Diversifying,Sustaining,Strengthening

2005IMPACT REPORT

Cultivating Community

College of Tropical Agricultureand Human ResourcesUniversity of Hawai‘i at Mänoa

The founding college of the University of Hawai‘i, established 1907

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VISION

The College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources willactively help Hawai‘i diversify its economy, ensure a sustainableenvironment, and strengthen its communities and will be thepremier resource for tropical agricultural systems and resourcemanagement in the Asia-Pacific region.

MISSION

The College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources iscommitted to the preparation of students and all citizens of Hawai‘ifor life in the global community through research and educationalprograms supporting tropical agricultural systems that foster viablecommunities, a diversified economy, and a healthy environment.

College of Tropical Agricultureand Human ResourcesUniversity of Hawai‘i at Mänoa

The founding college of the University of Hawai‘i, established 1907

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“The release ofCTAHR’s 2005–2010strategic plan is animportant step, definingour path and direction.”

– Andrew Hashimoto,Dean, CTAHR

College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources—CULTIVATING COMMUNITY

For the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), the year2005 marked the start of a new chapter, with the release of the college’s 2005–2010strategic plan. The plan, available on-line at www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/sp2005,articulates four programmatic goals that are central to CTAHR’s mission andvision—academic excellence, a diverse economy, a healthy environment, andstrong families and communities. Our 2005 Impact Report illustrates how someof the college’s many research, education, and extension activities contribute tothese goals.

Our ongoing efforts to build first-rate academic programs that meet the needsof our students and their communities are reflected in the continued growth ofthe college. Since our reorganized curriculum first became available in Fall 2002,CTAHR’s undergraduate student population has grown by 30 percent, and ournumber of graduate students has increased by 50 percent. As a result, our totalenrollment is at its highest level in twenty years. We are very gratified that so manystudents have embraced the diverse disciplines taught within the college. To meetthis growing enrollment demand, we are asking the Hawai‘i State Legislature toadd funds to the University of Hawai‘i’s budget for new faculty positions in theDepartment of Family and Consumer Sciences, which is home to 40 percent ofour students, and the Department of Natural Resources and EnvironmentalManagement, which has expanded fivefold in only three years. We are alsorequesting faculty positions and funds to develop a statewide program inturfgrass and golf course management that will expand the agricultural andbusiness options available to Hawai‘i students and infuse a $50-million localindustry with homegrown talent.

The other goals of our strategic plan support the college’s three-part vision.Whether assisting in the development of new products and markets, advancingpractices that protect the natural systems we rely on, or promoting human healthand well-being, CTAHR’s faculty and staff are dedicated to improving life inHawai‘i and throughout the Pacific region. The impact stories that follow illustratehow members of our college are working with one another and with many outsidepartners to serve individuals, families, and communities. We are helping bothmodern agribusinesses and subsistence farmers expand their sales and conservetheir land. We are creating new and engaging educational experiences not onlywithin the college but also for students at other colleges in the state and even forgrade schoolers. We are building on an eighty-year tradition of nutrition educa-tion that offers Hawai‘i’s people tools and resources for longer, healthier lives. I amproud to be a part of these efforts, and I thank my colleagues in CTAHR for theirexcellent work.

The release of CTAHR’s 2005–2010 strategic plan is an important step,defining our path and direction. Each day brings us opportunities to act on the

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college’s goals and advance our progress in meeting them. As we approach thebeginning of CTAHR’s second century, our new plan exemplifies our commitmentto serving our students, the people of Hawai‘i, and the global community throughoutstanding instruction, outreach, and research.

