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Chancellor’s Monthly Column, June 2023: New research facility clears last hurdle, construction starts this summer

Artists rendering of two-story building with large open deck on upper level. Signage: USGS Science for a changing world, and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Pacific Ecosystems Research Center.
Artist’s rendering of the upcoming research building on the UH Hilo campus. The facility will include two main structures and parking within a campus-like setting, and support for about 50 staff and volunteers at Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and 53 staff and volunteers at the Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center. Groundbreaking is on June 28, 2023. (Courtesy rendering/USGS)
Bonnie Irwin pictured.
Bonnie D. Irwin

The U.S. Geological Survey has cleared the last hurdle to build its new research facility at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo campus. The final environmental assessment found no significant impact to the environment will be caused by construction.

The 60,000-square-foot facility will jointly house the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), the Pacific Islands Ecosystems Research Center (PIERC), and other governmental agencies. Located at UH Hilo’s University Park of Science and Technology, it will bring together, under one roof, staff from both HVO and PIERC to monitor, investigate, and assess hazards from active volcanoes and earthquakes in Hawai‘i.

This close collaboration will produce the science and technology needed to support sound management and conservation of biological resources in Hawai‘i and other Pacific island locations. This is of great importance to the safety and well-being of our island communities.

Internships, collaborative research, community partnerships

We are honored to host HVO and PIERC and excited about the benefits that this partnership will bring to our campus: internships, hands-on experiences for students, research, alumni employed by federal agencies, community partnerships, and more.

The site location on the UH Hilo campus will enhance collaborative relationships between HVO, PIERC, county government agencies, and university researchers. Our students will be able to interact with the agencies’ staff, receive hands-on experience in geological and environmental hazards and conservation, and envision careers in the earth sciences. Staff from HVO and PIERC will be able to work collaboratively with university faculty and students to strengthen academic and research partnerships.

And there will be opportunities for myriad community partnerships of benefit to all.

Construction

A groundbreaking event will be held later this month. Construction will take about two years.

The building was designed by architectural firm AHL, and Hensel Phelps is the construction contractor. All areas of the project are designed to meet federal guidelines for sustainable buildings, for example, low power consumption.

The facility will include two main structures and parking within a campus-like setting, and support for about 50 staff and volunteers at HVO and 53 staff and volunteers at PIERC.

The main building is three-stories. First floor will be occupied by HVO and their laboratories, offices, conference rooms, work areas, and a main lobby. The second floor will be occupied by PIERC, also with laboratories, offices, and work areas. The third floor of the building will have mechanical space and an open observation deck.

A warehouse and field support building will support HVO and PIERC operations and serve as a bridge between laboratory and field functions. This building will have administrative and lab support offices, a climate-controlled room for archives, field gear storage, maintenance areas, and lockers, restrooms, and showers. Also, an outdoor greenhouse.

Benefits

I’m thrilled at all the ways this research facility will strengthen our mission to challenge students to reach their highest level of academic achievement by inspiring learning, discovery, and creativity, inside and outside the classroom. The close location also will enhance collaborative relationships between federal and county government agencies and our university researchers. Adding to this good news, we will have a new volcanologist joining our faculty in the fall.

With the positive report in the final environmental assessment, we are on our way to building this profoundly important facility of great benefit to our island communities

I mua!

Bonnie D. Irwin

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UH Hilo’s 2023 Spring Commencement

Congratulations, Graduates!

Chancellor Irwin with the students and guests in the background.
At the end of the ceremony, everyone with diplomas in hand, UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin takes a selfie with graduates in the background at 2023 Spring Commencement, May 13 at Edith Kanaka‘ole Stadium.

The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo celebrated 2023 Spring Commencement on May 13 at Edith Kanaka‘ole Stadium. The ceremony also was livestreamed (recorded for viewing). Almost 700 students petitioned for degrees and/or certificates and for various post-graduate credentials, including the university’s first graduates of the aeronautical sciences program.

Candidates represented the College of Arts and Sciences; Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikolani College of Hawaiian Language; College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management; College of Natural and Health Sciences; College of Business and Economics; and Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy.

Three female graduates decked in lei stand for photos. In the foreground are people taking the trio's photo with cell phones.
Graduates stand for photos by family and friends at UH Hilo’s 2023 Spring Commencement, May 13, Edith Kanaka‘ole Stadium, Hilo. (Spencer Honda/Athletics)

The university posthumously awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters to legendary kumu hula and composer Edith Kekuhikuhipu‘uoneonāali‘iōkohala Kenao Kanaka‘ole (1913-1979) in recognition of her contributions toward the preservation and revitalization of the Hawaiian language and culture. Last weekend, the campus and local community celebrated Kanaka‘ole’s life with a large public event.

