Noelo DELVE SEEK OUT VERIFY

David Michael Karl THE MAN BEHIND THE SCIENCE

RESEARCH AND INNOVATI ON AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I - 2020 Delve. Seek. Verify. Delve. Seek. Verify. Sumida Farm. Facing page: action institution. equal opportunity/affirmative The UniversityofHawai‘iisan www.hawaii.edu/research/ [email protected] (808) 956-5588 Honolulu, HI96822 Sinclair 10 2425 CampusRoad University ofHawai‘i for ResearchandInnovation Office oftheVicePresident Matsunaga Eric R. For moreinformation,contact: Oshir Design for Research andInnovation Office oftheVice President Administrative Operations Manager, Research and Eric Editor Project manager Research and Innovation. of theVicePresidentfor annually bytheOffice Hawai‘i Systempublished of theUniversity the research magazine verify” inHawaiian, is Noelo, whichmeans “to delve, seekoutor Research andInnovation Vice Presidentfor Vassilis L. Syrmos, PhD President David Lassner, PhD Hawai‘i System University of R. Matsunaga o Design, LL C Aerial viewof Credit: C

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Message from theVicePresident in its Strategic its forth in set priorities five of one As health. and stability economic long-term its to vital also is it diminishing or smaller returns from the state’s in primary industry. result could habits visitor in and industry travel the to changes that COVID-19 is developed or the effects of the disease are mitigated, the “new normal” may suggest research has been thrust into the forefront of public awareness. However, UH faculty and students economic sector and its associated workforce. economy through startup and entrepreneurial activity necessary for the development of this new collaborate growth with various stakeholders in industry, government of and business to diversify the state’s areas other and data big cybersecurity, energy, security, water and food change, climate wellness, and health including: importance, of areas critical address better to enterprise research cutting-edge world-class, its of focus the pivoting By innovation. and research UH-based of commercialization the through development economic energize to retail stores are also suffering from almost non-existent visitor counts. visitor non-existent almost from suffering also are stores retail vacancies, idled tour operations and restricted air travel, other businesses such as restaurants and on tourism, is now at an dependency economic crossroad. Hawai‘i with its heavy disruption oftheglobaleconomy. modern healthcaresystems andcausedwidespread that hasrapidlyspreadacrosscontinents, overwhelmed COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented health crisis SARS andEbola.T its citizens health crisesthathave tested themettleandresolve of theworldThroughout history, hasfacednumerous conomic diversification is not only key to Hawai‘i’s economic recovery from the pandemic, pandemic, the from recovery economic Hawai‘i’s to key only not is diversification Economic As we all continue to battle this world-wide health crisis, it is understandable that medical that understandable is it crisis, health world-wide this battle to continue all we As — irections, 2015-2021, the University of Hawai‘i (UH) embarked on an initiative an on embarked (UH) Hawai‘i of University the 2015-2021, Directions, the Spanish flu, measles, polio, HIV/AIDS, oday, ourworld isconfronted by the on Hawai‘i of University the makes what see to research valuable our of snapshot brief In this issue of Noelo, please take a look and enjoy a perhaps and world the nation, our state, our in lives improve help to research of areas important equally other pursuing continuously are University ofHawai‘iSystem Vice Presidentfor Research andInnovation Vassilis L. Syrmos, PhD Earth. E ven after a vaccine for vaccine a after ven — — like no place else place no like H otne to continues UH — With high hotel even in space. in even

FEATURES

In This Issue Cover photo: David Karl on the R/V Kilo Moana during HOT-300, February 2018. Credit: Ryan Tabata

ASTRONOMY AND SPACE EXPLORATION ASTRONOMY AND SPACE EXPLORATION 4 Water and Habitability 8 HI STAR Program Garners The Hunt for Earth’s Origins High-Five Results

Ocean and climate science 10 David Michael Karl The Man Behind the Science

Ocean and climate science Health and Wellness 12 UH Marine Operations 14 3D Scanning for Better A nexus of research, innovation Health on Earth and and collaboration Possibly… in Space

Sustainable Ecosystems and Energy 16 Iconic Watercress Farm Aids UH Sustainability Research

2 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i Digital economy and civil infrastructure security Digital economy and civil infrastructure security 19 UH Mānoa’s 22 GenCyber Hawai‘i Ambient Lab Preparing Today’s Youth to Protect Tomorrow’s Cyber Future Shaping the Future of Interactive Computing

INNovation 24 Cultural Entrepreneurship in Action Kaua‘i Community College Putting Theory into Practice

