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Journalism Students WinFOX News ChallengeJournalism seniors Casey Chin and Meghan Lopez won the Sixth Annual FOX News Channel College Chal-lenge for their fair and balanced news video on Native Hawaiian independence and the Akaka Bill. The FOX News Channel College Challenge requires student teams to report, write, and produce an objective broad-cast news story. A panel from FOX News Channel judged the dozens of entries submitted from universi-ties and colleges across the country. Chin and Lopez received their award on April 24, 2009 during a live taping of the “FOX and Friends” show in New York, along with $10,000 in scholarship funding, and an addi-tional $10,000 for program support.

Working with resources provided by the School of Communications’ media lab and Ka Leo O Hawai‘i, and with assistance from fellow student Steven Tonthat, Chin and Lopez used Sony PD-170 cameras to shoot more than 13 hours of tape for the three-minute story. “We had really good interviews that we had to let go because we couldn’t fi t it into the package,” Chin said. “The hardest part was summarizing the entire history of the Hawaiians’ sovereignty movement and presenting it to a national audience that knows nothing about the United States’ illegal overthrow of the [native monar-chy],” said Lopez, who came to Hawai‘i as a freshman four years ago.

They worked three months on the project, even travel-ing to the Lakota Nation in South Dakota during the winter break to interview Native Americans about the importance of the Native Hawaiian sovereignty move-

(continued on page 14)

Chin and Lopez interviewed Congressman Neil Abercrombie for their Chin and Lopez interviewed Congressman Neil Abercrombie for their news video.news video.

ment. “It was fun and the worst part of my life,” Chin said. “There were times that we were in there [editing] for 12 hours.” “The best part about the experience was being able to work on a story that went into more depth than a minute and a half, normal news project,” Lopez said. “[This issue] is something that affects pretty much everybody in Hawai‘i.”

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New BA in Creative MediaThe University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents (BOR) approved the Academy for Creative Media’s proposal for its own BA in creative media in a unanimous vote at its meeting in Hilo on May 29. The proposal was reviewed and approved by the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, the Faculty Senate, the Chancellor’s Of-fice, the System-wide Council of Chief Academic Officers, and the President’s Office, before the final BOR approval.

The Bachelor of Arts in Creative Media, effective fall 2009, will be administered by the Academy of Creative Media. ACM is uniquely positioned to meet state needs in the preparation of a trained workforce that will help establish and enhance a Hawai‘i film-making industry and intellectual property economy. The program prepares students to take creative and leadership roles as directors, producers and design-ers, and who can originate productions and attract global productions to the islands. As one of the few schools globally with a unique focus in indigenous filmmaking, it will empower students to tell their own stories of Hawai‘i, the Pacific, and Asia rather than have those stories told for them.

“This validates the solid and rigorous academic pro-gram ACM has developed, reflected by the tremen-dous accomplishments and dedication of our students and faculty,” said ACM Chair Tom Brislin. “We have received unwavering support from the Chancellor’s Office, which we greatly appreciate. That support has extended campus-, system-, and state-wide. Our own BA, where students can specialize in digital cinema, animation and game design, and critical studies, launches us into ACM 2.0, where we can expand our campus and international programs as well as our outreach into the community.”

ACM students in China for the Shanghai Film Festival

The Academy GrowsEstablished by the BOR in January 2004 as an academic

unit focusing on the study and production of cinematic

and digital media, ACM has expanded from its original

three-course offering to 39 courses. Student enrollment

has grown from 37 in spring 2004 to 320 in spring 2009,

and student majors have grown from zero to 120 active

majors in spring 2009. Thirty-four students have gradu-

ated from UH Mänoa with the Interdisciplinary Studies/

Creative Media major.

Students set up a camera near the Mänoa campus

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Ke Kumu ‘IkeKe Kumu ‘Ike, or “the basis of knowledge” in Hawaiian, is the newsletter of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences at the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa. The kukui leaves, which are featured on the banner, have long been closely associated with learning and enlightenment in the Hawaiian culture. The newsletter is published twice a year by the Office of Community and Alumni Relations, 2500 Campus Road, Hawai‘i Hall 311, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822, and is sent to over 65,000 alumni and friends. We'd like to hear from you. If you have comments, suggestions, news, or an address change, please write to us, call (808) 956-4051, or e-mail uhartsci@hawaii.edu.

Arts and Sciences Deans

Thomas R. BinghamCollege of Arts and Humanities

Richard DubanoskiCollege of Social Sciences

Joseph H. O'MealyCollege of Languages,Linguistics, and Literature

Alan H. TeramuraCollege of Natural Sciences

Senior Editor and WriterKarin MackenzieDirector Office of Community and Alumni Relations

Editorial AdvisorDean Joseph H. O'Mealy

Layout and ProductionLaarni GedoPublic Information OfficerOffice of Community and Alumni Relations

Design AdvisingExternal Affairs and University Relations

Established in 1907 and fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the University of Hawaiÿi is the state's sole public system of higher education. The UH System provides an array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and community programs on 10 campuses and through educational, training, and research centers across the state. UH enrolls more than 50,000 students from Hawaiÿi, the U.S. mainland, and around the world. For more information, visit www.hawaii.edu.

