In its first in-person event since the pandemic struck, ARCS Honolulu Chapter presented twenty 2022 ARCS Scholar Awards at the Outrigger Canoe Club May 5. Miles Lucas was named ARCS Scholar of the Year (Physical Sciences) for his work to design instruments, observational techniques and processing methods for directly imaging exoplanets and planet-forming regions in the hopes of “seeing” largely invisible gasses will help explain planet formation. Nicholas Kawasaki was named ARCS Scholar of the Year (Biological Sciences) for his investigation of ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of cell death that occurs in the heart after blood flow is restored following a heart attack.
Read more about the 2022 Scholars or view their videos, in which they describe their research.
Special guests included the 2021 Scholar of the Year, asronomy scholar Erica Bufanda, and 1987 ARCS Scholar Paul Lucey, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa earth scientist who is he advisor to 2022 Scholar Marley Chertok.
Scholar Alumna Pays it Forward
“ARCS Honolulu Chapter provided recognition that my efforts and education were a worthwhile investment at a time when others could see little future for me.”
1976 Honolulu ARCS Scholar and Tampa Chapter member Pamela Hallock Muller was named one of 25 Top Women Professors in Florida. The University of South Florida marine scientist overcame gender discrimination and has mentored 60 graduate students, 10 of them from underrepresented minorities.
Science Communicator Christie Wilcox Tells it Like It Is
Christie Wilcox, PhD, on her Honolulu ARCS Scholar Award: "The life of a graduate student is not enviable… For me, it was essential. It was what I needed, the kind of funding to pursue these curiosities that I had. And I was grateful for it.” Read more about the the award winning science communicator.
Scholar Update: Marine Biologist Shayle Matsuda
“The increasing frequency and severity of global coral bleaching events, the devastation to reef ecosystems and the communities who rely on them led to my dedication to coral reef conservation.”
As a University of Hawai‘i at Manoa doctoral candidate, 2019 Honolulu ARCS Scholar Shayle Matsuda pioneered new molecular techniques to study symbioses between coral, algae and bacteria. He continues that work as part of an international coral reef restoration project under a 2021 David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship—a premier postdoctoral program in conservation science that supports early-career scientists and seeks solutions to the most pressing conservation challenges.