Aloha,

Andrew G. HashimotoDean/Director

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Nurturing Hawai‘i’s Agriculture.............................................2A Lei for All Seasons ...............................................................3A Young Country Faces Old Challenges ................................4Good Health for Pacific Animals ...........................................5Helping Cows Be Good Neighbors ........................................6Fighting Pests with Shower Power .........................................7An Unexpected Taste for Escargot .........................................8Growing Native ......................................................................9Hawai‘i Kids Count on Us ............................................... 10Sharing Biotech Tools with Smaller Schools ...................11A NEW Approach to Healthy Eating ..............................12A Pioneer’s Lasting Legacy ..............................................13Take the Ag Awareness Quiz ............................................14

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Nurturing Hawai‘i’sAgriculture

nce dominated by large-scale sugarcane and pineapple produc-tion, Hawai‘i’s agriculture is branching out in new directions.Diversified crops currently account for 70 percent of the state’s

farm revenues. To help fledgling agricultural ventures get started and existingbusinesses flourish, the University of Hawai‘i has established an AgribusinessEducation, Training, and Incubation (AETI) program through a system-widegrant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support institutions thatserve Native Alaskans or Native Hawaiians. Nine UH campuses on four islandsare participating in the grant, which funds a statewide agribusiness incubatorand has also expanded student education and training in agriculture, aquacul-ture, culinary arts, product development, e-commerce, and biotechnology.

Housed at CTAHR, the agribusiness incubator provides consulting servicesto agriculture-related businesses that might not otherwise have access to suchassistance. The incubator’s staff members offer their clients help with financialassessment, strategy and planning, process improvement, and marketing.These services complement the technical expertise available to farmers andfood processors through the college’s Cooperative Extension Service. Inaddition, the incubator participates in community-based efforts to promotediversified agriculture.

In its first year, the incubator served 11 farming and value-added businesseslocated throughout the islands. During this period, two new businesses wereformed, one O‘ahu farmer doubled his production capacity, and a Big Islandbusiness increased its revenues by $500,000, enabling it to increase its staff by10 percent. Participating companies must be committed to ongoing improve-ment and growth, and preference is given to businesses that are owned by oremploy Native Hawaiians. The incubator’s services are free, but clients whohave benefited are asked to contribute back to the program, whether bydonating money, creating internship opportunities for UH students, ormentoring other businesses and spreading the benefits of the incubator servicethroughout the agricultural community. As Hawai‘i agriculture expands intonew markets, the AETI program is building business acumen and educatingtomorrow’s entrepreneurs.

In its first year, theagribusiness incubatorserved 11 farming andvalue-added businesseslocated throughout theislands.

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Neil Tagawa (right), director of theAgribusiness Education, Training,and Incubation program, toursGreenpoint Nursery with Harold(left) and Eric Tanouye.

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A new technique helpsgrowers overcomewinter dormancy inplumeria.

A Lei for All Seasonsothing says “welcome to Hawai‘i” like a fragrant lei of locallygrown plumeria blossoms. However, when our winter visitorsstep off the plane, very few plumeria blossoms are available,

and greeters are more likely to offer them lei of imported dendrobium orchids.Normally, plumeria trees lose their leaves and go dormant as the autumn

days grow shorter. The flower buds that start to form during the long days ofsummer do not appear until the midwinter days warm and lengthen. CTAHRhorticulturist Richard Criley has found that ethephon, a chemical used by thepineapple industry to stimulate flowering and ripen fruits uniformly, caninduce plumeria trees to flower early, producing blossoms for the wintertourist season.

When ethephon is applied to a plumeria tree in September or October, itbreaks down to form a non-toxic gas that causes the leaves to fall from thetree. Leaves are the “eyes” of a plant—the organs that allow it to perceivelight—so a leafless, ethephon-treated plumeria tree is unable to sense theshortening day lengths and fails to go dormant. If the nights are warm enough(generally above 65°F), the plant begins to regrow. Not all shoots yield flowerbuds in response to treatment, but enough flowers are produced to harvest forlei. The common yellow plumeria popular with commercial growers respondswell to ethephon, and the resulting winter flowers equal spring blossoms insize and quality. The treatment does not prevent spring flowering, since budscontinue to push out even after the initial flush of bloom.

The timing of the ethephon treatment is important. Apply it too early, andonly flower stalks are produced, not flowers. Apply it too late, and flowerproduction misses the peak visitor arrival period. But when a well-timedapplication is coupled with mild nighttime temperatures, growers can over-come plumeria’s tendency to take the winter off, spreading the beauty of thisfragrant island favorite throughout the year.

