Grid Project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a nationwide set of demonstration projects. Students from the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui at UH Maui College completed energy audits for the project. HNEI Director Rick Rochelau says the goal is to reduce peak demand and facilitate the integration of renewable technologies such as wind and solar.

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

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 w w w. h a w a i i . e d u / i n n o v a t i o n

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Serving Our Community And The World UÊ > V }Ê> `Ê«À ÌiVÌ }Ê >Ü> ¿ ½ÃÊi ÌÀi«Ài iÕÀÃÊ> `ÊÌ i ÀÊ Û>Ì ÃÊ> `ÊLÕà iÃÃÊ ÌiÀiÃÌà UÊ/i>V }ÊÌ iÊ >ÜÊ vÊ Ã >Ê> `Ê Ì iÊ*>V wÊV]Ê>ÃÊÜi Ê>ÃÊ iÀ V> Ê >Ü]Ê Ì Ê ÕÀÊ}À>`Õ>ÌiÃÊ> `ÊÌ Ê«>ÀÌ V «> ÌÃÊ Ê>ÊÕ µÕiÊ >ÃÌiÀÃÊ`i}ÀiiÊ «À }À> ÊÌ >ÌÊÃÌÀi }Ì i ÃÊ V Õ ÌÀÞ Ì V Õ ÌÀÞÊÌ ià UÊ/À> }Ê ÀiÊÌ > Ê£ÈäÊ Û À i Ì> Ê >ÜÊ iÀÌ wÊV>ÌiÊ `iÀÃÊÌ ÊÜ À Ê Ê« > iÌ Ã>Û }Ê ÃÃÕiÃÊ>VÀ ÃÃÊÌ iÊ} Li

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Picture of Health From Honolulu to Hilo, UH’s medical and health research changes lives B y Ca thy Cru z -Geo rg e

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

John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM)

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early half of all the practicing physicians in Hawai‘i trained at UH M-anoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). The school experienced a 62 percent increase in research awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 2007 to 2012. JABSOM currently draws about $42 million annually in external research funding.

Recently, the NIH invested $6 million over five years in the medical school’s Center for Cardiovascular Research to study heart disease, Hawai‘i’s No. 1 killer.

The institute also granted $12.6 million to the school’s R-MATRIX program, a University-wide effort to turn research findings into measurable health improvements for

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Hawai‘i’s unique island community.

JABSOM’s Department of Native Hawaiian Health is the only clinical department in an accredited U.S. medical school specifically dedicated to improving the health of an indigenous people, Native Hawaiians.

University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center

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he University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center will soon have a new home.

The 150,000-square-foot building is scheduled to open in early 2013. The National Cancer Institute recently awarded the UH M anoa unit another five years of recognition and funding, making it one of only 67 research facilities to receive that designation. This guarantees con-

tinued funding and gives Hawai‘i patients access to new clinical trials and technologies through the center’s consortium partners at The Queen’s Medical Center, JABSOM, Kuakini Medical Center and Hawai‘i Pacific Health system hospitals.

University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center director Dr. Michele Carbone says the hope is to eliminate the need for Hawai‘i residents to have to travel for treatment.

“Our goal is to give Hawai‘i citizens the same or better treatment options of different cancers than those available on the U.S. mainland.”

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

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SAVING LIVES: (Top) University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center Director Dr. Michele Carbone says the goal is to give Hawai‘i citizens the same or better treatment options than those available on the Mainland.

(Below) UH Hilo’s Dianqing Sun is researching new drugs to battle tuberculosis, the second-leading infectious disease in the world.

Taking Away the Sting

trigger in several types of cancer, including lung, breast and pancreatic, and $1.56 million to research mesothelioma, one of the most dangerous forms of cancer, linked to asbestos and erionite exposure.

UH Hilo College of Pharmacy

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roundbreaking work is underway on the Big Island, where the UH Hilo College of Pharmacy welcomed its inaugural class six years ago.

