UH Hilo is one of the proud sponsors of a new interactive Internet-based television network recently launched with nine “channels” featuring Hawai‘i news, entertainment, original programming, vintage television, sports, travel information, educational and public service programs, all provided free to the public.

PacificNetwork.tv, with the tag line “The Native Hawaiian Portal to the World,” is described on its website as being a TV network. “We provide news and movies so we feel like TV,” it says on the site’s About Us page. “We also offer articles and radio programs and some of our original shows feature interactivity.”

The National Science Foundation’s Hawai‘i Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), a statewide science and technology program initiated at UH Hilo, is proud to be a part of Pacific Network through the sponsorship of several short video pieces and video news releases on the site. The videos can be found throughout the site, particularly in the “Science and Environment” and “In the Classroom” categories.

Look for the PRISM movie featuring UH Hilo biology professor and co-director of Hawai‘i EPSCoR Don Price (at left) and others, including one about the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, and another about coqui frogs. UH Hilo’s ‘Imiloa Astronomy Education Center is also featured.

Pacific Network is run by local video & film producers, writers, filmmakers, web designers, artists, and journalists. The News Desk reporters are Native Hawaiian. Everyone on staff has a connection to Hawai‘i. The founding underwriter is the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

The university’s cable show, Focus on UH Hilo, wraps up the season tonight with Don Price (at left), Randy Hirokawa and Mark Manuel discussing the integration of culture, science and technology in education and research at the university. The 30-minute show airs live on local cable Channel 55 starting at 8 p.m.

Price is a biology professor who serves as co-project director of Hawai‘i’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. Administrated by UH Hilo, EPSCoR is a federal program funded by the National Science Foundation to strengthen the research capacity of the entire state.

Randy Hirokawa is dean at UH Hilo’s College of Arts and Sciences. Mark Manuel is a graduate student in UH Hilo’s Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science master’s program.

Focus on UH Hilo, hosted by Chancellor Tseng and moderated by Ken Hupp, highlights programs, developments and partnerships with community organizations.

For more info, contact Michelle Araki at University Relations, melander@hawaii.edu.

Chancellor’s Remarks

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
International Conference & Annual Meeting
April 13, 2008

Honolulu

“The Role of Universities in Regional Prosperity”

Good afternoon and aloha! Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today.

This afternoon I would like to share with you some thoughts about the role of universities and business schools in workforce and economic development, tell you a little about UH Hilo’s role as an economic engine, and then share with you some strategies that I hope you’ll find interesting and useful.

Compared to other developed countries, the U.S. lags in the proportion of its population who have an associate degrees or higher. This is a gathering storm. We need to enhance our human capital, and in the new knowledge economy, universities are recognized as the engine of economic growth.

The Big Island is a microcosm of the world: an island the size of Connecticut, surrounded by water, thousands of miles from the mainland. In fact, you could say our university is at the center of a big economic experiment. UH Hilo plays a huge role in the local economy, including direct expenditures on the island, second largest employer in east Hawai‘i, and workforce development. On the Big Island, it’s easy to see the effect UH Hilo has on the economy.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chancellor Tseng and PISCES co-director Robert Fox (at right) visited Colorado School of Mines to sign a partnership agreement to work on space research at both campuses. CSM President Bill Scoggins is at left.

UH Hilo has partnered with the Colorado School of Mines to work on space research at both campuses and at the new space research center at Hilo, the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES).

PISCES is dedicated to developing technologies that will enable humans to sustain life on another planet. The new center is led by Frank Schowengerdt, former director of the NASA Research Partnership Centers and Hilo Professor Robert Fox, chair of the department of physics and astronomy.

Colorado School of Mines is home to the Center for Space Resources, which focuses on using the natural resources of space, also called in situ resource utilization, to make air and water, and to meet all human needs for survival on the moon and beyond.

“This partnership is a natural extension of our space-related initiatives that are made possible by the Big Island’s unique living, learning laboratory,” says Chancellor Tseng. “From the world’s most important collection of telescopes atop Mauna Kea, to our ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, to PISCES, UH Hilo has taken its place on the cutting edge in this exciting field.”

In today’s Honolulu Advertiser (outside news source determines link expiration).

Associated Press

HILO, Hawai‘i - The University of Hawai‘i-Hilo and the Colorado School of Mines yesterday said they plan to jointly research ways to support human life in outer space.

