ʻAʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi │ One learns from many sources │ A web publication from the Office of the Chancellor, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
Twenty-six years ago, Tarisi Vunidilo was an anthropology student at UH Hilo. She’s returned to UH Hilo as an assistant professor of anthropology with a passion to inspire students about the histories of places, artifacts, and indigenous people.
The study, a collaboration of state agencies along with UH Hilo faculty and alumni now working in health and science fields, shows staph and fecal indicator bacteria in Hilo Bay increase with rainfall and river discharge. Cloudy water is associated with higher bacteria concentrations, and high salinity with lower bacteria concentrations.
At a workshop held on campus last Friday, astronomer Heather Kaluna and philosopher Celia Bardwell-Jones shared the example of their friendship to illustrate the value of civil discourse.
“On top of the intense amount of knowledge I gained, this program gave me many opportunities to network with faculty, grad students, and peers alike which I am extremely grateful for,” says marine science major Carson Green.
Geography student Jesse Tabor is doing bee research with his mentor Jonathan Koch (a UH Hilo alumnus now a post doc at his alma mater). The research—identifying habitats of nonnative and native bees—could prove to be critical to preserving Hawai‘i native bee populations.
The UH Hilo Keaholoa STEM Scholars Program is part of a federal program designed to increase the number of Native Hawaiians and other minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Students in the program engage in scientifically rigorous research that is grounded in indigenous or native cultural practices and knowledge.
In a new hybrid system, students in the counseling psychology graduate program who live on Hawai‘i Island receive their classroom learning in a more traditional way, while students on neighbor islands now have access through a videoconferencing system.
In 2018, a group of performing arts students at UH Hilo performed children’s tales for local schoolchildren, all in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i (Hawaiian language). Inspired by this and other language revitalization efforts she witnessed in Sweden, an environmental science major is producing a documentary film on the global movement to revitalize indigenous languages.
2025 Peace Corps Week: UH Hilo hosted several events featuring former Peace Corps volunteers with ties to Hawaiʻi Island
2025 Peace Corp Week: UH Hilo geography alumnus Chris Wung shares his current Peace Corp assignment in Tonga
President Ueno and delegation from Meiji University in Japan visit UH Hilo, discuss ongoing student and faculty exchange
UH Hilo anthropology alumna Marina Foster finds her calling in health research
Meet & Greet: UH Hilo alumni, now local employers, help connect students to internships, work
Student Exchange and Study Abroad: One UH Hilo student’s story on how the programs changed her life
Pele Harman defines new role as UH Hilo’s director of Native Hawaiian engagement