Innovation 28 Red Hill: UH Lends its Expertise to an Engineering Marvel

Innovation 26 Harnessing Algae for Natural Color and Sustenance

UH West O‘ahu 32 Creative Media Facility to Shine Brightly

NOELO 2020 | 3 AstronomyAstronomy ANDAND SpSpaacece Explorxplorationation

Water and Habitability The Hunt for Earth’s Origins

No one knows how water — the well- planet birth around other stars. The next gen- geology and astrobiology to explore these spring of life — arrived on Earth. No eration of observatories will reveal details of questions of where Earths’ water comes from. one knows if the Solar System, with a planet the disk chemistry and planet growth in the possessing the necessary ingredients for life regions where habitable worlds form. The only Clues to Earth’s Past from within the habitable zone, is a cosmic rarity. way to get similar data for the Solar System Deep Inside the Earth Nor do scientists know whether the gas giants and learn where Earth’s water came from is to The idea that comets were the source of in the Solar System played a role in delivering match the chemical fingerprints of inner solar Earth’s water arose in the 1980s when the essential materials to the habitable zone. The system volatiles to a location in the protoplan- Giotto spacecraft flew through the cloud of answers to these questions are contained in etary disk (rotating circumstellar disk of dense gas surrounding Halley’s Comet. Its sensitive volatiles unaltered since the formation of the gas and dust surrounding a newly formed detectors showed that the comet’s water giant planets. Comets were long thought to star). Such data can distinguish between com- was enriched in deuterium, a heavy isotope of be the most likely “delivery service” of Earth’s peting models of solar system formation to hydrogen, found in abundance in the Earth’s water. But new models and new data, includ- specify where the water came from and how oceans. In the 4.5 billion years since the Earth ing data from the Rosetta comet mission have it was delivered. Astrobiologist Karen Meech, formed, surface water has undergone a lot of cast some doubt. at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s (UH processing through volcanic recycling, atmo- Right now, astronomers are on the cusp Mānoa) Institute for Astronomy (IfA) and her spheric escape and interaction with biology. of directly observing the process of habitable team are using astronomy, planetary science, “It didn’t seem logical that today’s oceans

4 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i An international team of scientists, led by UH Mānoa’s Karen Meech, are developing a NASA Discovery-class mission concept called Proteus to explore Main Belt Comets that should yield key missing information about the processes that created a habitable planet in Earth’s Solar System.

NOELO 2020 | 5 Astronomy AND Space Exploration

should match the D/H (ratio between deute- have shown that cometary D/H has a wide Meech. “Because this is only consistent with some rium and hydrogen in water that yields infor- range of values. The relative amount of deu- of the models, Manx comets may provide a way mation about its origin and geologic history) terium to hydrogen is temperature dependent to discriminate between formation models.” chemistry of the primordial water present and set during formation of the comet’s ices. at Earth’s formation,” said Meech. “During a The widely ranging values seen in comets sug- The Proteus Mission — Searching geological field trip exploring Icelandic hot gests that they formed over a wide range of for Origins springs one of the guides said that the escaping temperatures (distances from the Sun) in the The large variation in D/H in comets coupled with water vapor plumes were “primordial.” Solar System. large scale movement of these icy leftovers of Although the statement had been wrong, On September 22, 2014 the Pan-STARRS1 the planet building process show that astrono- this led to Meech to realize that the answer telescope discovered a very weak active long mers cannot use a single chemical fingerprint to to the origin of Earth’s water would have to period comet (LPC), C/2014 S3 near its closest trace the delivery of water to the inner solar be pursued from multiple disciplines. Since approach to the sun. This was very unusual system. Measurements of other protoplanetary isotope chemistry had shown the existence of since LPCs usually develop long tails as their disks and models show that multiple chemical primordial helium coming from Earth’s interior, ices heat up for the first time. Dubbed a and isotopic signatures should be frozen onto Meech hypothesized that it could also be used “Manx” comet for its nearly tailless appearance the planetary building blocks. to search for Earth’s primordial water. Lydia (like the cat), a spectrum showed that its Tracing different chemicals can provide Hallis, an astrobiology postdoc working with composition was similar to inner solar system independent measurements of where the Meech, has used advanced ion-microprobe rocky material — very different from the red material originated. To access this record, instrumentation on samples from Baffin Island organic-rich surfaces of comets. astronomers need: (1) a population of icy to show that Earth’s primordial water may be Astronomers have many models of how bodies that faithfully records the history of very different from the surface oceans. “We planets in Solar System grew, some have the volatile migration in the early solar system; hope to mount an expedition to get samples planets forming in place, while others have (2) a source of volatiles that can be accessed from Greenland, because these are known to large scale gas giant planet migration. All of the affordably; (3) knowledge that the volatiles have the best primordial helium signatures,” small leftovers, the rocky or icy-planetesimals were not altered by heating in their parent said Meech. were scattered by the giant planets. From body; and (4) measurements from multiple where in the solar system material gets scat- chemical markers with sufficient precision to Inner Solar System Material Stored tered into the Earth-building zone depends on distinguish between original volatile reservoirs. in the Outer Solar System which model is correct. Main Belt Comets (MBCs), a class of icy bodies The European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission, “This discovery of a Manx with inner solar that orbit within the asteroid belt that were along with many ground-based measurements system composition was really exciting,” said discovered by astronomers in Hawai‘i, meet