Treating plumeria with a chemicalused to ripen fruit stimulates earlyflowering for winter lei.

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With annual income at$460 per person,Timor-Leste is amongthe world’s poorestcountries.

A Young CountryFaces Old Challenges

fter more than four centuries as a Portuguese colony, decadesof Indonesian occupation, and the destruction of most of itsinfrastructure, Timor-Leste (East Timor) became an indepen-

dent nation in 2002. The country is among the world’s poorest, with a perperson annual income of $460.

Since 2003, CTAHR faculty members have worked with Timor-Leste’sMinistry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries to increase agricultural yieldsand food security, improve household incomes, create jobs, and promotesustainable farming practices that prevent erosion and protect the environment.The project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, is partof the Soil Management Collaborative Research Support Program. In thisprogram, led since 1996 by the University of Hawai‘i, six land-grant schools areworking with researchers and institutions in 23 developing countries.

The Timor-Leste project combines research, extension training, and com-munity outreach. UH faculty and Timorese ministry personnel are workingwith people who live in the Seical watershed, which extends from a mountainridge-top to the sea. Faculty members share their expertise in soil nutrition,agroforestry, and farming economics and teach ministry staff how to test forsoil deficiencies, but it is the local residents who decide which crops to grow andmethods to adopt. Successful approaches developed at each elevation in theSeical watershed can be applied in similar agricultural and climatic zonesthroughout Timor-Leste’s other watersheds.

The project, in partnership with the East-West Center, also sponsorsstudents from Timor-Leste who are pursuing degrees at UH Ma–noa. Thestudents serve summer internships in Timor-Leste, through which they cangain job experience, make professional contacts, and contribute to theircountry’s reconstruction. CTAHR and UH are helping the citizens of Timor-Leste access new knowledge and build new markets for their agriculturalproducts.

Extension forester J.B. Fridaydiscusses varieties of Leucaena, anitrogen-fixing tree used for coffeeshade and animal fodder, withforesters and workers at the TimorCoffee Cooperative nursery in Dili.

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A distance-learningcourse in paraveterinarycare brings much-neededexpertise to Pacific Islandcommunities

Good Health forPacific Animals

he nations and territories of the Pacific Islands are home to morethan 13 million farm animals but fewer than 100 veterinarians.This shortage of animal-care professionals can endanger not only

animal welfare but also food safety and human health. To expand theavailable pool of animal-care providers, the Agricultural Development inthe American Pacific project teamed with the Secretariat of the PacificCommunity (SPC) and the University of the South Pacific to develop acurriculum that combines distance and on-site learning to enable commu-nity members in remote Pacific locations to train as paraveterinarians.

After an introductory orientation, students in the Paravet Programparticipate in 16 weeks of distance learning followed by one week of hands-on education and a final exam. As they work through the Paravet TrainingManual, the students meet weekly with a coach in their area who has somefamiliarity with animal science, such as a veterinarian, a science teacher, or

a nurse. Homework is e-mailed or faxed to theheadquarters of the SPC, located in Fiji. Topics inthe training manual include the role of animals inPacific Island communities, animal anatomy anddiseases, livestock production techniques, veteri-nary medicines and methods, public health, andquarantine issues. If computers are available,students can supplement the printed manual byviewing digital video clips on a compact disc.

To date, the Paravet Program has graduated 92students, improving access to animal care in Samoaand American Samoa, the Commonwealth of theNorthern Mariana Islands, the Federated States ofMicronesia, Palau, the Marshall Islands, theSolomon Islands, the Cook Islands, and Tuvalu. Byhelping families and farmers raise healthy animals,these graduates increase the value of livestock andenhance animal welfare in small communities. Byrecognizing food safety concerns and working to

prevent the transmission of animal diseases to humans, they can helpprotect public health throughout the Pacific region.

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Instructor Peter Manueli of the Secretariat of the Pacific Communityteaches swine care to Fijian farmers.