“The number of Hawai‘i students interested in space exploration is rapidly growing,” UH-Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng said in a statement. “We welcome the opportunity to be a part of information and education exchanges like this one.”

UH-Hilo is home to a center dedicated to developing technologies that will enable humans to sustain life on another plant.

The Colorado school has a research center that focuses on how the natural resources of space can meet human survival needs on the moon and Mars.

Tseng and School of Mines President Bill Scoggins expect to sign an agreement on April 4 that will establish their partnership.

Angel Abbud-Madrid, director of the Colorado School of Mines Center for Space Resources, said the partnership is perfect for her center’s students, who already work with Lockheed Martin on equipment designed to produce oxygen from lunar rocks and soil.

Mines students also have been involved in developing a special membrane that will one day help astronauts make methane fuel on Mars for their return flight to Earth.

UH-Hilo’s Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems was established last year with the help of state government money.

The center plans to build a simulated lunar outpost on the Big Island, where the ash and rock surface resembles the surface of the moon.

The center has research agreements with NASA to test remotely controlled rover vehicles. Its labs hope to serve space agencies, commercial partners and entrepreneurs.

Chancellor Tseng gave two presentations today to the National Science Board at the National Science Foundation (NSF) headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. She gave the first presentation at a private luncheon with NSB members– that talk was titled “Research at UH Hilo: Successes, Aspirations, Opportunities and Challenges.” Her afternoon talk was a public presentation to the NSB Education and Human Resources Committee, entitled “Education/Research at UH Hilo: Integrating Culture, Science and Technology.”

The NSB is the governing body of the NSF and is an independent policy body established by Congress. The board is comprised of 24 members appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and members are selected based on their national distinction and eminence in basic, medical, or social sciences, engineering, agriculture, education, research management or public affairs.

The NSB visited UH Hilo last summer and its members were greatly impressed with the university’s research/education programs. Following the visit, NSB chair Steven Beering commended the leadership at UH Hilo for their farsighted efforts and for embracing and integrating the concept of ‘ohana, or family, into the culture of the university.

“I greatly appreciated the many briefings and discussions at UH Hilo highlighting the enormous value in weaving Native Hawaiian and broader Pacific Islander culture and perspectives into science and engineering research and education in Hawai’i” said Beering. “We can benefit and learn from the Hawaiian model for pro-actively broadening participation of under-represented minorities is fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”

Chancellor Tseng was invited to give today’s two presentations to share with the board UH Hilo’s vision concerning science and engineering education at the Hilo campus and the importance of partnerships with NSF. The NSB Education and Human Resources Committee was interested in exploring specific educational issues of importance to UH Hilo that the board had previously discussed at the campus last summer.

In Hawaii Tribune-Herald (external news source determines link expiration).

March 8, 2008

By Terrie Henderson
Tribune-Herald Staff Writer

By fall, undergraduate astronomy students in Hilo will get a better view of the sky.

That’s because there are plans to replace the existing telescope used by students on Mauna Kea with a bigger telescope that will facilitate learning and research.

Currently, there is a 24-inch telescope, also known as a .6 meter telescope, that students use for research and learning purposes. But that telescope, which was the first telescope placed on Mauna Kea and has been on the summit since 1968, is not used much any more because it is small and has fallen into disrepair, said University of Hawaii at Hilo astronomy professor William Heacox.

“A lot of students have used it, (but) in the last five years it has been used very seldom,” Heacox said of the university’s existing telescope. “It is still used occasionally for research.”

It will take two weeks to disassemble the telescope, he said, adding in April a large crane will move the telescope from its perch near the top of the mountain and place it on a sea-level-bound flatbed truck.

“The instrument is no longer useful as a telescope,” he said, adding it will be placed in storage until another use can be determined. “We are hoping to find somewhere to display it.”

In July the new telescope will be brought up the mountain in the same fashion, he said.

The new observatory will be named, “Hoku Ke‘a,” the Hawaiian navigational name for the “Southern Cross.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Left to right: Rose Tseng, Michael Crosby, Luoluo Hong and William Carter. Photo by John Oshima.