Gathered for photo on the commencement dais are family members and UH administrators.
The family of Edith Kekuhikuhipu‘uoneonāali‘iōkohala Kenao Kanaka‘ole (1913-1979) stands for a photo after Aunty Edith was posthumously awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. Standing in foreground, from left, Gail Makuakāne-Lundin, grandniece; Lei Kapono, grandniece; Nāmele Kapono, great-grandniece; Kamāmalu Killion, great-granddaughter; Hikiola Kanahele, great-grandson; Keahiloa Kanahele, great-granddaughter; Nālani Garmon, granddaughter; and Sig Zane, son-in-law. Behind on dais, from left, UH Regent Alapaki Nahale-a; Nālani Kanaka‘ole, daughter (youngest child); UH System Vice President for Academic Strategy Debora Halbert; and UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin. (Jo Mischon/University Relations)

Keynote speaker at commencement was Justina Taft Mattos, associate professor of drama at UH Hilo. Sean Kauāakeakua “Kauā” Segundo, an undergraduate receiving his second bachelor’s degree, with a double major in Hawaiian language and linguistics, was student speaker. His remarks were given in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language) with an English summary in the commencement program.

Special guests included UH Regent Alapaki Nahale-a and UH System Vice President for Academic Strategy Debora Halbert.

Large group of university administrators pose for photo.
UH Hilo administrators, a UH System vice president, and a UH regent pose for photo. Front row, from left, Director of the College of Business and Economics Todd Inouye; Chancellor Bonnie Irwin; Director of Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani Keiki Kawai‘ae‘a; Associate Professor of Drama Justina Mattos (keynote speaker). Standing from left, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Chris Roney; Interim Dean for Student Affairs Chris Holland; Interim Dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences Brian Wissman (at back); UH Regent Alapaki Nahale-a; Dean of the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management Bruce Mathews; Chair of the Humanities Division Celia Bardwell-Jones; Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Michael Bitter; UH System Vice President for Academic Strategy Debora Halbert; Vice Chancellor for Administrative Affairs Carla Ho‘a; and Interim Dean of the College of Pharmacy Miriam Mobley Smith. (Matlyn Ua/Admissions)

More photos of commencement at UH Hilo Stories.

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Edith Kanaka‘ole celebrated at UH Hilo

A large mural of Aunty Edith on the side of a building with four people standing at the base for their photo: UH Regent Wayne Higaki, artist Kamea Hadar, UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin, and UH Regent Alapaki Nahale-a.
Standing below the new mural of Kumu Edith Kanaka‘ole, from left, UH Regent Wayne Higaki, artist Kamea Hadar, UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin, and UH Regent Alapaki Nahale-a, at the unveiling of the mural, May 6, 2023, Edith Kanaka‘ole Hall, UH Hilo. (Alyson Kakugawa-Leong/University Relations)

The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo co-hosted a day of celebration May 6 to honor the life and legacy of legendary educator and cultural icon Edith Kanaka‘ole.

Aunty Edith worked as a teacher at Hawai‘i Community College from 1971 to 1974 and at UH Hilo from 1974 to 1979. At both schools, she created courses and seminars on subjects including Hawaiian language, ethnobotany, Polynesian history, genealogy and Hawaiian chant and mythology, laying the foundation for Hawaiian studies programs in higher education that continue to grow and expand to this day.

Saturday’s “He Ka‘ao No Aunty Edith Kanaka‘ole” events started at the campus Performing Arts Center with a kīpaepae (welcoming ceremony) and hoʻokupu (ceremonial presentation of gifts and tributes) and was livestreamed on YouTube. The event was co-hosted by Hawai‘i Community College, the United States Mint, the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. The celebration then continued with the unveiling of a mural of Aunty Edith at Edith Kanaka‘ole Hall, along with hula and other activities.

The ceremonies held at the Performing Arts Center tied into the release of a U.S. coin honoring Kanaka‘ole. On March 27, the United States Mint released into circulation a coin from the American Women Quarters™ series honoring the cultural icon. She is one of five American women being honored in new quarters in 2023 as part of the American Women Quarters™ Program. Each year, the U.S. secretary of the treasury selects the honorees following consultation with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, the National Women’s History Museum, and the Congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus.

Kristie McNally and Chancellor Irwin stand for photo holding shadow box with mounted quarter. In the background are large replicas of the quarter.
Chancellor Bonnie Irwin (at right) accepts the Edith Kanaka‘ole quarter in a commemorative shadow box from Kristie McNally, deputy director of the United States Mint. (Courtesy photo)

At the opening event, Chancellor Irwin delivered remarks about the mural of Edith Kanakaole created on campus this week by local artist Kamea Hadar in collaboration with Kūha‘o Zane who is Edith Kanaka‘ole’s grandson and creative director at Sig Zane Designs, a local textile and clothing business in Hilo renowned for a signature aesthetic rooted in Native Hawaiian culture. The mural was created with the support of UH Hilo Kīpuka Native Hawaiian Student Services.

Chancellor Irwin stands at the podium delivering remarks.
UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin delivers remarks at the May 6, 2023, event honoring Kumu Edith Kanaka‘ole. (Alyson Kakugawa-Leong/University Relations )

“As a faculty member of both Hawai‘i Community College and the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Aunty Edith openly shared her deep ancestral knowledge passed down to her through her familia hula lineage,” says Irwin. “Her early contributions to the university’s Hawaiian language program and numerous community initiatives have set a foundation that continues to be built on today. It is an immense honor to share her story through this mural and have her portrait serve as a prominent feature on campus.”