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Four times faster thanconventional treatment,an innovative systemremoves 90 percent ofdairy wastewatercontaminants.

Helping Cows BeGood Neighbors

ivestock operations add more pollutants to U.S. rivers, lakes, andcoastal waters than any other activity. Waste from dairies repre-sents a particular challenge because it contains milk fats that resist

breakdown by biological treatment systems. To address this problem,CTAHR’s Ping-Yi Yang, Liangjie Dong, and Charles Nelson have designed aninnovative system that treats dairy wastes cheaply, quickly, and effectively.An energy-efficient demonstration system at CTAHR’s Waiale‘e ResearchStation on O‘ahu’s North Shore is four times faster than conventionaltreatment and removes 90 percent of dairy wastewater contaminants.

The waste treatment system combines five “C’s”: clean water, clean air,clean energy, compact design, and cost-effectiveness. A sixth C might becompetition—the plan for the new technology has been recognized innational and international contests and was awarded Best Plan Overall inthe 2005 Social and Environmental Technology Inventors Challenge.

The dairy wastewater treatment system, shown below, employs twopatent-pending technologies. During the first stage, bacteria in sealed,airless tanks digest the organic waste, generating methane that can be usedas fuel. The bacteria in these biological reactors cling to a unique plastic thatconcentrates them and prevents them from flowing out of the tank. Afterpassing through the two sealed reactors, the wastewater enters a third, opentank that contains a highly porous pottery. A windmill pumps air throughthe tank, allowing bacteria trapped in the pottery to complete the treatmentprocess by consuming organic waste and converting ammonia to harmlessnitrogen gas. The cleaned water has no offensive odor and is used to irrigatepasture for the dairy cows.

Floating pottery reactors and their resident bacteria are also cleaning awaste-contaminated pond at the Waiale‘e farm. Windmill-driven air pumpssupply oxygen to the bacteria, enabling them to feed on the waste andeliminate it. By preventing excess nutrients from reaching the ocean, theseinnovative treatment systems allow coral, fish, and cows to share the NorthShore in harmony.

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Doctoral student Liangjie Dongcompares wastewater samples beforeand after treatment. The treatedwater is clean enough for irrigatingpastures.

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A safe, effectivecontrol method canprevent invasivespecies from spreadingas stowaways onpotted plants.

Fighting Pests withShower Power

n 2003, the value of Hawai‘i’s potted and landscaping plants topped$62 million. But nursery owners, florists, and their customers aren’tthe only ones that benefit from the shipping of plants throughout the

state. Transport of plants within and between the islands also creates oppor-tunities for an unwelcome pest, the coqui frog, to expand into new territory.CTAHR is working with state agencies and private industry to prevent thesenoisy invaders from spreading as stowaways on plants shipped from the Big

Island to Maui, where the frogs are more localized,or to O‘ahu and Kaua‘i, where coqui populationsare not yet entrenched.

Researchers and engineers from CTAHR, theUniversity of Hawai‘i at Hilo, and the Departmentof Land and Natural Resources collaborated todevelop a safe and effective method for killingcoqui frogs on potted plants. Showering the plantswith hot water (about 115°F) for five minutes killsthe frogs and their eggs. Most plants are un-harmed by such treatments, and some evenbenefit because the hot water can also controlplant-damaging insects. For example, the stingingnettle caterpillar is killed by a 25-minute shower at117°F. Tests to determine the effectiveness of hotwater against other pests are ongoing.

Bill Durston, owner of O‘ahu’s Leilani Nursery,has adapted this hot-water treatment, construct-ing a stationary treatment chamber from the

enclosed box of a delivery truck. Working with this prototype, CTAHRfaculty proposed efficiency-enhancing modifications to speed the rate atwhich the chamber and plants heat up and to purify and recycle the heatedwater. These design changes were incorporated into a portable treatmentchamber currently in use on the Big Island. A Hawai‘i Department ofAgriculture grant is being used to fund the construction at Leilani Nursery ofa larger version of this improved chamber that will be available for use by anynursery. HDOA anticipates developing additional large chambers to serveother islands as well. Through teamwork, CTAHR is helping nursery profes-sionals contain the spread of invasive species.