6 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i “Unlike asteroids, the tight-lipped witnesses to events in the early solar system, MBCs are these requirements. (ISO), 1I/‘Oumuamua. In extroverts; spewing their secrets into space MBCs are the perfect targets for this inves- spite of a very short peri- where a nearby spacecraft can observe them tigation because they satisfy these criteria. od of visibility there was MBCs have emerged as significant reservoirs an intense observing fren- without having to land and excavate.” of primordial water and potentially other zy to characterize it that –Karen Meech, Astrobiologist volatiles. These icy asteroids may have formed has led to the publication in-situ or been dynamically implanted as the of more than 120 papers. giant planets grew. Unlike true comets, they “ISOs are the left-over debris from the pro- have remained on stable orbits since the era of cess of building planets in other star systems,” planet formation or migration and preserve a said Meech. “When they are delivered to our record of their accretional or growth environ- neighborhood, ISOs give us a close up view of ment, frozen in time. Occasionally an MBC gets the planet building processes elsewhere that hit by a meter-scale impactor that strips away we cannot get any other way.” part of its insulating regolith (loose covering). ‘Oumuamua has challenged many assump- The newly exposed volatiles sublime into space tions by astronomers about what small bodies over an extended period. “Unlike asteroids, the from another star system would look like,

tight-lipped witnesses to events in the early because its elongated shape was atypical of a solar system, MBCs are extroverts; spewing comet. Currently, UH researchers are intensely FAcing page: Artist’s impression of the probable their secrets into space where a nearby space- studying a new interstellar remnant, 2I/Borisov, history of C/2014 S3 through the inner and outer craft can observe them without having to land that will remain visible for over a year. With the solar system over 4.5 billion years. Credit: ESO/L. and excavate,” said Meech. Vera C. Rubin Observatory, formerly known as Calcada A team of scientists from the IfA and the the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, sched- left: Hubble Space Telescope image of MBC School of Ocean and Earth Science and Tech- uled to come on line soon in Chile, astronomers Gault showing the two tails, February 5, 2019. Credit: NASA, ESA, K. Meech and J. Kleyna (UH) and nology at UH Mānoa, NASA’s Jet Propulsion from around the world can expect to see an O. Hainaut (ESO) Laboratory, the Southwest Research Institute, increase in the number of ISOs discovered. This right: ‘Oumuamua, the first interstellar object and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will provide astronomers with more samples of discovered by UH’s Pan-STARRS1 telescope on are developing a Discovery-class mission con- materials from other star systems to compare October 19, 2017 cept called Proteus to explore multiple MBCs. with the primordial building blocks of Earth’s Proteus will provide key missing information Solar System — helping to further address the about the processes that created a habitable question surrounding the formation of habit- planet in Earth’s Solar System. able worlds. “The next question of whether or not they Interstellar Objects — Messengers are inhabited is still off in the future,” added from other Star Systems Meech. On October 19, 2017, the Pan-STARRS1 tele- scope discovered the first interstellar object