Dianqing Sun is doing tuberculosis research with a grant for $406,257 from the NIH. TB is the second-leading infectious disease in the world. w w w. h a w a i i . e d u / i n n o v a t i o n

“Notably, no TB-specific drugs have been discovered since the introduction of Rifampin 40 years ago,” says Sun. “In particular, due to the emergence and evolution of drug-resistant bacteria, there is an urgent need to discover new chemotype TB drugs with novel mechanisms of action and low toxic properties.”

In June, the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation awarded the college $14.3 million to develop a pharmacist-care system designed to save more than $27.1 million in healthcare costs. The project, called “Pharm2Pharm,” is designed to reduce medication-related hospitalizations and emergency room visits by establishing teamwork between hospital and community pharmacists.

“The school is attracting researchers in areas that didn’t exist six years ago, generating ideas that are going to market,” says UH Hilo Chancellor Donald Straney.

Box Jellyfish

Photo by Robert Harwick

UH M anoa researcher Angel Yanagihara has developed a therapy to treat the burning sting of the Hawaiian box jellyfish and to block the venom of its deadly cousins, such as the Australian box jellyfish.

Her patented technology has been licensed by Waterlife Research, which is in the process of doing clinical trials and bringing the product to market. Yanagihara’s work is part of an interdisciplinary effort across the University of Hawai‘i known as RMATRIX, which helps investigators turn health research into health improvements and treatments, especially for Hawai‘i’s multicultural population.

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– Health Sciences at UH Manoa In 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 John A. Burns School of Medicine The John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) is leading the way in new research related to health disparities and meeting the health care needs of Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. 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 with Wuhan and Fudan Universities in China. Public health has a vital economic influence in the state through control and management of infectious disease transmission, chronic disease management (to maximize workforce productivity), and injury prevention.

The School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene

The Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work

The school’s mission is to provide an innovative, caring, and multicultural environment in which faculty, students and staff work together to generate and transmit knowledge, wisdom, and values to promote quality of life and health for present and future generations.

The Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work advances social justice in three educational programs – Baccalaureate in Social Work (BSW), Master’s in Social Work (MSW), and Doctor of Philosophy in Social Welfare (PhD).

The School prioritizes education in a Hawaiian place of learning in context of a global community. With support of distance education technology, we are now also able to provide broadened access to neighbor island (Hawai`i, Maui, Kaua`i, Moloka`i) and Pacific nation students (University of Guam).

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

The school is researching self-management interventions for chronic disease management and interdisciplinary education using problem-based learning, simulation (shown above) and clinical skills laboratories and 3D technology.

In partnership with the World Health Organization, the school is building education capacity in the Asia-Pacific region.

Our faculty are leaders in work that is grounded in the needs of the community.

The School hosts or is affiliated with Centers engaged in pioneering research, policy and practice around healthy aging.

Ha- Kupuna, the National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders, and the UHM Center on Aging provide innovative information on aging among diverse populations. We have specialists who engage in research with benefit for Hawai`i such as breast cancer, child welfare and decolonization, as well as research with international benefits such as social welfare policies in China, South Korea, and Japan.

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

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Hula to Health Research impacts Native Hawaiians’ well-being in multiple ways B y Kyle Gald eira

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ula’s graceful rotation of the hips may be just what the doctor ordered in terms of cardiac rehabilitation therapy. Researchers from the University of Hawai‘i at M anoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) and its partners have found that the Native Hawaiian dance form can be effective rehabilitation therapy for heart-attack victims.

Mele Look, director of community engagement for JABSOM’s Department of Native Hawaiian Health, says, “What we found was that hula can match the cardiac workout of a pickup basketball game.”

The school has based its clinical translational research program upon assisting the development of investigators focus-

Courtesy: University of Hawai‘i

w w w. h a w a i i . e d u / i n n o v a t i o n

ing on reducing health differences that disproportionately impact Native Hawaiians. Moreover, JABSOM is the only accredited medical school in the country with a clinical department aimed at improving the health of an indigenous people, in this case Native Hawaiians.

The University of Hawai‘i’s new research initiative should also benefit the Native Hawaiian community in several other ways, according to Maenette Benham, dean of the Hawai‘inu akea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at UH M anoa.