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Showering plants with hot water kills coqui frogs (below) and their eggs.

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CTAHR researchershave identified thefirst caterpillarknown to eat snails.

An Unexpected Tastefor Escargot

hen graduate student Will Haines received a snail shellwith a caterpillar curled up inside, he didn’t expectinternational attention. Colleagues in the U.S. Geological

Survey had given the sample to Haines for identification to determinewhether the unfamiliar caterpillar was a new invasive species and a possiblethreat to the diverse native organisms andvaluable watershed of the Makawao ForestReserve (shown below). Remarkably, whatHaines and his professor, entomologist DanRubinoff, discovered about the caterpillarwould be published in the prestigious journalScience and make headlines on five continents.

Rubinoff and Haines identified an utterlyunique Hawaiian caterpillar that stalks, traps,and eats snails. All caterpillars can spin silk, butHyposmocoma molluscivora uses its silk to hunt,tying its prey to a leaf and then cornering thesnail in the dead end of its own shell. Of the onein every thousand or so species of moths andbutterflies whose caterpillar is carnivorous, thisis the first ever known to eat snails.

Our state is home to 350 known species ofHyposmocoma. Most of these species areendemic to a single island. Since first identify-ing the Maui caterpillar, Rubinoff and Haineshave found different species of snail-eating Hyposmocoma on Moloka‘i,Kaua‘i, and the Big Island, revealing how our islands are hotbeds of evolutionin which new species and survival strategies arise at a remarkable rate.

This novel discovery highlights how fundamental and applied biologycan complement each other. Efforts to protect an important natural resourcehave expanded our basic understanding of insects. At the same time, as westudy the evolutionary context that produces dramatic changes so quickly inHawai‘i, we gain insight into how rapid bursts of evolution affect suchpractical concerns as the origin of harmful viruses. Through working toconserve an environment at risk, CTAHR researchers can expand theboundaries of scientific knowledge while offering tangible benefits toHawai‘i’s people.

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Emerging headfirst from its casing, Hyposmocoma molluscivoraclutches a trapped snail.

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OThe Sherman CourtyardNative Plant andEcosystem Gardenexposes students toHawai‘i’s rich biologicalheritage.

Growing Nativever 90 percent of the plants that grace O‘ahu’s urbanlandscapes came from other places. Native plants are theexception even on the University of Hawai‘i’s Ma–noa

campus. In the past, CTAHR instructors teaching natural history did nothave ready access to diverse examples of native and endemic plants fromthe islands’ many climatic zones and ecosystems. Now this need is being

met through the collaborative efforts of manymembers of the UH Ma–noa community, includingthe Building and Grounds Management Office, theLandscape Advisory Committee, and CTAHRfaculty, staff, and students.

The Sherman Courtyard Native Plant andEcosystem Educational Garden was dedicated onApril 22, 2005 to mark the 35th celebration of EarthDay. Tucked in a quiet corner of the Ma–noa campus,the garden reflects months of planning, labor, andongoing care. Its native flora and aesthetic designserve the educational missions of two CTAHRdepartments: Natural Resources and EnvironmentalManagement, and Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences.As an outdoor classroom the garden helps teachersexpose environmental science students to Hawai‘i’srich biological heritage, and horticulture students

helped plant the garden as part of a classroom project, gaining practicalexperience with native plants. Hawai‘i is home to 273 plants that are listedas threatened or endangered, and many additional endemic plants are rareor at risk because their native habitats are limited. Introducing thesespecies to the state’s future landscape professionals encourages their widerplanting and continued survival.

The value of the Sherman Courtyard garden was recently recognizedwith a 2005 Betty Crocker Landscape Award from Scenic Hawaii, Inc., anonprofit corporation dedicated to protecting and promoting our state’sbeauty and resources. The many individuals who have contributed to thegarden’s planting and upkeep have created a unique educational resourceto be studied and enjoyed for many years.

Students in a Horticultural Practices class plant a loulu (Hawaiianfan palm) that is endemic to O‘ahu.