NOELO 2020 | 7 Astronomy AND Space Exploration

HI STAR Program Garners High-Five Results

Black holes, dark matter, dark energy, For more than a decade, IfA’s Hawai’i gravitational field that distorts and magnifies the ‘Oumuamua interstellar object Student Teacher Astronomy Research (HI STAR) light allowing the study of early galaxies too and the Laniakea supercluster. Over program has attracted highly motivated distant to be seen with current telescope tech- the last 50 years or so, there has hardly been middle and high school students from across nology) and Modified NewtonianD ynamics (an an astronomical breakthrough where Hawai‘i- the state interested in learning the skills and alternative explanation to dark matter). based telescopes were not involved. In addition techniques of astronomical research using real The HI STAR students lead their own to providing answers to some of the most data. Funding for the program is provided by research with the guidance of a mentor, to fundamental questions of the Universe, future the Maui Economic Development Board, U.S. model the real-world responsibilities of scien- observations may lead to the discovery of suitable Air Force and the THINK Fund at the Hawai’i tists, including the importance of disseminating Earth-like planets that latter generations can Community Foundation. information about their research. As a result, explore when technologies become available for “The HI STAR program introduces Hawai’i students are encouraged to participate in local long-distance spaceflight. students across the islands to the basic prac- science and engineering fairs and to treat it as World-class astronomical research also tices of science,” said HI STAR Director J.D. a scientific conference — focusing primarily serves as an economic driver in the state of Armstrong, who also serves as director of out- on their science and communication skills, not Hawai’i. A 2014 study by the University of reach at IfA Maui. “Science is about exploration, so much the competition. Despite this unique Hawai’i Economic Research Organization indi- discovery and helping humankind to better approach, HI STAR students have racked up cated that in 2012 alone, astronomy had a total understand the universe.” numerous awards, with an average of about economic impact of $168 million, generated The program begins in a classroom setting two students making it to the International about $8.2 million in state taxes and created with students attending a week-long summer Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) each year. 1,400 jobs in a clean, high-tech endeavor that program held at either UH Mānoa or UH Maui Zach Teagarden of Maui High School was provides employment opportunities for young College, which feature hands-on projects and awarded first place for the U.S. Air Force people in STEM (science, technology, engineer- lectures given by leading experts in the field, Research Lab award on the subject of physics ing and mathematics) fields. Recognizing the including many researchers from IfA. For the and electronics at the New Hampshire Science importance of education to the workforce remainder of the year, the program changes and Engineering Fair, which was held virtu- pipeline, the Institute for Astronomy (IfA) at into a research group covering a broad range of ally this past March. His project titled, “MOND the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (UH Mānoa) astronomical topics, including helioseismol- over Dark Matter,” utilized data from the Las conducts various astronomy outreach pro- ogy (study of the Sun’s structure through its Cumbres and Pan-STARRS observatories to test grams for local schools to help develop student oscillations), Near Earth Objects (NEOs), quasars, the theory of Modified Newtonian Dynamics. interest in all types of STEM-related fields, not comets, exoplanets, star evolution, gravita- Teagarden attended the HI STAR program in just astronomy. tional lensing (when a large mass creates a 2018 and 2019. His younger brother Jed, who is also a HI STAR scholar and an eighth grader at Montessori School of Maui, received the Top Junior Award at the 2020 Maui County Region- al Science and Engineering Fair in February and took second in the physics and astronomy junior division category at the Hawai’i State Science & Engineering Fair. Then this past April, Luke Berrigan from King Kekaulike High School on the island of Maui, received second place for the Best in Cat- egory for Physics and Astronomy at the 2020 Hawai’i State Science and Engineering fair for his research titled, “Investigating the Source of ‘Oumuamua,” which was the first interstel- lar object detected by IfA researchers at UH’s Pan-STARRS telescope in 2017. Berrigan joined the HI STAR program as a ninth-grader in 2018. “I hope to follow a scientific path and become some sort of scientist,” said Berrigan, who will be a junior next year. “Space has always fascinated me, so the long term goal is to be an astronaut.”

8 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i Zach Teagarden (Maui High School)

Jed Teagarden (Montessori School of Maui) The HI STAR students lead their own research with the guidance of a mentor, to model the real-world responsibilities of scientists, including the importance of disseminating through its doors, created information about their research. in 2007 by former high school physics teacher Mary Kadooka, UH Mānoa Physics Perhaps more important than the research, and Astronomy Instructor Michael Nassir, and is the effect on a student’s future. As legendary IfA Astronomer Karen Meech. Program team astronomer George Herbig said of the program members are comprised of IfA staff, faculty in 2009, “What you are doing is important. This and graduate students from Maui, O‘ahu and is where the next generation of scientists will Hilo, with HI STAR alumni participating as come from.” program support. Currently assisting Arm- Luke Berrigan (King Kekaulike High School) Many HI STAR students have been offered strong with the program are IfA Education/ with HI STAR Director J.D. Armstrong admission to prestigious schools such as Outreach Specialist Carolyn Kaichi, UH Maui Harvard, Caltech, Princeton, MIT and Yale. College Astronomy Instructor Jenny Hsin-Yi After graduating from college, some of the Shih, Robert Hubbell and amateur astrono- students have chosen to continue on to gradu- mer Donn Starkey. Facing page: 2019 HI STAR cohort and mentors ate school and pursue careers in the sciences. “I just want to do some interesting science, Two recent HI STAR students are in graduate and working with the students is my way of school working toward their PhDs in fields doing that. They are really more than students related to astronomy, while two others have to me, they are collaborators,” said Armstrong. been offered admission into several PhD “Science should be fun, and we do have a lot programs for the fall of 2020, including UH’s of fun.” Institute for Astronomy. Over the years, HI HI STAR alumni are not only college and STAR alumni have received almost half a mil- research ready, they are also becoming future lion dollars in prize fellowships and stipends. leaders in the science, engineering and technol- Now in its fourteenth year, the HI STAR ogy fields that are so important to Hawai’i and program has seen over 200 participants come the nation.

