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Under the agreement, the state is proposing to explore the development of a prototype International Lunar Research Park at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. The partnership will contribute to the development of education programs and foster economic opportunities including new, high-tech jobs.

HONOLULU — NASA and the State of Hawai‘i have agreed to collaborate on a wide range of activities to promote America’s human and robotic exploration of space. The partnership also will contribute to the development of education programs and foster economic opportunities including new, high-tech jobs.

Governor Neil Abercrombie and NASA Associate Deputy Administrator Rebecca Keiser signed a two-year agreement, formally called a non-reimbursable Space Act Agreement Annex, during a ceremony yesterday in the Governor’s Office. The ceremony was held on the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s historic announcement committing the country to land an American on the moon and return him safely before the end of the decade.

“Hawai‘i has been part of America’s space activities from the beginning of the space program when Apollo astronauts trained in the islands for their historic missions to the moon,” Governor Abercrombie said. “This partnership with NASA will broaden educational and employment opportunities for our local families and bring dollars into our economy.”

The agreement establishes a partnership between NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., and Hawai‘i to explore and test new technologies, capabilities and strategies supporting America’s space exploration and development goals.

Under the agreement, the state is proposing to explore the development of a prototype International Lunar Research Park at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. It would use the state’s unique terrain, which is similar to that of the moon and Mars, to enable development and testing of advanced automated and tele-robotic vehicles. Researchers would benefit from Hawai‘i’s natural geography, advanced communications, power generation and other technologies required for space exploration.

“This is the type of participatory exploration involving universities and small- to mid-sized high technology companies that is becoming an increasingly important component of the 21st century space program,” Keiser said. “Americans want to participate directly and personally in space activities. As we have seen from NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services project and the Centennial Challenges prize competitions, harvesting the country’s innovative talent is important to the success of our future endeavors in space. The space frontier is opening in novel and exciting ways.”

The state will provide the prototype test environment and infrastructure for the proposed analog test facilities. NASA will evaluate new concepts and models for conducting space exploration. The state will explore the potential to develop and mature innovative space-related technologies for educational, industry and government use.

“From NASA’s perspective, this partnership can inspire ideas and applications from analog test sites that can be generalized to space exploration and development of the moon and other planetary bodies,” said Ames Director Pete Worden.

The state’s Office of Aerospace Development will be the lead state agency for the project, enhancing dialogue and coordination among the state, private and academic partners to enable growth and diversification of the state’s aerospace economy.

“We support NASA’s goal to promote public-private partnerships and multinational alliances to help reduce the cost, enhance the feasibility and accelerate the implementation of future space missions – leading to settlements beyond low-Earth orbit,” said Jim Crisafulli, director of Hawai‘i’s Office of Aerospace Development. “Locally, this collaboration should catalyze Hawai‘i-based economic innovation and engage engineers, scientists, educators, and students, as well as commercial entrepreneurs, to increase the opportunities and benefits of space exploration.”

For more information about the International Lunar Research Park, visit: https://sites.google.com/site/internationallunarresearchpark

For more information about Ames, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ames

For more information about Hawai‘i’s aerospace initiatives, visit: http://aerospacehawaii.info

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The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents approved at its May meeting a Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo School of Nursing. The new program will begin August 2012 for post baccalaureate students and will be open to post masters-level students in 2013.

“The UH Hilo School of Nursing is responding to the concerns of our community and has worked diligently to improve community access to quality healthcare in Hawaiʻi,” noted Katharyn Daub, director of the school of nursing.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice is a doctoral degree for nurses at the highest level of nursing practice. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has proposed that the DNP degree be the level of entry for all advanced practice nurses by 2015.

“The focus on rural and transcultural health will encompass training for practitioners that spans the entire life cycle from birth through death,” Daub said. “The program will also focus on rural problems to improve healthcare in our medically underserved community that includes western and indigenous health practices.”

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“When you consider the data from the economic impact study that shows the college brings in more than $50 million a year to the state, there’s no question that this is an investment that will more than pay for itself virtually in no time.” –State Representative Clift Tsuji

The design phase is completed for a new state-of-the-art building for the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s College of Pharmacy.

“We cannot overstate the importance of this building to Hawaiʻi’s future as the hub of health care and discovery,” said John Pezzuto, dean of the college. “It will also allow us to give our students the best possible professional pharmacy education and move forward with accreditation.”

WCIT Architecture of Honolulu designed the building, which will cost an estimated $66 million. In 2010, WCIT won an architecture award for the design of UH Hilo’s Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikolani College of Hawaiian Language building.

WCIT President Rob Iopa said the design approach blends environment, place and architecture unique to the needs of the College of Pharmacy yet within the framework of other buildings on campus.

“WCIT Architecture has done a beautiful job designing the Hawaiian languages building, but I want to stress we are not just looking for window dressing,” said Debra Fitzsimons, vice chancellor for administrative affairs. “I’m confident their design of the College of Pharmacy will complement our existing structures on the UH Hilo campus while giving them the proper educational vessel they require.”

The design phase was funded in part by $5.5 million from the state in 2009. Funds are now being sought from the state and others for construction. During a recent site visit, a group from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the national accrediting agency responsible for pharmacy schools, said the lack of a permanent building for the college is a serious concern.

Pezzuto said the cost of construction is more than offset by the economic benefits the college brings to the state of Hawaiʻi. State Representative Clift Tsuji agrees.

“When you consider the data from the economic impact study that shows the college brings in more than $50 million a year to the state, there’s no question that this is an investment that will more than pay for itself virtually in no time,” said Tsuji (D-South Hilo, Panaewa, Puna, Keaau, Kurtistown).

The new pharmacy college facilities will be located on campus at the corner of Komohana and Nowelo streets.

UH Hilo’s College of Pharmacy is the only school of pharmacy in the Pacific region.

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HILO — The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Master of Arts Program in Counseling Psychology has received a full 10-year accreditation from the Masters in Psychology Accreditation Council (MPAC), extending to March 1, 2021. MPAC accredits academic programs in psychology, which promote training in the scientific practice of professional psychology at the master’s level. Accredited programs must demonstrate a commitment to science-based training in all aspects of psychology and to enhancing services to the consumer and the public-at-large.

“This is a proud moment for the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo,” said Chancellor Donald Straney. “MPAC accreditation represents an important validation of the quality of education our students receive as they prepare to join the ranks of professional counselors.”

The Master of Arts Program in Counseling Psychology is administered by the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences. The program was established in 2005 with the full approval and support of the University of Hawaiʻi System and the Hawaiʻi State Legislature. The 60 semester-hour program is based on a scientist-practitioner model, with an emphasis on empirical research and evidence-based practices. The program is designed to provide multicultural, student-centered training in counseling psychology and meets the curricular requirements for licensure as a mental health counselor in the state of Hawaiʻi.

“My colleagues and I are very pleased to have attained national accreditation for our counseling psychology program,” said Dr. Bryan Kim, director of the counseling psychology masters program. “We all know that national accreditation represents external recognition of a program’s high-level quality and sustainability. My colleagues and I have worked hard at building our program and we are grateful to have this recognition from the Masters in Psychology Accreditation Council.”

“I personally want to thank my faculty colleagues, administrators, students, graduates, community supervisors, and everyone else who have supported our program since its formation in 2005 and have helped to make this accreditation possible,” he added.

For more information about the program, contact Kim at bryankim@hawaii.edu or (808) 974-7439.

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