Educational specialist Jody Smith(foreground) and professor TravisIdol sit amid native plants with theSherman Courtyard garden’s 2005Betty Crocker Landscape Award.

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This year’s Kids CountData Book ranks Hawai‘i24th overall among the50 states in measures ofchild and youth well-being.

Hawai‘i’s KidsCount on Us

ach semester, youngsters bring home a report card to help parentsjudge how well their children are doing. Through the Kids Countproject of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, each state receives its

own report card, an annual assessment of its children’s well-being thatprovides policymakers and citizens with a yardstick for measuring suc-cesses in promoting positive childhood outcomes and identifying areas thatneed improvement.

Locally, the Center on the Family coordinatesHawai‘i Kids Count and disseminates the state’s KidsCount data on-line (uhfamily.hawaii.edu/hawaii_kids_count). Ten indicators of child andyouth welfare are used to rank how well children agesbirth to 19 are cared for throughout the nation.Additional background information gives a morecomplete picture of the health, family economics, andscholastic achievements of the state’s children andyoung adults. In the 2005 Kids Count Data Book,based on 2002 data, Hawai‘i ranked 24th overallamong the 50 states. The survey contains both goodand bad news for the state. Our children and teens dieor drop out of high school at much lower rates thanthe national average. However, our level of teenidleness—the percentage of teenagers who areneither in school nor employed—is among thenation’s highest.

Hawai‘i Kids Count also collaborates withgovernment officials, state and local agencies, andnonprofit organizations to improve the lives ofHawai‘i’s children by raising awareness of theircircumstances and advancing initiatives that benefitthem. Some of the program’s efforts address direconditions such as drug use by children or parents, orhomelessness. Others include evaluation of thesupports and services available to Native Hawaiianfamilies, assessment of the quality of life in Hawai‘i inareas such as education and health, and promotion of eating dinnertogether as an opportunity to strengthen family bonds. Hawai‘i’s kids counton adults to help them achieve their potential. Through research andadvocacy, Hawai‘i Kids Count is working to do just that.

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The Advances inBiotechnologyEducation Workshopmakes Manoa’s cutting-edge researchaccessible to studentsfrom other campuses.

Sharing Biotech Toolswith Smaller Schools

tudents and faculty at research institutions like UH Ma–noatypically have greater access to sophisticated laboratory equip-ment than their colleagues at smaller schools. A summer work-

shop hosted by CTAHR’s David Christopher and organized by CTAHRalumnus Kabi Neupane, who now teaches at Leeward Community College, ishelping bridge this technology gap.

At the 2005 Advances in Bioscience Education (ABE) workshop, studentsand faculty from Leeward, Kapi‘olani, and Windward Community Collegesand Hawai‘i Pacific University had an opportunity to learn a variety ofbiotechnology techniques in the context of plant biology research. The elevenparticipants, including five student/teacher pairs, gained laboratory experi-ence in the emerging fields of genomics and bioinformatics as well as theestablished fields of molecular and cellular biology. Much of the workshop washeld on the Ma–noa campus, enabling participants to work in a professionalresearch lab and at the Biological Electron Microscope Facility run by thePacific Biomedical Research Center. The bench-top skills taught in theworkshop are highly valued by employers and schools.

Unlike many laboratory courses in which students perform traditional“cookbook” experiments that have predictable results, the workshop enabledparticipants to conduct actual research funded by the National ScienceFoundation to investigate part of the molecular machinery that is responsiblefor folding newly made proteins into the correct, three-dimensional shapesrequired for life. By pairing students with their teachers, the workshop formatfostered collaborative problem solving, helping students prepare for graduate-level research or the job market while giving teachers a chance to learn newmethods and develop new educational resources. Three of the faculty mem-bers took small projects back with them to their schools to develop further,and additional workshops are planned for 2006 and 2007. By combining anintimate learning environment with the tools of modern molecular science,the ABE workshops unite the best aspects of both large and small schools forthe benefit of students and teachers alike.