The University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.

Dear Alumni and Friends,

As we write this message in mid-September, many of the implications of the fi nancial crisis faced by the State of Hawai‘i and the University of Hawai‘i have yet to play themselves out. We know that the cuts to our budgets are unprecedented, but we still don’t know if even larger cuts loom. We know that we are doing all we can to ensure that our core mission remains intact and that our students receive the qual-ity education in the arts and sciences that they deserve. But we don’t know what long-term effect these cuts to our budget will have on our ability to deliver that excellent education.

Nonetheless, the stories in this issue of Ke Kumu’ Ike reassure us that the Colleges of Arts and Sciences are as vital and central to the life of this university and state as they have ever been. We can point to the continued teaching excellence of our professors as they once again distinguish themselves among the UHM faculty for their dedication to our students’ learning; to the student opportunity and research awards made possible by generous and forward looking alumni and friends; to the revitalization that our young new faculty bring to our scholar-ship, research, and teaching; and to the innovative programs, like the BA in the Academy for Creative Media, that blossom into maturity even in these most trying of times.

We are also pleased to announce, thanks to the sponsorship of Chan-cellor Virginia Hinshaw, the launch of Mänoa Arts and Minds, a part-nership involving the departments of Art & Art History, Music, and Theatre and Dance, and Outreach College. Starting this fall, selected arts exhibits and musical /dramatic performances are being packaged to spotlight the rich cultural offerings of the campus. We invite you to enjoy this impressive range of artistic and performance talents—the best of art, music, theatre, and dance.

Another good thing to remember at this diffi cult time is the smooth transition we experienced this past summer as David McClain passed the canoe paddle to his successor, M.R.C. Greenwood. We are deeply grateful to President McClain for his fi ve years of steady and confi -dent leadership, and look forward to President Greenwood’s experi-ence and enthusiasm as she guides us through the uncertain waters ahead.

We know that better times will come, and we look forward to sharing them with you, our friends, alumni, and colleagues. We thank you for your support and extend to you our warmest aloha.

Sincerely,

Thomas R. Bingham Richard Dubanoski Joseph H. O’Mealy Alan H. Teramura

Message from the DeansMessage from the Deans

Joseph H. O’MealyCollege of Languages, Linguistics, and Literature

Alan H. TeramuraCollege of Natural Sciences

Richard DubanoskiCollege of Social Sciences

Thomas R. BinghamCollege of Arts and Humanities

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Faculty NewsFaculty News

New FacultyKatie Drager has joined the Department of Linguistics as an assistant professor special-izing in sociolinguistics. After earning her BA at the Univer-sity of California, San Diego, Drager went on to earn a BA (Honours), an MA (Distinc-tion), and a PhD from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

A specialist in sociophonetics and already the author of sev-eral research studies, Drager’s interests also include creoles, Polynesian languages, and psycholinguistics. She will be teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in sociolinguis-tics, language revitalization, and language and gender, among other topics.

Kanako Iwase joins the Art & Art History department as the visual resources specialist after receiving her master’s degree in library science at Pratt In-stitute in New York City. Her specialty is museum librarian-ship and archives. She has worked for major museums such as the Metro-politan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian museums. Origi-nally from Japan, she also per-formed as a Japanese classical dancer in NYC. She is thrilled to be joining the UH community, and is looking forward to working with the department’s unique resources.

Sai Banawadekar joins the Department of Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures as an assistant professor of Hindi/Urdu. She will take over the department’s Hindi language program and also develop a new language program for Urdu. Bhatawadekar received her PhD in German from the Ohio State University.

Before coming to the uni-versity she taught Hindi at Kent State University and Ohio State University. Bhatawadekar’s areas of expertise include language pedagogy, film studies, and cross-cultural interpre-tations of Hindu and Buddhist religion and philosophy.

Masato Ishida joins the De-partment of Philosophy as an assistant professor. He was born in Osaka and grew up in Tokyo. He attended Waseda University; was a visiting researcher at the University of Waterloo for one year; and recently completed a PhD program in philosophy at Penn State University. His specializations include tra-ditional Japanese philosophy and classical American philosophy.

