Dr. Todd Belt, associate professor of political science, will discuss the findings of research he conducted along with students Colin Morrison, Shannon Northrop and Jason Trimble. Belt and his students are expected to be joined by local government and service providers, who have been invited to attend.

“Homelessness is one of the most complex and challenging social issues we face today,” Belt said. “Our hope is that through this research and discussion we can gain a better understanding of homelessness, which will help us develop new strategies and approaches to combating this problem.”

For more information, contact Belt at 974-7375 or email tbelt@hawaii.edu.

Kimura joined ‘Imiloa as the Hawaiian content research specialist during its planning phase in 2001 and later served as the Center’s experience coordinator. She most recently held the position of associate director with the additional responsibility for all visitor experiences as well as planetarium, educational, exhibit, cultural and cultural landscape programming.

“Ka`iu brings a wealth of experience to this position, combined with energy and drive,” Tseng said. “She also embraces `Imiloa’s mission to integrate science and culture, which will enable her to build on the Center’s accomplishments and take it to the next level.”

Kimura was raised in Waimea and graduated from Kamehameha Schools Kapalama Campus. She returned to the Big Island to attend UH Hilo where she earned a bachelor's degree in Hawaiian studies. Kimura says she is humbled and excited about the opportunity to head ‘Imiloa.

“I’ve watched and participated as the Center has evolved from its development, through its opening and beyond to its operational phase,” Kimura explained. “And I’m constantly amazed at how ‘Imiloa pursues its greater mission to inspire and provide greater opportunities for our youth and the community-at-large in the area of scientific innovation through a living and dynamic world view of our Hawaiian culture.”

Kimura said she wants to see ‘Imiloa develop more creative educational programming to engage Hawaiʻi’s youth and inspire them to become the next generation of innovation leaders. She also plans to continue developing ‘Imiloa as a place for meaningful dialogue to promote scientific advancement and innovation.

The performance will be held on February 26, 2010 in the University’s Performing Arts Center.

The play is part of a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. Through its production, college students and local volunteers aim to raise awareness and funds for anti-violence groups within their own communities.

Men are also welcome and encouraged to get involved in the production through various behind-the-stage methods of support.

For more information, contact the Women’s Center at 974-7306 or uhhwomen@hawaii.edu.

The UH Hilo team earned the right to compete for top honors in the world wide competition by finishing in the top ten during the opening round of the Application Security Challenge, held in October. The team of Jahrain Jackson, Asael Temple, Chris Usher and Francis Usher placed eighth overall. Aja Cornella and Tyler Yoshiyama served as alternates for the team. Dr. H. Keith Edwards, Michael Peterson, Shawon Rahman and William Wright prepared the team for the competition.

“Mere words cannot express how proud I am of our students who have distinguished themselves on a global scale,” said Edwards, chair and associate professor, computer science. “They spent 27 straight hours in the lab working on this and have shown that they can compete with the world’s best.”

The teams faced its toughest challenge ever in this year’s competition, which required knowledge of architectures for mobile phones and Macs, in addition to PC-based systems. The designers of the opening round challenge included Dino Dai Zovi, co-author of the Mac Hacker’s handbook and The Art of Software Security Testing and a member of the NYU-Poly faculty. Stephen Ridley of the security research and development firm Matasano Security co-authored the application security challenge.

The UH Hilo squad will face a highly competitive field in the finals, which includes teams from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy New York, DePaul University of Chicago, University of Queensland, Australia along with undergraduates from NYU-Poly and California State Polytechnic University. Prizes will include a graduate level scholarship to NYU-Poly’s prominent cyber-security program.

“Our students are very excited to be in the finals of this prestigious competition,” Edwards said. “They now look forward to competing with their peers to become the next generation of cyber-security stars.”

"The College of Pharmacy is a shining beacon in the educational system of Hawai'i and the Pacific and I'm proud to be one of its supporters," said Governor Lingle, who, on October 23, 2009 proclaimed October American Pharmacists Month. "The presence of this school means that we can keep students from having to leave our state to get a degree in a field that will improve overall health care and the local economy."

The College has admitted students for the last three academic years, sharing classrooms and laboratories with other departments at UH Hilo. Teaching, research, study, administrative and faculty office spaces are distributed across seven different sites on the UH Hilo campus and the Hilo community.

"A permanent home is absolutely crucial in order for the College of Pharmacy to achieve full accreditation as well as to provide an environment that is conducive to quality educational and research opportunities," said Chancellor Rose Tseng. "We are grateful to the legislature and to the Governor for recognizing the dire need for pharmacists who will provide an even greater service as our population ages and we experience healthcare reform."