NOELO 2020 | 9 Astronomy AND Space Exploration Ocean and Climate Science

award created the Simons Collaboration on Ocean Processes and Ecology (SCOPE) to complement the research of HOT and C-MORE. To date, this award from the Simons Foundation, remains the largest one-time award to the University of Hawai‘i. Befitting a distinguished career such as Karl’s, he was elected into the National Academy of Sciences in 2006, is a recipient of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Investigator Award in Marine Microbiology, May 2004-2020; recipient of the 2013 Alexander Agassiz Medal from the National Academy of Sciences; and recipient of the 2015 Balzan Prize for Oceanography, to name just a few of many.

Born Leader While all of these achievements, awards and accolades are impressive in the world of science, Karl the man shines even brighter due to his humil- ity, generosity and kindness — traits that are not often found in scientists of his stature. C-MORE and SCOPE Co-Director Edward DeLong, a pio- neering microbiologist in his own right, has known Karl for over 30 years and feels those particular traits and his ability to work collegially with diverse groups of people have made him a phenomenal science leader. “Dave’s been able to assemble these groups of stellar people from renowned institutions like MIT, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the University of California, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Institute, to name a few. He is able to engage top scientists from around the world, and focus their energies on singular goals that none could achieve inde- pendently. The end result produces teams of scientists that can work together extremely effectively under Dave’s leadership,” said DeLong. “People trust Dave as a leader, because they trust him as person and as a world-class scientist.” Karl is also known to lead by example, earning the respect of every- body from the boots on the ground and up. From going out to sea and working on deck to driving a forklift on the docks, no task is too small for Karl. “He likes to work on a level playing field. There is no hierarchy. Everybody’s on the same plane,” added DeLong.

David Michael Karl Unmatched Generosity The Man Behind the Science Oceanography Associate Professor Angelicque White, who has recently taken over the reins of the HOT program, counts herself fortunate to have Karl as a mentor and colleague to call upon. She notes that a sense David Michael Karl, world-renowned oceanography pro- of generosity and community is what makes Karl unique. fessor at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UH Mānoa), “Without a doubt, he’s just there for a lot of people,” said White. has contributed to some of the world’s most pivotal oceanographic “He’s the kind of guy you can send a paper to, ask for input and he will discoveries, including the hydrothermal vents in the Galapagos Rift, a read it — making handwritten comments on anything from Oxford thriving food web in the frigid waters of Antarctica, and the development commas to ‘did you see this paper in 1972 on page three, column two of widely adopted analytical methods to better understand ocean life that had a similar sentence that might help you think about the topic in and biochemistry. Most notably, he is known for helping to establish an a different way.’” open ocean time-series station, known as Station ALOHA, that has pro- Another aspect of Karl that does not go unnoticed is his incredible duced essential ocean scientific data over the past 30 years. At Station generosity in his recognition of others and that he is always the first in ALOHA, Karl and colleagues have provided the most convincing evidence line to celebrate with his team. “Who else takes their time to take their of decreasing ocean pH (so-called “ocean acidification”), that is the result team soapbox racing or charters a pirate ship to celebrate the accom- of increasing CO2 in the atmosphere (from fossil fuel burning), and its plishment and service of their employees?,” said HOT Field and Lab uptake into ocean waters over time. Manager Eric Grabowski, who has worked closely with Karl for over 20 On the other side of the ledger, Karl has been prolific in securing years and has also developed personally and professionally under him. extramural research funding. Since joining UH Mānoa in 1978, Karl has “While managing people, Dave seems to be keenly aware of the impor- been principal investigator on more than 80 grants bringing over $100 tance of dealing with the human side of life and not just the scientific.” million in federal and foundation funds plus over $50 million additionally Although much of his team’s success falls on his shoulders, Karl is to support research vessels and submersibles used in his own research. always quick to note that the accomplishment of the team could not In 2006, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Karl and col- happen without each individual. “Science is a team sport I always like to leagues a 10-year $36.8 million grant that led to the establishment of remind everybody of that,” said Karl. “I have the best team in the world. the Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Things that get done are because of the people. As we say in Hawai‘i, Education (C-MORE), one of only 17 NSF science and technology cen- it’s an ohana (family). Every lab group is an ohana and collectively we’re ters in the nation at that time. In 2014, a $48 million private foundation a larger ohana.”