William J. “BJ” Chain knew as a high school soph-omore in Narberth, Penn-sylvania that he wanted to pursue a career in chemistry. He followed in the footsteps of his physician father, a chemistry major “back when the elements were known as earth, fire, water, and air,” Chain jokingly notes. Chain received his BS from Penn State University and his PhD from Harvard. In the winter of 2003, he read a job search ad and knew where he wanted to be—at UH Mänoa. After a two-year post-doc at Princeton University, Chain landed his “dream job.” Chain will be involved in group research that focuses on synthesis of natural products and new methods development. Many such natural products have important biological activi-ties that can fight cancer, bacteria, and viruses. According to Chain, “the material we provide will hopefully allow our future collaborators to study the therapeutic possibilities for these natural products in greater detail.”

5

Saundra Schwartz is a his-torian and classicist trained at Wesleyan University (BA) and Columbia University (MA, PhD). She joins the Depart-ment of History, having also taught in the history and hu-manities programs of Hawai‘i Pacific University.

Her research centers on the influence of Roman law in the Greek-speaking provinces of the Roman Empire. Schwartz has served on the Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities for six years, and is a regular judge for History Day and the National Forensics League.

Lipyeow Lim joins the Infor-mation and Computer Sciences Department as an assistant professor. Previously, he was a research staff member at IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, New York. Lim obtained his PhD in computer science from Duke University, North Carolina in 2004 and also holds an MSc and BSc in computer science from the Na-tional University of Singapore. His research interests lay in the area of data management, in particular, XML data manage-ment, streaming data management, and query optimization in databases and data warehouses. Lim has published 22 papers in reputable conferences such as SIGMOD, VLDB, AMIA etc., and filed over 25 patents.

Dongping Zheng is an as-sistant professor of Second Language Studies. Her research focuses on the affor-dances of game-based Multi-User Virtual Environments for learning English and Chinese as foreign languages. She designs game-like activities in Second Life Chinese School to support Mandarin Chinese language and culture learning. She researches how design affects learning trajectories and authentic language use. Her interests also include instructional design, curriculum devel-opment and technology integration.

Hiro Saito studied sociology and philosophy at Interna-tional Christian University and Haverford College. He received a PhD in sociology at the University of Michi-gan-Ann Arbor in 2009.

In the Department of Sociol-ogy, he teaches courses on sociological theory and sociology of education. His research examines transfor-mations of the most fun-damental elements of nation-states against a backdrop of globalization.

Carole J. Petersen practiced law in New York and Ho-nolulu for five years before moving to Hong Kong in 1989, where she taught law for 17 years. She was direc-tor of the University of Hong Kong’s Centre for Compara-tive and Public Law from 2001-2004 and also active in the University of Hong Kong’s Women’s Studies Research Center.

In academic year 2006-2007 Petersen was a visiting profes-sor at the William S. Richardson School of Law. In August 2007 she began a joint position, teaching half-time in the law school and serving as the interim director of the Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution. This fall, Carole begins a new position as the director of the Matsunaga institute, as she continues her teaching duties in the law school.

6

Dean Thomas Bing-ham of the College of Arts and Humanities is pleased to announce that Dr. Greg Grandin will serve as the Dai Ho Chun Distinguished Endowed Chair in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences for the period January 1, 2010 – June 30, 2010. As Dai Ho Chun Chair, Grandin will teach in the depart-ments of history and American studies.

Grandin (PhD Yale, ‘99) is a professor of history at New York University. He was selected as the History News Network “Top Young Historian” in 2006, earned a Charles Ryskamp Fellowship, was a Faculty Fellow at NYU’s International Center for Advanced Studies, earned a Bryce Wood Award for Best English Language book published on Latin America, and has earned numerous other awards. Grandin is a prominent and prolific historian of Latin America, U.S. foreign rela-tions, and U.S. politics. He has also written extensively on comparative indigenous studies and genocide studies. Although he is a relatively young scholar, he has already

Grandin to be Dai Ho Chun Chair

The Reverend Masatoshi Shamoto, lecturer in gagaku (Japanese court music) for more than 40 years, was con-ferred the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays. The Order is one of the most prestigious Japanese decorations, equivalent to the degree of knighthood of a European order. The awards ceremony was held in Tokyo last May, after which Reverend Shamoto and other Order recipients had an audience with the Emperor of Japan. Born in 1934 into a family of Tenrikyo ministers in the Aichi prefecture in Japan, Reverend Shamoto was exposed to gagaku from the time he was born. He arrived in Hawai‘i in 1959 as a cultural missionary for his church and began teaching gagaku to Tenrikyo followers. Among many honors and notable credentials, Reverend Shamoto was formally recognized as a gagaku master through the Folk Arts Program of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and was awarded a Certificate of Com-mendation from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

produced an astonishingly rich and robust body of scholarship.