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Workshop participants prepare foremployment or further educationby honing their skills in molecularbiology.

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The Nutrition Educationfor Wellness programbrings together diverseoutreach projects thatinfluence choices aboutfood and exercise.

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A NEW Approachto Healthy Eating

he 2003 Hawai‘i Health Survey reveals that more than half of Hawai‘iadults are overweight or obese. Young people in the islands are also at

risk: in some Hawai‘i communities, the rate of obesity in children ages 6 to 11is twice the national average. About three-quarters of Hawai‘i residents don’teat enough fruits and vegetables, and many suffer from diabetes, heartdisease, high blood pressure, or diet-related cancers.

To combine their strengths andenhance their effectiveness, CTAHRextension faculty in four counties andtwo college departments—HumanNutrition, Food and Animal Sciencesand Family and Consumer Sciences—have joined together to coordinate theiroutreach in the areas of food, nutrition,and health. Under an umbrella programcalled Nutrition Education for Wellness,or NEW, this team of extension agentsbrings its varied expertise to a widerange of projects that promote healthyeating and exercise habits, encouragesafe food handling practices, andimprove the access of limited-incomehouseholds to good nutrition. Fromdiabetes screening to home gardening tips, money management training toyouth development, NEW unites diverse outreach elements that can influ-ence food choices. In addition to educational resources developed bymembers of the college, the NEW Web site (www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/new)provides extensive links to nutrition-related information available fromgovernment and nonprofit sources.

NEW’s team approach has been spearheaded by extension faculty, but theprogram’s project roster includes research and instruction components aswell, such as materials developed for young athletes by food science andhuman nutrition students. The collaborative projects developed under theNEW umbrella reflect partnerships not only within CTAHR but also withcolleagues at mainland universities and local, state, and federal agencies. Bylinking projects and pooling resources, NEW enables more efficient outreachto improve the health and well-being of Hawai‘i’s people.

As part of the Great Kaua‘i Weigh Out, adults learn about the benefits of walking.

Keiki measure the fat content ofdifferent fast foods during the GreatKaua‘i Weigh Out—Kids Too.

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Carey D. Miller wasthe first scientist tostudy the nutritionalvalue of Hawaiianfoods.

A Pioneer’sLasting Legacy

aised on a ranch in Idaho, a granddaughter of pioneers,Carey D. Miller blazed her own trail in Hawai‘i as the firstscientist to study the nutritional value of Hawaiian foods.

Miller found that the information available in nutrition textbooks from themainland did not address the needs and diets of Hawai‘i’s Asians and

Pacific Islanders. Her groundbreaking work inassessing local foods, including tropical andsubtropical fruits and vegetables, revealed thatcrops grown in Hawai‘i could provide thesame essential nutrients as imports. A womanahead of her time, she urged against relianceon processed foods containing too muchrefined sugar and salt.

During her 36 years with CTAHR, Millerestablished the University of Hawai‘i’s re-search, instruction, and outreach programs infood science and nutrition. She arrived at UHin 1922 to head the Home Economics Depart-ment, which at the time had only one studentmajor. Under her guidance, student enroll-ment in the department expanded dramati-cally, growing to 160 majors by the time shestepped down as chair 23 years later. Today,the instructional programs once housed in theHome Economics Department are among thecollege’s most popular, with more than 400majors in Fall 2005.

Having struggled to fund her own education, Miller left most of herestate to student scholarships upon her death in 1985. Since then morethan $335,000 has been dispersed to 161 students of home economics,food science and human nutrition, and family resources. This year, alumniin these fields gathered at the Ma–noa campus building that bears Miller’sname to mark two decades of generous student support. At that event, herremaining estate—more than $670,000—was donated to 11 localnonprofits that work in the areas of family services, education, dietetics,and gardening, including organizations that will continue the tradition ofCarey D. Miller scholarships. Generations of students have benefited fromthis remarkable professor’s life and legacy. Today they honor her memoryas they carry on her work.

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Professor Miller (left) established the University of Hawai‘i’s food scienceand nutrition programs in 1922 and taught in the college for 36 years.Following her retirement, a Manoa campus building was named in herhonor (right).