First, it promotes the health and productivity of Hawai‘i’s “thriving lands,” including watersheds, and agricultural areas that are essential to quality of living. Second, the initiative enhances the School of Knowledge’s mission to pursue traditional and modern forms of Hawaiian knowledge. Third, a host of partnerships stemming from the effort are expected to create clear pathways in the sciences, humanities, social sciences and economics, and health professions for budding Native Hawaiian professionals and scholars.

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

Koomoa-Lange, an assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy (CoP) at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, received a prestigious career-development award of $675,000 from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the only award of this type from the NCI to be given to a Native Hawaiian in the entire UH System.

Benham says she sees HI 2 as an effort that engages the work of scholars and researchers to address the social economic, environmental, health and educative conundrums of Hawai‘i and the Asia-Pacific region.

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

“An initiative such as this has the potential to unleash cutting-edge collaborative research projects.”

Maenette Benham Dean, Hawai‘inuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at UH Manoa

POSITIVE IMPACT: (Top) HI2 should benefit the Native Hawaiian community in a number of ways, including creating clear research pathways for budding professionals and scholars. (Left) Windward Community College’s Agripharmatech Program prepares students for work in agricultural and pharmaceutical labs.

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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.

WORKER$ Photo by University of Hawai‘i

WANTED

Photo by University of Hawai‘i

As the UH research initiative creates jobs, the community colleges train the workforce B y Kyle G ald eira

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n addition to creating thousands of jobs, the University of Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative (HI 2 ) 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 awarded a $24.6 million grant in 2011 – the largest of its kind in the nation – to the University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges. The workforce development grant, known as C3T, targets three key growth sectors that are aligned with important UH research: agriculture, health and sustainable energy. The grant will help the community colleges to update the skills of workers. Several UH community colleges received a $12.7 million grant as part of the second round of funding in 2012.

“These industry-focused, employer-driven programs are geared toward the person who’s already in the workforce and w w w. h a w a i i . e d u / i n n o v a t i o n

is looking to retool themselves,” said Billie Takaki Lueder, director of communications for the C3T Grant. “We’re developing training specific to the three industries coupled with support services to ensure that all C3T participants are successful in whatever pathway they choose.”

Occupations targeted are those that are high wage and high skill, such as agricultural entrepreneurs; veterinary technicians; hybrid and electric auto maintenance technicians; renewable energy technicians and salespeople; and nurses and nurses’ aides.

Separately, UH Maui College is also offering a program called Kahikina O Ka - which is geared toward helping stuLa, dents interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and related fields within a Hawaiian Studies and cultural context. The program is funded by the National Science Founda-

GREEN GROWTH: Kaua‘i Community College offers a Certificate of Professional Development in Aquaponics.

tion as part of a 10-year, $20-million mitigation initiative to address the impacts of the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) being constructed on - The program has already seHaleakala. lected 35 students for annual performance-based stipends ranging from $3,500 to $5,000, and is currently reviewing spring 2013 applications for approximately 25 additional students.

Damien Cie, project director for Kahikina

- says, “One of our focuses is to O Ka La, make a complete loop – such as engineering students completing their education in the Engineering Technology program at Maui College, or transferring to either Hilo or Manoa for other degrees, and eventually returning to Maui to work on the $300-million Advanced Technology Solar Telescope or in numerous other career positions that will soon be offered through local support industries.”

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Research that matters The University of Hawai‘i at Ma¯ noa is a leading global research center creating scientific advancements in the areas of Health and Life Sciences; Earth, Ocean and Sky Sciences; Renewable Energy; and Sustainability. From cancer research and tsunami-resistant structural designs to alternative energy, food sustainability and STEM education, the University impacts life in Hawai‘i and beyond.

The University of Hawai‘i at Ma¯ noa, turning ideas into innovations that improve the quality of life.

www.manoa.hawaii.edu Follow us on facebook.com/uhmanoa twitter.com/UHManoaNews youtube.com/universityofhawaii

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