A temporary modular compound of three buildings with one lecture auditorium, laboratories and offices has allowed the College to have a presence on the UH Hilo campus this semester. An investment by the Joseph M. Long Foundation will allow the construction of a $1 million addition.

"The modular compound will be put to good use in supporting UH Hilo activities long after the College moves into a permanent building, and we continue to be appreciative of the generosity from our colleagues on campus," said Dean John M. Pezzuto. "Over the past three years, we have grown from zero to a faculty and staff of more than 40, and a student body of about 260. A dedicated College of Pharmacy facility is not a flight of fancy but a necessary component in our quest to become a top-rated pharmacy school while we improve health and healthcare in Hawaiʻi and throughout the Pacific. I'd like to join the Chancellor in thanking the Governor and the legislature for recognizing the urgency of this plan."

UH Hilo began the first phase of construction for the health sciences complex in October 2008 with $5 million in funding from the State of Hawaiʻi. The finished permanent health complex is estimated to cost between $25-50 million.

“Fruit Fly” is a musical by producer/writer H.P. Mendoza. The story follows Bethesda, a young Filipina American, who is searching for her birth mother and embarks on an unexpected journey of self-discovery.

“Fruit Fly,” which premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival this past March, represents a new generation of Asian American filmmaking. Mendoza, the director and singer-songwriter, was listed as one of the Top 15 Creative Talents of 2006 by UCLA Asia Pacific Arts.

Theresa Christine Navarro, who plays Sharon, one of Bethesda’s housemates, will be a featured speaker at this event. She will discuss various themes from the film and will take part in a Q & A session following the 90-minute film.

The event is co-sponsored by the Minority Access and Achievement Program (MAAP), New Student Programs (NSP), Kipuka in the Division of Student Affairs and the UH Hilo Performing Arts Department.

For more information, contact Ginger Hamilton at 974-7451 or Myhraliza Aala at 933-0732.

Althea Murphy-Price is an assistant professor of printmaking at the Indiana University Bloomington School of Fine Arts. Her printmaking has been showcased in several galleries around the nation, including Artforms Gallery in Philadelphia, where she was awarded first prize in 2004 in the annual Emerging Artist Exhibition, Artspace Gallery in Richmond, Va., the Print Center Gallery of Philadelphia and the Art Consortium of Cincinnati.

Murphy-Price’s work explores how identity is defined within culture and community while questioning self-identification amongst the perceptions of society. Her latest printmaking work explores the various cultural associations, oddities and self-defining characteristics of hair.

Charles Yuen is a recent recipient of a Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant, and resides and paints in New York City. His one-person exhibitions in New York have been displayed at Elizabeth Harris Gallery, Art in General, Metaphor Contemporary Art, Leo Tony Gallery, and the Asian American Arts Center.

Reviews of his work have appeared in numerous publications, including Art in America, the New York Times, Time Out, and Art Papers. The Hawaiʻi-born Yuen cites his place of birth and mixed Chinese and Japanese ethnic background as important influences.

Chris Churchill moved to the Island of Hawai’i from Ojai, California in his late teens and attended UH Hilo, where he studied painting and printmaking. As an undergraduate, Churchill presented solo exhibitions of paintings, drawings, and prints at the East Hawai’i Cultural Center and Campus Center Gallery, participated in juried regional and international exhibitions, and earned a State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Purchase Award.

Churchill graduated from UH Hilo in 2000 and completed his graduate art degree at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan, in 2003 and moved to New York City later that year. His paintings have been featured in solo exhibitions at the Franklin Parrasch Gallery in 2007 and this past June. Churchill has also served as curator for exhibitions at the Franklin Parrasch Gallery featuring artists that included Philip Guston and Arshile Gorky and KAWS.

Visiting Artist Program activities will include slide lecture presentation in UCB 127 on Tuesday, October 27 at 2 p.m. and the Volcano Art Center in Volcano Village on Thursday, October 29 at 7 p.m., an opening reception from 2-5 p.m., Wednesday, October 28 at the idspace Gallery in Kurtistown where the artists’ works are on display until November, and an Artist -In-Residence panel discussion at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 30 at the UH Hilo Art Department Gallery.

