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Honolulu
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Events Highlights

Recent ARCS Events

Return to Coconut Island

ARCS Foundation Honolulu Chapter started with a meeting on Coconut Island, where Barbara Pauley, a charter member of the Los Angeles Founding Chapter. She and her husband enjoyed visiting with Univeristy of Hawai‘i scientists working on the state-owned perimeter while staying at their vacation home on the island's interior. The ARCS Honolulu Chaoter provided $2.5 million for UH graduate students in STEM fields in the 50 years following that 1974 meeting. And Pauley later re-purchased the privately held portion of the island and gifted it to the university for expansion of the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology. Honolulu members returned to the island for a tour and picnic with guests attending the January 2024 National Board Meeting in Honolulu.

  • Tour participants on outboard motor boat
  • Tour participants in outboard motor boat
  • Tour participants on outboard motor boat
  • Group walking trail on Moku o Lo‘e
  • Tour group

    First stop: the wet tanks lab of ARCS Scholar Leon Tran

  • A power outage didn't phase the group, whihe visited Leon's octopi tanks by cell-phone flashlight.

  • ARCS Scholar Leon Tran with one of his research subjects

  • Moving on...

  • Checking out sea creatures at the touch tank

  • Learning about different kinds of corals and reefs, plus anemones, sea stars, sea cuumbers and more.

  • Claire Lager explains the work of the Smithsonian coral cryopreservation project.

  • ARCS Scholar alum Van Wishengrad has returned to the Hawaii‘i Institue of Marine Biology for his second postdoctoral position

  • Honolulu member Jessica Radovich checks out an aquarium in Van's lab.

  • Walking shoreline trail

    On to the picnic area for lunch

  • A group photo after lunch in the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology picnic area.

  • Back on O‘ahu, the group braves gusty winds for a visit to the He‘eia National Estuarine Reserch Reserve led by ARCS Scholar alumna Yoshimi Rii, who is the state representative for the project. She explained the Hawaiian land division system that extended from mountain top through valleys and wetlands out into the ocean, creating an interconnected, self-sustaining agricultural system.

  • Fred Rappun is part of the community non-profit Ka ko‘o O‘iwi, which is restoringing traditional Hawaiian loi (gardens) within the reserve.

  • Kalo (taro) is a Hawaiian staple—the corm pounded for poi, the leaves stewed in luau or wrapped aorund pork and fish and steamed to make laulau. Ancient chants tell how the plant arose from the burial of the first-born still-born child of Wakea (sky father) and Papa (earth mother), making it the elder brother to the second born Haloa, the ancestor of the Hawaiian people.

  • The loi is also home to indigenous birds.

  • Water from the loi flows into the He‘eia fish pond, which is being restored

Scholar Update: Lunar Luminary Paul Lucey

Dr. Paul Lucey in labsuit

"When I began research in planetary science as an undergraduate, I saw it as a tangible way to explore space and make meaningful contributions to that endeavor. As time passed, I have enjoyed helping many students do the same, and watch them become successful scientists."

1987 Honolulu ARCS Scholar Dr. Paul Lucey received the NASA Eugene Shoemaker Distinguished Scientist Medal recipient for lifetime achievement in the study of the Moon and other rocky planets. A professor in the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa's Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, he has been instrumental in developing imaging spectrometers for NASA. His use of hyperspectral imagery to efficiently map lunar materials and quantitative modeling of near-infrared spectra have generated key insights regarding the composition of the lunar crust and interior. Read more

To Quote a Scholar: Mason Russo

Mason Russo in front of poster

"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.

To Quote a Scholar: Benjamin Wiseman

Benjamin Wiseman in sweet potato field

"I hustle to make sure that my expenses are covered, often working part-time jobs to make ends meet. Receiving this award means that I can place greater focus on my academic research work."

2024 Helen Jones Farrar ARCS Scholar Ben Wiseman quantifies nematodes to study soil health and explores new cover crops as an effective, sustainable way to control the pest in sweet potato fields.