Chancellor Tseng hosted a reception this evening in honor of three newcomers to UH Hilo: Luoluo Hong, vice chancellor for student affairs; Michael Crosby, vice chancellor for research; and William Carter, state director of the UH Hilo Small Business Development Center. All three joined UH Hilo last month.

Hong’s most recent administrative position was serving as the dean of students at Arizona State University-West. She holds a PhD from Louisiana State University in educational leadership.

Crosby’s appointment is funded by the National Science Board. He is on a leave of absence from his current position as executive director of the NSB. He holds a PhD from the University of Maryland.

Carter was previously the state SBDC director in Oregon. He holds a PhD from Oregon State University, where he was an instructor in the College of Business.

Aloha and Welcome to all three!

Story in Pacific Business News on UH Hilo’s new director of research, link here (outside news source determines link expiration). Story below:

UH Hilo gets help in developing scientific research

Michael Crosby was recently named to a one-year post as vice chancellor for research at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

He is on leave from his position as executive officer of the National Science Board, a Virginia-based group hand-picked by President Bush to advise Congress on policy issues related to science and engineering research and education.

UH Hilo created the research position to help expand its scientific research capabilities and funding. The National Science Board is funding Crosby’s Hilo appointment.

Crosby, who holds a master’s degree in biology and a doctorate degree in marine estuarine-environmental sciences, has more than 30 years of experience as a scientific researcher. He spoke with PBN’s Nanea Kalani about his new role at UH Hilo.

How did your appointment with UH Hilo come about?

Members of the scientific research community have an obligation to play a more active role in the national policy and administrative aspects of our country’s science programs during some portion of their career. During the recent years, I have been proud to have made a contribution to our community’s obligation at the federal government level. While this has been an extremely rewarding period, I feel a desire to make a more direct contribution through a science administration position that will bring me closer to the front line for research and science education.

In many conversations with [UH Hilo] Chancellor Rose Tseng, leaders in the UH system and colleagues in Hawaii, it became clear that UH Hilo would greatly benefit in moving to the next step in its research enterprise if it could fill a position it didn’t have: vice chancellor for research. It became clear that a temporary assignment for me to serve UH Hilo would facilitate cooperation, address mutual goals and benefit all our institutions.

What research experience do you bring to the table?

National and international success in building and managing both marine research programs and science-driven resource management efforts as well as my experience teaching at the university level. I will be pleased to serve as a UH Hilo focal point and catalyst for stimulating sustainable improvements in UH research and competitiveness with a principal focus on development of a vibrant interdisciplinary and applied research enterprise at UH Hilo. Success will depend on a team effort for mixing together essential ingredients, which I believe already exist.

What are your priorities and goals for the university?

The more important goal for me is to build a strong strategic foundation for long-term success that will be realized after my assignment. One specific goal is to identify a clear and unique niche for a UH Hilo science research enterprise for 2010 and beyond that emphasizes research excellence and linkages to undergraduate education, and takes full advantage of the natural environment and cultural diversity afforded by its island setting.

What potential do you see for the university’s research capabilities?

I see the potential for UH Hilo to serve as a nexus institution where future generations of scientists and a scientifically literate citizenry are educated and launch their careers. I hope to work closely with UH Hilo faculty, staff and students, as well as the broader UH system family and the local science and technology business community to identify a clear and unique niche for a UH Hilo science research enterprise.

Remarks by Chancellor Rose Tseng
Ho‘oulu Terrace

Aloha and Welcome to the Spring 2008 semester!

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to join us today.

Before I start, I’d like thank faculty and staff for advising our students this semester. I appreciate your dedication and commitment. Your Spirit of Aloha makes UH Hilo a very special place!

Today, I’d like to share some highlights of the university with you.

As background, when I came to UH Hilo in 1998, I surveyed our faculty and staff and the community. Together, we established three major goals: academic excellence, enrollment growth, and resource development.

The most important highlight today is UH Hilo’s commitment to excellence. It’s a commitment to high-quality programs and the best education possible. It’s a commitment to build strong communities, a thriving economy and professional workforce for the 21st century.

Thanks to your vision and hard work, UH Hilo has transformed into a comprehensive university with 36 baccalaureate, six master, and two doctoral degree programs.

Our six master programs are in response to our state’s social, economic and cultural needs. Thanks to your dedication, the programs were approved so we can bring dynamic education to our students.

Read the rest of this entry »