ARCS Foundation Honolulu welcomes the support of Hawai‘i corporations, philanthropists and community organizations who share ARCS Foundation’s commitment to advancing the nation's talent pool in science, engineering and health fields.
Established in 1955 to encourage private support for the University of Hawaiʻi, the University of Hawai‘i’ Foundation is the central fund-raising organization for the UH System. It manages the ARCS Honolulu endowment and nine additional endowments that generate named ARCS Scholar Awards: Bretzlaff Foundation and Frederick M. Kresser (for engineering); Columbia Communications (for astronomy); Sarah Ann Martin (for natural sciences); Starbuck ARCS and Yates ARCS (for medicine); and George Orton and Mona Marie Elmore, H. Keith and Sue Ernst, and Helen Jones Farrar (undesignated).
A century-old philanthropic organization, Hawai‘i Community Foundation manages two endowment funds providing annual payouts for ARCS Scholar Awards: the Maybelle F. Roth Award in Conservation Biology and Ellen M. Koenig awards.
ARCS Foundation Honolulu cross promotes public speaking events with Honolulu Science Cafe, a monthly program featuring speakers on a variety of scientific topics sponsored by the Hawai‘i Academy of Science.
"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.
"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