Grandin will teach cross-listed courses including “The American Empire” at the undergraduate level and a graduate course called “America and the World.” Gran-din will also be able to give public lectures on a variety of topics of acute contemporary interest. His most recent book, Empire’s Workshop, provides a fresh over-view of U.S.-Latin American relations over the past two centuries as well as a reinterpretation of U.S. conser-vatism in the post-Vietnam period. His current book project examines Henry Ford’s ambitious but ultimately catastrophic scheme to open massive rubber plantations and model American-style towns in Brazil in the 1930’s. This work also crosses such fields as business history, U.S. foreign relations, Latin American history, labor his-tory, and U.S. political history.

Shamoto Awarded PrestigiousJapanese Decoration

The Dai Ho Chun Distinguished Endowed Chair in the Col-leges of Arts and Sciences was made possible by the late Dr. Dai Ho Chun through an estate gift. Dr. Chun, a visionary educator, designed the chair to support interdisciplinary collaboration. According to his guidelines, appointees must be excellent researchers and teachers, have the ability to integrate theory with creative applications, and draw from historical and contemporary perspectives, as well as provide multicultural analysis.

7

2009 Faculty and Staff Awards

Chancellor’s Citation for Meritorious TeachingThis award recognizes Mänoa faculty members who have made sig-nificant contributions to teaching and student learning.

Kate Lingley is an assistant professor of art history in the Department of Art and Art History and is recog-nized for her expertise in Chinese art. She teaches courses on early art of China, modern and contemporary art of China, Chinese sculpture and applied arts, traditional Chinese painting, and tomb sculpture and funerary art. To help the department’s

students succeed, Lingley developed an undergraduate art his-tory list serve that disseminates news about jobs, internships and scholarships.

Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding ServiceThis award honors Mänoa staff members who demonstrate outstand-ing work performance, service, and leadership.

Gwen Nakamura is the assistant band direc-tor and also serves as assistant director of the marching band and direc-tor of the concert band for the departments of music and intercollegiate athletics. The dedicated teacher writes shows for the marching band and serves as conductor of the pep band. She imparts values to students such as team-

work, self-discipline, personal accountability, and showman-ship. Nakamura’s dedication to the university, and its athletics programs, has prompted some to recognize her as the Warriors’ #1 fan, as she enthusiastically energizes band and audience members with her dance moves, tambourine playing, and game attire (including her signature balloon hat).

Robert W. Clopton Award for Outstanding ServiceThis award recognizes a Mänoa faculty member for playing a socially significant role by applying intellectual leadership and academic expertise to the improvement of the community.

Dennis Carroll, professor and chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, was honored with the Robert W. Clopton Award for Distinguished Community Service. Carroll has devoted 40 years to the support of theater for and about the people of Hawai‘i. As a new faculty member, he encour-aged students to write plays and collaborated with them to mount productions. These efforts coalesced into Kumu

Kahua Theatre, a 100-seat playhouse in downtown Honolulu. As a founder, artistic director, board member, playwright and director of Kumu Kahua Theatre, Carroll’s contributions in creat-ing and sustaining this important cultural institution have made a significant impact in the community and on the artistic life of Hawai’i.

Distinguished GraduateMentoring AwardThis award allows graduate students to nominate faculty for excellent mentoring.

Ricardo Trimillos is a pro-fessor of Asian studies and ethnomusicology. Trimillos has been a consultant to a number of governments—including the former Soviet Union, Malaysia, the Philippines and Hong Kong—in the area of arts and public policy. He has also served as a liaison in bringing indigenous Filipino musi-cians to national folk festivals in the United States.

Trimillos is a member and/or chair of more than 10 thesis and doctoral committees. He views his role as a faculty member not only to teach the music of the world’s peoples and guide students to pursue a graduate degree, but also to prepare them for a mean-ingful life.

(continued on page 15)

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President’s Message

Colleges of Arts & SciencesColleges of Arts & SciencesAlumni AssociationAlumni Association

Aloha, Friends,

CASAA has been very busy since I last wrote you, continuing to create activities that focus on our mission, which is:

To serve as a valuable link between the colleges and the community in promoting awareness and appreciation of, and pride in, the lifetime value of a liberal arts education obtained from the University of Hawai’i at Mänoa and to support a scholarship program for Arts & Sciences students.

Last spring, Dr. Byron Gangnes, Associate Professor of Economics, was CASAA’s special guest at its annual meeting and breakfast at The Pacific Club. Dr. Gangnes provided expert insight and opin-ion about the challenges facing Hawaii’s economy, as well as the nation’s economy.

It was a pleasure to host a luncheon for our CASAA scholarship recipients. Rod Santos (in whose name we annually award five scholarships), our board, and deans Bingham, Dubanoski, O’Mealy, and Teramura look forward to this annual event at which we can learn more about the inspirations and aspira-tions of the undergraduate recipients. We’d like to share a written report that we received from one of our recipients, Juliana Wichman, upon her return of academic travel that CASAA partially funded. Juliana’s research was also sup-ported by the Arts & Sciences Student Research Awards. Reading her report on page 12, you can understand why CASAA is so passionate about its scholarship program.