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Kaua‘i’s Agriculturaland EnvironmentalAwareness Day teacheskeiki the importance offarming and resourceconservation.

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Take the AgAwareness Quiz

ifth graders, educators, and communitymembers heard the answers to these andother thought-provoking questions at the

ninth annual Agricultural and Environmental Aware-ness Day, held in March 2005 at CTAHR’s Kaua‘iAgricultural Research Center. The festivities, whichincluded displays and lectures by more than 30businesses, nonprofit organizations, governmentagencies, and colleges from throughout the state, gavemore than 500 participants a greater understanding ofHawai‘i’s agriculture and environment.

The value of Ag Awareness Day extends beyond thelearning of scientific facts. By exposing young peopleto important issues in farming and conservation, andby showing them the diverse job opportunitiesavailable in these fields, the event helps our youthbecome better stewards of Hawai‘i’s resources andraises their awareness of careers in agriculture and environmental science.Tracing the path that our food takes from farm to table helps youngstersconnect to the land in a meaningful, memorable way.

This fun and educational event represents a decade-long partnershipbetween CTAHR, the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau, the County of Kaua‘i,agencies of the federal, state, and local government, and the agriculturalcommunity. Key to the event’s success are financial support from the Kaua‘iCounty Farm Bureau and the County of Kaua‘i’s Office of EconomicDevelopment, and the volunteer service of students from Kapa‘a HighSchool’s Junior ROTC and Kaua‘i High School’s Work Readiness Program.As Kaua‘i’s children form opinions about the place where they live and theirrole in the world, Agricultural and Environmental Awareness Day opensdoors to future learning.

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1. What is a phytochemical?2. Is a coffee bean a bean?3. Do large fish produce fewer offspring than small fish of the same species?4. Can corn pollinate papaya, taro, coffee, or Hawai‘i’s native plants?

ANSWERS:1.A substance derived from a plant,

usually one that isn’t a required nutrientbut does promote human health.

2.No. A coffee bean is a seed, but thecoffee plant isn’t a legume (member ofthe bean family), so coffee seeds aren’tbeans.

3.No. Within a species, large fish tend toproduce more offspring than small fish.

4.No. Corn has no close relatives inHawai‘i, so corn pollen released herecan only pollinate other corn plants.

Fifth graders explore educational displays at the 2005 AgAwareness Day.

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C T A H R I M P A C T 2 0 0 5

COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN RESOURCES

University of Hawai‘i at Manoa

3050 Maile Way, Gilmore Hall 202

Honolulu, HI 96822

www.ctahr.hawaii.edu

ADMINISTRATION

Andrew G. Hashimoto, Dean and Director, 808-956-8234

C.Y. Hu, Associate Dean and Associate Director for Research 808-956-8131

Wayne Nishijima, Associate Dean and Associate Director for Cooperative Extension, 808-956-8397

Charles Kinoshita, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, 808-956-6997

Kelvin Sewake, Interim Hawai‘i County Administrator, 808-981-2823

Terry Sekioka, Interim Kaua‘i County Administrator, 808-274-3471

Harold Keyser, Maui County Administrator, 808-244-3242

James Thompson, O‘ahu County Administrator, 808-956-7138

DEPARTMENTS

Family and Consumer Sciences

Barbara Yee, Chair, 808-956-8105

Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences

Halina Zaleski, Chair, 808-956-8236

Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering

Harry Ako, Chair, 808-956-8384

Natural Resources and Environmental Management

Carl Evensen, Chair, 808-956-8708

Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences

J. Kenneth Grace, Chair, 808-956-7076

Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences

Robert E. Paull, Chair, 808-956-8351

Impact Report Staff

Dale Uno, Director, Office of Communication ServicesKathleen Vickers, Writer

Dale Evans, EditorMiles Hakoda, Graphic Designer

Sharon Tasato, Circulation Services

2005IMPACT REPORT

Cultivating Community

Diversifying,Sustaining,Strengthening

The University of Hawai‘i is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution