For two decades, Honolulu ARCS Scholar alumna Heidi Hammel helped guide development of the James Webb Space Telescope, determined that it be as good of tool for the next generation of space scientists as the Hubble Space Telescope had been for her as a postdoc.
The Association for Universities for Research in Astronomy vice president for science is one of six science advisors on the space tlescope, which launched Christmas Day 2021 and began tranmitting images in July. In a special live online presentation hosted by ARCS Honolulu Chapter and co-sponsored by the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa's Institute for Astronomy, Dr. Hammel reflects on JWST's importance and what it means for her own research and our understanding of the universe.
"Hubble gave us high school yearbook pictures of the universe; Webb is giving us the baby pictures. It is by putting them all together that we try to understand how the universe formed and evolved to where we are today." Only half of the important science thus far generated by Hubble was planned prior to launch, she notes. Now astronomers find themselves "on the edge of a firehose" of data with JWST and just getting started. "I don't even know what the most amazing science is going to be," she says. "It's a new era of astronomy starting now. I don't know where it is going to lead, but it is quite an amazing ride and I'm so thrilled to be a part of it. Thank you ARCS for helping me when I was a young student in Honolulu."
To Quote a Scholar: Mason Russo
"I have conducted comprehensive studies on two invasive insect pests in the Hawaiian Islands that are severely impacting Hawaiian ecosystems. The coconut rhinoceros beetle is spreading fast across Oahu and has reached other islands. The hala scale impacts native coastal hala forests."
Besides offsetting the high cost of living in Hawai‘i, funds from the 2024 Maybelle F. Roth ARCS Scholar and Honolulu Scholar of the Year awards would allow Mason Russo to return to Asia if an initial survey produces promising biological control agents for the battle against destructive insects that threaten Hawai‘i trees.
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.
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.