My twin sister, Tess Baraquio, and I, had the privilege of emceeing the Univer-sity of Hawai‘i Alumni Association 2009 Distinguished Alumni Dinner. It is very humbling to learn about the many contributions UH graduates have made to our local, national, and international communities.

CASAA had the joy of participating in the Arts & Sciences alumni reunion last May. A photo collage of this full day event follows. I am grateful to all par-ticipants (see listing at right) who took the time to once again enjoy their alma mater. Special thanks to past CASAA president Sue May for co-chairing this event. Sue’s energy, devotion, and great ideas for the betterment of CASAA are boundless.

Many thanks for each of you for continuing to support CASAA and its mission. I hope to see you at our next event.

Sincerely,

Bernadette Baraquio

CASAA President

Reunion ParticipantsLori Admiral ‘03 & ‘04

Penny Bergman ‘81

Thomas Bingham ‘81

Peggy Buchwach ‘86

Ann Bystrom ‘74

Momi Cazimero ‘55

Jean-Paul ChaineFrances Elaine Chaine ‘69

Betsy Earl ‘78

Dave Erdman ‘79

Tamae ErdmanJane Higuchi Fukunaga ‘79

Laarni Gedo ‘01

Susan Dwight Glanstein ‘75

Stella GranthamGeorge Higa ‘58

Mitsuko HigaGlenda Chung Hinchey ‘68

David HincheyLinda Cunningham Hutchinson ‘76

Kenneth Inada ‘49

Masako InadaLisa Gouw Iwata ‘82

Robert JedickeRoxanne Tomita Kam ‘87

Victoria Kneubuhl ‘87

Harold Koda ‘72

Jane Okamoto Komeiji ‘46 & ‘47

Richard Kosaki ‘49

Mildred Doi Kosaki ‘49

Malia LagemanEleanor Mae Judd Lavatai ‘68

Leslie Lewis ‘77

Juliette Ling ‘50

Dorothy Wong Liu ‘49 Vivian Loo ‘58

Henry LooClaudia LucasKarin Wong Mackenzie ‘83

Mary Flanders Philpotts McGrath ‘71

Barbara Marumoto ‘71

Rhea Ehlers Maxwell ‘59

Scott May ‘68

Sue Beck May ‘72

Katsugo Miho ‘49

Galen Narimatsu ‘59

Harriet Natsuyama ‘59

Ralph Ohara ‘59

Walter Ozawa ‘68

Jo PiltzAaron Sala ‘00

Steve SchenkelJo Ann Tanouye Schindler ‘70

Lawrence Siu ‘58

Sandra SiuMarilyn “Nellie” Stassen-McLaughlinPaulette Lau Stone ‘65

Mitsue Honma Stout ‘54

June Takano ‘59

Patrice Tanaka ‘74

Masaichi Tasaka ‘48 & ‘49

Toshiko TasakaAlan TeramuraJames Thielges ‘79

Jean Yamasaki Toyama ‘64

Jodie ToyamaLoretta Mau Wee ‘73

Cecily Wong ‘96 & ‘08

Amy YagamiEllen Yasuda ‘58

Grant Yoshikami ‘75

Shuk Fon Yuen ‘50

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“Quiet on the fl oor. We have speed. Stand-by for head slate. This is All My Children, Epi-sode 10,199. VTR July 20, 2009. Take 1.

Verrrry quiet folks, this is “tape, tape, tape” (usually I cadence “tape, tape, tape” to the KC & The Sunshine Band’s shake, shake, shake, “Shake Your Booty”). Here we go. Counting. In 5,4,3—”

And off we head into the fi ctional world of Pine Valley, USA. My job: stage manager (also known as fl oor director) of All My Children. My degree: MFA in Drama and Theatre, UH-Mänoa, 1981.

So how do you go from Kabuki Hawai‘i to ABC Daytime? Lots of hard work, a strong back, and the people skills of a United Nations diplomat.

I am so grateful to UH (especially Pro-fessor James Brandon) for awarding me

Meet Penny Bergman

Alumni NewsAlumni News

train “for free” as the show’s stage man-ager. She guaranteed one day of work (which would get me into the Director’s Guild of America union). It was a big gamble and I had to take all kinds of crazy temp jobs to pay the rent— but it was worth it.

I now work with a repertory company of wonderful actors, directors, produc-ers and designers, coordinate all the unions on the studio fl oor (stagehands, engineers, hair/make-up/wardrobe) and every day is a new challenge. Daytime drama: love triangles, custody hearings, drunken sex, poisoned pancakes, torna-dos, avalanches, memorial services and birthing babies. Characters long dead are resurrected, former wives/husbands/offspring appear unexpectedly. All in a day’s work.