10 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i 70th Birthday Celebration To celebrate David Karl’s 70th birthday, colleagues and friends planned on hosting an international science symposium in Honolulu in May 2020. The multi-day event would bring together former and current colleagues, researchers and students — all of whose lives and careers have been enriched in a multitude of ways because of their association and friendship with Karl. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, event organizers decided to pivot from the symposium to a virtual birthday cel- ebration. Over 100 colleagues, friends and family joined on May 8, 2020 for two and a half hours of recollections and tributes to Karl — including his sister Beverly Keil, a retired vice president with the Washington Post Company; his brother Tom Karl, a retired cardiac surgeon; and his cousin Debbie Robertson, a professor of marine biology at Clark University.

“ Dave has sustained a major scientific program that helped UH Mānoa rise and put it on the map on all matters relating to the ocean. What is really special, is that he is truly a homegrown treasure for UH.” –David Lassner, UH President

“Whether you are a friend, college student or collaborator, you know you can reach out and trust his wisdom and words. I’ve been fortunate to be able to give back to a man who has given so much to UH by working closely with Dave to make C-MORE a reality. The building doesn’t make Dave Karl, Dave Karl makes the building.” –Vassilis L. Syrmos, UH Vice President for Research and Innovation

“ Senator Daniel Inouye was immensely proud of Dave and this place (C-MORE Hale) he opened. He was proud because it was not an earmark. Proud of what one of the sons of UH produced in-house and he didn’t have to provide his political muscle to make it happen.” –Brian Taylor, SOEST Dean, UH Mānoa

“ You can see in his eyes that he loves to talk science. I used to enjoy talking to him as student and now my students talk to him. We all benefit from whatever interaction we can have with Dave, if we can just get a little piece of that knowledge that he carries inside of him, we’re all much better for it.” –Chris Sabine, Interim Associate Dean for Research, SOEST, UH Mānoa

Facing page: Karl on board the RV Kilo Moana after the successful HOT 300 expedition, February 2018. credit: Ryan Tabata

TOP, left: Karl in his new 120 sq. foot lab in the HIG building, March 1978. Credit: Chris Winn

TOP, right: Karl in front of the Hale ALOHA mooring buoy on the RV Moana Wave during its inaugural deployment in 1997.

middle: Karl in the lab. Credit: UH

bottom, left: Karl and his CARBON (this was the license plate) cycle at Makapuu Point, circa 2005. Credit: T. R. Karl

bottom, right: Angelicque White and David Karl at the HOT leadership transition, August 2019. ceremony. credit: Ryan Tabata

NOELO 2020 | 11 Ocean and Climate Science

UH Marine Operations

A nexus of research, innovation and collaboration

The University of Hawai‘i (UH) is a Marine Center,” said Anita L. Lopez, director of shore-side laboratories. The Center for Micro- world-renowned hub for interna- Research Vessel Operations, “is to support the bial Oceanography: Research and Education tional research in the Pacific Ocean. R/V Kilo Moana, a 186-foot U.S. Navy-owned team maintains a small fleet of autonomous Geographically, scientifically and operationally, research vessel that UH operates under a underwater and surface vehicles and occupies the University of Hawai‘i Marine Center (UH charter party agreement with the Office of several laboratories to processes samples, Marine Center) is the fulcrum of oceanographic Naval Research.” including those collected through the Hawai‘i research expeditions to investigate deep sea Since it arrived in Honolulu in 2002, the Ocean Time-series, a 30-year monitoring and volcanic activity, open ocean microbes critical R/V Kilo Moana has conducted oceanographic research program that provides an unprec- to our planet’s health, the diverse and thriv- research throughout the Pacific Basin and aver- edented view of the key role microbes play in ing communities of the Papahanaumokuakea ages about 220 days at sea each year. The ship the health of the oceans and atmosphere. Marine National Monument, and more. is equipped to conduct physical, biological and The UH Marine Center also hosts other Since the 1970’s the UH Marine Center oper- chemical oceanography, as well as geological research vessels operating in the Central ated from Pier 45, often called Snug Harbor. As investigations of the seafloor and geophysical Pacific, especially those in the U.S. Academic part of the State of Hawai‘i Department of sensing of the Earth’s structure beneath. Research Fleet, as well as those operated by a Transportation’s (HDOT) Harbors Moderniza- Ocean robotics and submersible technol- number of private philanthropies. These host- tion Plan to increase container terminal space ogy are pushing the frontiers of discovery. The ed vessels bring along their crew members, at the state’s busiest commercial harbor, the UH remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Lu‘ukai is equipment and scientists, providing UH with UH Marine Center operations were moved to a small work-class ROV that can be operated expanded expeditionary and scientific oppor- Pier 35 in 2016. A $17-million HDOT Harbors from the R/V Kilo Moana to conduct investiga- tunities and collaborations. Division renovation project of the facility pro- tions in waters up to 6,000 meters deep. After vided 800 feet of pier space to service up to beginning operations in early 2018, the Lu‘ukai Sustainability and stewardship three ships, new office and laboratory facilities, has supported a study of deep-sea biodiversity In addition to supporting environmental and additional warehouse and outside storage and ecological processes in the western Clarion- research, the UH Marine Center strives to space for containers and weatherproof equip- Clipperton Zone, an area where numerous be a responsible environmental steward. In ment. After moving into the new facility, UH manganese nodule mining exploration claims 2018, 542 photovoltaic panels and batteries made additional improvements and integrated are located; has maintained and upgraded were installed with the goal of reducing the the facility into the University of Hawai‘i at sensors at the ALOHA Cabled Observatory, the Center’s yearly electricity bill of about $75,000. Mānoa (UH Mānoa) campus IT infrastructure. The world’s deepest operating ocean observatory; The project, which includes data monitoring combined upgrades will serve the UH Marine and has recovered a failed telecommunica- and analysis equipment and technology, was Center well over the next several decades and tions cable used to support acoustic research completed in collaboration with the Hawai‘i help ensure that it will continue to support in local waters. Natural Energy Institute (HNEI), a research state-of-the-art research. Additionally, the UH Marine Center directly institute within the UH Mānoa School of Ocean “The foremost responsibility of the UH supports research through available on-site, and Earth Science and Technology. The excess

12 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i “The University of Hawai‘i is best positioned regionally to provide research vessel services energy output from the HNEIPV system will A leader focused to federal, state and private entities without also feed the overall UH Marine Center, con- on supporting having the carbon footprint impacts of tributing to UH and the state of Hawai‘i’s science and society energy goal to become net zero by the year Prior to joining the UH repositioning like vessels from the east 2035. HNEI also leads GridSTART (Grid System Marine Center two years or west coast.” Technologies Advanced Research Team) which ago, Lopez was the depu- –Anita Lopez, Director of Research Vessel Operations is focused on the integration and analysis of ty director of Operations energy technologies and power systems, includ- at the Office of Marine ing smart grid and micro grid applications. and Aviation Operations and deputy director That same year, Ross Barnes, marine opera- of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps for tions superintendent of the UH Marine Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin- was honored by HDOT Harbors Division as istration (NOAA). She was responsible for the Tenant Environmental Manager of the Year. operations of NOAA’s nine aircraft and sixteen The DOT, annual award recognizes exemplary research vessel fleet and approximately 1,000 environmental and safety practices, in addition employees operating across the country. A to continued efforts to implement and maintain seasoned mariner, she has had over nine years post-construction best management practices. of underway shipboard bridge experience and Barnes recently retired in March 2020, after 41 sailed as captain of the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton years of dedicated and exemplary service to UH. Sette, a fisheries research vessel homeported at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. End of an era, looking ahead In her leadership role at the UH Marine to the future Center, Lopez is focusing on providing world- In late 2019, the 223-foot R/V Ka‘imikai-O- class support and services to mission partners, Kanaloa was retired from service. Affectionate- meeting all research mission objectives, invest- ly known to many as the K-O-K, the ship joined ing in her team, and ensuring operations are the fleet of UH marine expeditionary research conducted safely and efficiently. “We have an vessels on January 15, 1994. Since then, K-O-K amazing team of professional mariners, techni- was used extensively across the Pacific Ocean cians, and administrative staff that love what on a variety of missions that included sub- they do and enjoy being part of contributing mersible operations, deployment of deep-sea to the learning of our environment and ensur- moorings, hydrographic surveys and studies of ing the sustainability of our natural resources,” marine biology, chemistry and climate change. said Lopez. “The University of Hawai‘i is best positioned Her experiences working in Hawaiian regionally to provide research vessel services waters, including the Papahanaumokuakea to federal, state and private entities without Marine National Monument, and sharing the having the carbon footprint impacts of repo- opportunities of research and science with sitioning like vessels from the east or west local children inspired her to return to Hawai‘i coast,” said Lopez. “With the retirement of the to contribute to the education of the state’s K-O-K, a search for a new research vessel has youth, as well as provide world-class research Facing page: R/V Kilo Moana Credit: UH begun. We have a perfect opportunity to invest vessel services for the research community. in the state’s infrastructure and provide anoth- “I am thrilled about returning to Hawai‘i top: Brian Taylor, UH Mānoa SOEST Dean; Senator Lorraine Inouye; Darrell Young, er world-class platform to meet the demand and excited about being a part of the many ser- HDOT Harbors Division Deputy Director; for ocean exploration, deep-sea biodiversity vices we provide for the research community Kahu Hailama Farden perform the ceremonial and climate research.” and the state,” she added. untying of the maile lei at the new facility at Pier 35. Credit: HDOT