The UH Hilo Art Department’s Visiting Artist Program invites nationally and internationally recognized artists to Hilo to inspire artists, residents, students, and educators through lectures, exhibitions, and workshops. The program is made possible through grant funding from the Laila Art Fund of the Hawai’i Community Foundation, with support from the UH Hilo Student Activities Council. For additional information, contact Professor Wayne Miyamoto at (808) 974- 7307 or email wmiyamot@hawaii.edu.

"The facilities are really a significant first step toward answering the state's need for more professionals that are committed to professional healthcare," said Gerald De Mello, director of university relations. "The Pharmacy program gives a national distinction in many ways to the island and for our community, and adds a vitality to our University and our town. It will take us to our long-sought goal of redefining the basis of economics in Hilo to depend on a knowledge institution that helps move the town, the island and the state forward."

Chancellor Rose Tseng spoke to the more than 65 people who attended, and recognized several dignitaries in attendance who have helped the College of Pharmacy, including Rep. Jerry Chang, Pat Deleon, chief of staff to Senator Daniel Inouye, Hilo attorney Roy Nakamoto, retired pharmacist Ron Okamura, member of the Dean's Advisory Council, Representative Clift Tsuji, Allan Onishi, president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Hawaiʻi, Phoebe Lambeth, Rotary Club of South Hilo, and Harvey Tajiri, UH Board of Regent.

"Without the state legislature, we would never have gotten this far," Tseng said. "With Dean John Pezzuto's guidance, the College has already attracted top-notch faculty who really are modern-day pioneers working to make this a health care Mecca of the Pacific. But it takes a community to make this happen."

Pezzuto expressed gratitude to the community, as well as to John Dill, the construction company that built the modular compound and provided the tent for the affair.

"These buildings actually got us on the map – the campus map," Pezzuto said. "We are extremely grateful to the state legislature for giving us hope and the strength to carry ahead to reach our vision to become a top-rated College of Pharmacy."

Danny Akaka Jr., son of U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka, conducted the traditional blessing.

"Use this time to move with the flow and to enjoy what nature gives us," Akaka said. "It's a symbol that we're not alone. We're surrounded by the beauty of this place and the ancestors who were here before us."

In addition to UH Hilo administrators, the students were addressed by Mayor Billy Kenoi, Representative Jerry Chang, Hilo Medical Center Pharmacy Director Nelson Nako, Senator Daniel Inouye's Chief-of-Staff Pat DeLeon, and Papatya Tankut, pharmacy professional services vice president from CVS Caremark/Longs Drugs, who sponsored the ceremony.

"We continue to forge ahead and will follow the motto of Queen Kapi'olani, which was ' Kulia i ka nu'u,' meaning 'Strive for the very top of the mountain,'” said Dean John M. Pezzuto. "That's what we will continue to do and we'll do it together. The future is ours to build together."

Many of the first-year students said they were inspired by the ceremony and the speakers.

Veronica Cummings, from Guam, said it was fitting to hear their stories.

"I liked hearing encouragement from the mayor, who pointed out there are going to be hard times but we just need to stick with it," she said.

Joseph Roan, from San Jose, Calif., who hopes to work in nuclear pharmacy, said the ceremony reinforced the beginning of a journey. "It's a long road ahead, but this signifies the start," he said.

Josh Walker, from Ventura County, Calif., echoed that feeling when he said, "We started school a few weeks ago, but now it feels like a real start."

Michael Taylor, who attended Waiakea High School, moved to California and returned to Hilo to attend Pharmacy school, said, "It makes us feel like we're part of something important to be going through a ceremony that only two other classes have at UH Hilo."

A sense of belonging is also what many of the faculty hope the ceremony achieves. Dr. Anita Ciarleglio, assistant professor in pharmacy practice, said it's a big step for the students.

"It brings home to them that they are one of us, part of the 'ohana of pharmacists," she said. "They really feel that closeness with the pomp and circumstances of today, you can see it in their faces."

Kulhanek was the central figure in a series of Kafkaesque political incidents in the early 1970s. The Czech secret police arrested him, alleging that a number of his prints from the past three years disgraced communist icons, in particular, Josef Stalin. A judge ordered 11 of his prints to be burned, but instead kept the art for himself – in effect, state-sanctioned theft.

Kulhanek now exhibits his work and lectures internationally. He designed the new Czech Republic currency and is one of the top designers of stamps in his homeland. His work is displayed in the Albertina in Vienna, the Kupferstichkabinet in Dresden, the Pompidou Center in Paris and the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

The exhibit, which is on display through January 2010, is made possible with support from the UH Hilo Student Activities Council and the University of Houston at Clear Lake.