I’ve been with the show for 25 years. Love my job, the pace (we usually shoot 30-50 scenes a day), won an Emmy, and met my husband there. When possible, I go back to my UH roots: producing/directing Sakura – The Bandit Princess, starring Kati Kuroda, and developing my comedy chops with a new musical, Laugh Lines.

And I do bring a little Hawai‘i to Pine Valley. Instead of the traditional “That’s a wrap,” I say “All My Children. Good work everyone. We’re pau.”

NASA Honors Okudatest. Over the years, Okuda has done design work for Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, and NASA Headquarters. He also worked with ground control offi cer Bill Foster to design the “Spacefl ight Memorial Patch,” honoring the fallen astronauts of Apollo 1 and the Space Shuttle Chal-lenger and Columbia.

Okuda is a veteran art designer for Star Trek, including The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise and six Trek feature fi lms.

Michael Okuda, a graphic designer for the Star Trek series, recently received NASA’s Exceptional Public Service Medal for designing emblems repre-senting NASA’s new Constellation Program. Okuda received the award on July 9 at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Okuda, who earned his BA in com-munications, also designed emblems for the Ares, Orion and Altair projects, along with a mission patch for the up-coming Ares I-X development fl ight

a scholarship and job as tour director for the fabled 1979 production and national “bus and truck” tour of Chushingura– The Forty-Seven Samurai. As a grad student, I was performing/writing/direct-ing/producing not only Asian Theatre, but also Shakespeare, improvisational comedy, young people’s theatre and the classics. Kennedy Theatre was my “home” where I’d combine two loves: disciplined academic study and experi-mental/fusion theatre.

After graduating, I taught drama and encouraged creative expression in everyelementary, middle and high school on Oahu, at UH, and at Honolulu Com-munity College. The “comedy thing” led to running The Comedy Corner in Kaka‘ako, developing a cable TV series and trying to sell a local “Saturday Night Live” type show to the network affi liates. When the creative director at KITV asked if I would be interested in writing and producing commercials, I developed storyboards for my then-fa-vorite eating establishment (Shirokiya’s buffet). I got the job. I created spots for everything from used cars to mu‘umu‘u. It was great fun, but I was ready to try my hand at “the big time in the Big Apple.”

A dear lighting designer friend intro-duced me to the executive producer at All My Children who offered to let me

by Penny Bergman

10

(seated) Masako Inada, Mildred Kosaki, and Kenneth Inada; (standing) Paulette Stone, Susan Glanstein, Richard Kosaki, and Walter Ozawa

(seated) Linda Hutchinson, Malia Lageman, Cecily Wong; (standing) Dave Erdman, Betsy Earl, Amy Yagami

Lisa Gouw Iwata, Amy Yagami, and Betsy EarlLoretta Wee and Grant Yoshikami

Jean Toyama and Ann Bystrom are all smiles for the camera

10

Alumni ReunionAlumni

Coach Bob Nash and George Higa

2 0 0 92 0

11

Ellen Yasuda, Lawrence Siu, Henry and Vivian Loo, and Sandra Siu

Mariko Miho, Paulette Stone, Bernadette Baraquio, and Tamae Erdman

Barbara Marumoto and Harold Koda

Alumni ReunionReunion

Juliette Ling and Shuk Fon Yuen

Tom Bingham and David Hinchey

Breakfast at Kennedy Theatre lanai

11

2 0 0 90 9

12

Student NewsStudent News

Into the AmazonJuliana Wichman received both a 2009 Colleges of Arts & Sciences Academic Opportunities Award and an Arts & Sciences Student Research Award. Her travel report reminds us why supporting undergraduate scholarship is so important and valuable.

On July 7, 2009, I embarked on what will be one of the most incredible expeditions in my lifetime, to a portion of the Amazon located near Manaus, Brazil. Our group of 20 plant enthusiasts and supporters of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens departed from Miami to Manaus where we boarded the expedition boat Dorinha, which became our home for the next eight days trav-eling over 300 miles of the Amazon, Rio Negro, and small tributaries combined. Our expedition into the great Amazon rainforest was led by Sir Iain Prance, a world-famous and leading ethnobotanist, who is not only known for his 40 years of work experience in the Amazon with 19 different Indian tribes, but also for his directorship of the Kew Gardens and the Eden Project,

both of England. In the Amazon, he is credited for his discovery of over 350 tropical plants new to the world of botany.

My goal for this trip was to explore and expand my knowledge of ethnobotany outside of my UH classroom and to learn about future career and educational op-portunities available to me. As a result of this expedi-tion, I was advised by Sir Iain to attend Kew Garden’s botanical courses and Canterbury College of England to pursue a master’s or doctorate degree in the field of ethnobotany and garden administration.