Located at Edith Kanaka‘ole Hall, which was built in 1982 and named after the beloved kumu hula, the mural was unveiled at ceremonies shortly after the event at the performing arts center. The 1,000 or so attendees then enjoyed hula performances and other cultural activities.

The mural project at Edith Kanaka‘ole Hall will continue over the next few months in different areas of the building but as one contiguous mural with thematic design elements created by Kūha‘o Zane, who collaborated on his grandmother’s portrait.

“UH Hilo students will be an integral part of the process by contributing to the mural throughout the summer,” says Chancellor Irwin.

Read full story at UH Hilo Stories.

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Chancellor Irwin announces commission of Kekuhikuhi mural honoring Edith Kanaka‘ole

Edith Kanaka‘ole Hall pictured with palms along one side.
Kamea Hadar and Kūhaʻo Zane are collaborating on a mural of the late Hawaiian icon Edith Kanaka‘ole on the building named in her honor, Edith Kanaka‘ole Hall, at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo campus. (Cooper Lund/UH Hilo Stories)

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin shared this message on May 3 to the university ‘ohana.

At left is Aunty Edith sitting with pahu. At right are her two daughters Pua and Nalani dancing. They are at Halemaumau crater in the background.
Edith Kanakaʻole at left with her daughters Pua and Nalani. (Courtesy photo/UH System News)

In chorus with the celebration of Edith Kanaka‘ole’s United States Mint quarter, Kamea Hadar and Kūhaʻo Zane, with the support of the UH Hilo Kīpuka Native Hawaiian Student Services, are collaborating on a mural of the late Hawaiian icon on the Edith Kanaka‘ole Hall at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo campus.

As a faculty member at both the Hawai‘i Community College and the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Aunty Edith openly shared her deep ancestral knowledge passed down to her through her familial hula lineage. Her early contributions to the university’s Hawaiian language program and numerous community initiatives have set a foundation that continues to be built on today. It is an immense honor to share her story through this mural and have her portrait serve as a prominent feature on our campus.

Kamea Hadar pictured with scaffolding in the background.
Kamea Hadar (Courtesy photo)

Kamea Hadar is a talented and experienced muralist honored by this opportunity. He has taken art courses at the Honolulu Art Academy and University of Hawai‘i and spent periods living, studying, and creating in Paris, Madrid, and Tel Aviv. Currently residing in Honolulu, he is the Co-Lead Director of POW! WOW! Worldwide and his large-scale murals for businesses, organizations, and schools have been featured on buildings both in Hawai‘i as well as globally. Hadar was commissioned by the University of Hawai‘i to enhance several campus facilities, including the Stan Sheriff Center and the College of Education at UH Mānoa. Most recently, Hadar honored Native Hawaiian Olympic medalists Duke Kahanamoku and Carissa Moore with a large-scale mural in downtown Honolulu and completed another for the Polynesian Voyaging Society as a tribute to master navigator Papa Mau Piailug of Satawal.

Kūha‘o Zane pictured in an art gallery.
Kūha‘o Zane (UH System News)

Kūha‘o Zane, Edith Kanaka‘ole’s grandson, and Creative Director of Sig Zane Designs, will be collaborating with Hadar on the design of this mural. Weaving his father’s hand-cut art as well as the cultural narratives that drive their mission of education through design, this large expression of creativity is a celebration of his Grandmother’s achievements, impact and influence. Through the twenty years that Kūhaʻo has worked at Sig Zane Designs, he established a design studio SZKaiao which has done work for Tiffany’s & Co., Louis Vuitton, Nike and a multitude of local entities. Although each of these projects varied in brand identity and uniform design all, including mural projects like this one, are embedded in the cultural foundation passed to him generationally.

This is the third mural at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo that Kīpuka NHSC has supported. The first two were completed in 2015 on the UH Hilo residence halls and celebrate the physical features of Hilo and the mo‘olelo that accompany them. Murals such as these reflect the values of the community and help UH Hilo students to further develop connections to Hilo. UH Hilo students will continue to be an integral part of the mural process by contributing to a continuation of the mural throughout the summer.

Bonnie D. Irwin
Chancellor


Invitation to E Hō Mai Ka ʻIke

The Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation,
University of Hawai‘i at Hilo,
Hawai‘i Community College,
United States Mint,
the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum,
and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
is hosting

E Hō Mai Ka ʻIke

a public event honoring

Aunty Edith Kekuhikuhipu‘uoneonāali‘iōkohala Kanaka‘ole

Saturday, May 6, 2023

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

10:30 a.m. (Doors open at 10:00 a.m.)

Performing Arts Center

(This formal program will be live streamed)

11:30 a.m. Celebration and Exhibits of Aunty Edith’s Impact

Edith Kanaka‘ole Hall

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