As a young ethnobotany student and an avid, adventur-ous traveler, I was truly amazed by the abundant plant and animal life thriving in and around the Amazon Riv-er. Each day our trip on the Amazon River was filled with pure excitement and surprising adventures as we set out onboard small canoes that allowed us to venture into the many inlets of the Amazon River seeking out tropical plants, various water life, and wild life crea-

13

tures. Our days would start out very early, before dawn, so we could hear and see the plant and wildlife wak-ing up. In the evening, we would return back into the riverboats to explore the Amazon and investigate the plants and creatures of the night. Large tributaries that

we ventured into led us to less-traveled areas of the Amazon River, accessed only by the cutting away of the thick plant canopy to discover treasures only known by the indig-enous people. One of the amazing features of the Amazon River is its annual dis-placement between 30-40 feet high. Reaching its peak in the winter month of June (record-ed high in 1953), the

Wichman holds a leaf of the Victoria AmazonicaWichman holds a leaf of the Victoria Amazonica

Sir Iain Prance, a world-famous ethno-Sir Iain Prance, a world-famous ethno-botanist.botanist.

Wichman travelled 300 miles of the Amazon aboard Dorinha Wichman travelled 300 miles of the Amazon aboard Dorinha

river is currently on the rise with less than 15 centime-ters to go. This displacement and annual flooding dur-ing this time of year, allowed us to float in the canopy of the forest and see close-up the many submerged trees and treetops of tropical plants that would normally tower overhead. Sir Iain stopped at nearly every tree, identifying it and sharing its amazing adaptation quali-ties and local folklore. In addition to the spectacular plant life, we also had the chance to hold a 4 foot ma-ture iguana, a 2 ½ foot caiman alligator, and swim with the Amazonian pink dolphin! These animals and many native insects, spiders and monkeys are now no longer just a reference book photo to me.

There are many plants used by the indigenous people, and an essential plant to their daily life is the cassava or manioc (Manihot esculenta). Their staple starch, this plant is poisonous when harvested. The Indian’s inti-mate and historical relationship with cassava has al-lowed them to develop a product used daily as a garnish on all their foods. A complicated, yet efficient, method of beating, straining, and cooking cassava root creates a highly valued and important consumable plant resource for the indigenous people. Many of our meals were served with cassava, including our piranha soup made with freshly caught wild piranha by our group on one of our morning adventures.

Another interesting sight to see was the largest Ceiba tree ever found by our guides that once took 38 adults holding hands to surround its base. Sir Iain and Captain Mo, the boat captain, have trekked to this tree for many years, but unfortunately it had fallen last July. We were able to walk on top and explore this tree that once stood over 200 feet high.

There is so much to learn and explore about the plant and wild life of the great Amazon. The 8 days that I spent there were just a very, very tiny exploration, barely covering this vast and amazing river and its tropical rainforest. I hope to continue my studies and to further understand the intimate relationship between the indigenous peoples and the plants they depend on in the Amazon and to also expand my studies to other parts of the world. Due to your generous scholarship, you made this life-changing trip possible and one I will never for-get. The incredible experiences I have witnessed have given me an even greater appreciation for my degree in ethnobotany.

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ROTC Cadet Receives Top AwardArts & Sciences student [now graduate] Natalia Car-dona was selected the top Army ROTC cadet at UH Mänoa and took part in the 2009 George C. Marshall ROTC Seminar in Lexington, Virginia on April 15-17. The award is given annually to the top cadet from each of the 273 Army ROTC units around the nation.

During the seminar, the award winners explored a broad range of national security issues with senior military leaders. 2 LT Cardona was commissioned on May 17 at Kennedy Theatre at which time she was branched as a Medical Service Corps officer. In addi-tion to ROTC, Natalia is active in the Golden Key In-ternational Honour Society, an organization dedicated to serving its community through volunteer work. She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa and participated in the Honors Program.

2 LT Cardona will pursue her graduate studies to become a clinical psychologist for the Army. She hopes to study Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety disorders, and the mechanics of violence and aggres-sion. Her ultimate goal is to be able to serve soldiers and their families through her education and expertise. She is greatly humbled in receiving this award and thanks the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa in its en-tirety for giving her the opportunity to develop into an individual deserving of the George C. Marshall Award. Natalia Cardona with parents CW4 Leonte & Hyon Cardona.Natalia Cardona with parents CW4 Leonte & Hyon Cardona.

Lopez, who was an intern at 9News (KUSA) in Denver last summer, also was one of three college journalists selected to join 12 professionals to travel as fellows through Germany this past summer in a program sponsored by Radio and Television News Directors Foundation and RIAS Berlin Kommission. Afterwards, Lopez hopes to become a backpack jour-nalist. “I want to be able to travel around the world and explore culture, social and political issues within whatever community I am visiting.”

Chin, a Society of Professional Journalists’ intern with Hawai‘i Business magazine last summer, said he also hopes to travel as a reporter.

“I really hope that our recognition will stir a more serious conversation about our journalism program,” Lopez said. “It’s absolutely important to have a jour-nalism program at UH.”

Meghan Lopez and Casey Chin accept the award with Student Media Meghan Lopez and Casey Chin accept the award with Student Media Adviser Jay Hartwell. Adviser Jay Hartwell.

(continued from page 1)FOX Challenge

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(continued from page 7)Faculty and Staff AwardsRegents’ Medal for Excellence in TeachingThe Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching is awarded by the Board of Regents as tribute to faculty members who exhibit an extraordinary level of subject mastery and scholarship, teaching effectiveness and cre-ativity, and personal values that benefit students.

James M. Henry is an associate professor in the English depart-ment. His contributions as a key leader of the English depart-ment’s composition and rhetoric program are manifold. He devel-oped an English 100 mentoring program that raised the success rates of freshmen and provided valuable instructional experience and financial support for the men-tors. Henry’s teaching is charac-terized by five features: ongoing

self-reflection on students’ work; making each class a learning community; comprehensive and effective use of digital resourc-es; frequent use of conferences to individualize instruction; and extensive use of place-based learning.

Sang-yee Cheon is an assis-tant professor in East Asian Languages and Literatures. Cheon developed course materi-als for advanced level Korean language, increasing student enrollment. She advises under-graduate students, participates in academic conferences, serves as a committee member on aca-demic associations, publishes regularly, and introduces Korean culture to the broader public. She

single-handedly envisioned, formulated, and structured the BA Flagship Program in Korean, developed its curricula and recruits its students.

Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate TeachingThe Frances Davis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching rec-ognizes dedication and demonstrated excellence as teachers of undergradu-ate students.

Joanne Birch is a graduate teach-ing assistant and doctoral candidate in botany. Birch is highly motivated to serve as a role model in her teaching. She enjoys expanding stu-dents’ understanding of diversity in the scientific community, enforcing the idea that hard work, determina-tion and self-confidence are what make a successful scientist.

Birch’s ability as a teacher was rec-ognized by invitations to participate

in three teaching workshops offered by the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Manoa Graduate Division. She has been described as a “bright, conscientious educator with a keen sense of professionalism and desire to help others in understanding botanical principles and laboratory techniques.

Heather Kurano is a Spanish instructor in the Department of Languages and Literatures of Europe and the Americas. Kurano is successful in making the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures “come alive.” Whenever she travels to Spanish speaking areas, she brings back authentic materials in the language that is also culturally relevant. She often incorporates video clips, radio excerpts, reading materials and

even music from abroad to expose students to the culture in a variety of forms.

Sandip Pakvasa is a professor of physics and astronomy. He is an internationally recognized the-oretical physicist whose research over the years has encompassed a wide range of t opics in particle physics and particle astro-physics, always with an eye to devising innovative experimental tests for cutting-edge theory. Pakvasa has authored or co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed journal articles,

many of which are highly cited. His many provocative proposals have had significant impact on the progress of the-oretical physics, and led to the implementation of a number of new high-energy physics experiments.

Regents’ Medal for Excellence in ResearchThe Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research is awarded by the Board of Regents in recognition of scholarly contributions that expand the boundaries of knowledge and enrich the lives of students and the community.

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Arts and HumanitiesDepartments:American StudiesArt and Art HistoryHistoryMusicPhilosophyReligionSpeechTheatre and Dance

Programs:A Semester Almost AbroadCenter for World HistoryHistoric PreservationMuseum Studies

Languages, Linguistics, and LiteratureDepartments:East Asian Languages and LiteraturesEnglishIndo-Pacific Languages and LiteraturesLanguages and Literatures of Europe and the AmericasLinguisticsSecond Language Studies

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Programs:Public AdministrationPublic Policy CenterSocial Science Research InstituteWomen's Studies

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The Colleges of Arts and Sciences

LIS Graduate Program Among Best in NationThe graduate program in Library and Information Sci-ence is recognized among the best in the nation, in U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Graduate Schools 2010.” It is ranked by its peers 29th out of 50 accredited programs nationwide. The program’s School Library Media Specialization is among the nation’s top 10 for the third consecutive year, placing 8th nationally.

“We are deeply pleased to once again receive this recog-nition from our peers. This is terrifi c testimony to both the LIS faculty, who have built a rigorous and nationally respected graduate curriculum, and to the LIS students, who are emerging leaders in the school library fi eld,” said Violet H. Harada, Professor and Associate Program Chair of the Library and Information Science program.

Recent LIS program graduate, Darren Tanaka, reads to students at Kailua Recent LIS program graduate, Darren Tanaka, reads to students at Kailua Elementary, where he works as a media specialistElementary, where he works as a media specialist

Established in 1965, the LIS program promotes international scholarship and instruction, as well as fosters emerging information technologies. It is the only professional school that is part of the Department of Informa-tion and Computer Sciences.