middle: Research Associate Meagan Putts trains in ROV piloting procedures, as her instructor Max Cremer looks on. Credit: Taylor Griffith

Bottom, left: Senior Marine Technician Jeff Koch teaches young students how to tie knots on the back deck. Credit: Taylor Griffith

bottom, right: The 6000m-rated ROV Lu‘ukai i is deployed from the R/V Kilo Moana for another sampling and data collection mission.

NOELO 2020 | 13 Health and wellness

3D Scanning for Better Health on Earth and Possibly… in Space

“ Magic Mirror on the wall, who’s the ways to measure health and body composition For decades, simple metrics such as waist fairest of them all?” is the famous ques- from the images. These technologies take a circumference and hip circumference have tion posed by the Evil Queen to her talking look inside areas of the human body hidden been used by the medical profession as pow- mirror in Disney’s fairy tale Snow White and by skin and bones. Researchers will test if erful predictors of cardiovascular disease and the Seven Dwarfs. While the vain Evil Queen new imaging machines can provide useful and diabetes — using a single hypothesis. Shepherd’s may have not liked all of its replies, people may detailed information about various health and research takes this to the next level by incor- want the truth from their mirrors — as these or wellness risks. porating machine learning to characterize how other devices may soon be able to accurately “With these data, we can do some amazing one person’s body differs from their peers in assess a person’s health through the image things including modeling body shape chang- fine detail, down to the millimeter, and looks it sees. es due to loss or gain of muscle and fat,” said into multiple hypotheses of related cancer risks At the forefront of this research is John Shepherd, who serves as principal investigator or other medical conditions associated with the Shepherd, an epidemiology researcher at the of the study, that also includes the University variation. “That’s very different than saying I University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center (UH Cancer of Washington Computer Science Department, have a specific measurement for this condition Center), who along with his team, are leading the Louisiana State University’s Pennington Bio- or for that condition,” added Shepherd. development of novel tools and techniques to medical Research Center and the University The research conducted by Shepherd and derive clinical health information obtained by of California at San Francisco. “The findings this team could lead to other advances in the 3D body scanners through the Shape Up! Study from these studies will empower researchers, near future, including a realistic “magic mir- funded by the National Institutes of Health. clinicians, and even consumers to measure and ror” in the home. For example, by comparing “Human body shape is an intuitive marker monitor their body shape and health.” images taken daily by a 3D optical scanner, it of health,” said Shepherd. “We envision that is possible for the mirror to passively detect monitoring body shape when exercising, or The Modern Era of Machine subtle body changes like an increase in face or changing your diet gives you more useful Learning/Artificial Intelligence (AI) neck width, or even an increase in body size. If feedback than change in weight on a scale, and “There are strong signatures in our body shape a certain established threshold is crossed, the will help people be more successful with their that is related to things we’ve done in the past, mirror might suggest to the individual about lifestyle changes, live healthier and live longer.” how we eat, our exercise levels and also our the possible risk of high blood pressure and Under the study, full-body 3D optical scans risk factors for cancer,” said Shepherd. “What that their pressure should be checked through of 720 adults and 720 children are being taken my work does is to bring that into the modern an attached cuff. The pressure reading is then at high spatial resolution to explore and develop era of machine learning.” tied to the observable change and catalogued for future assessments. If subsequent readings indicate that the person is on a bad pathway, either a note to contact a physician could be generated or a direct notification to a physician could be sent.

Applications of 3D Scans in Space While Shepherd’s research is very important on terra firma, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is looking to harness this type of technology for its future planned missions to the Moon and eventually Mars — and they’ve turned to Shepherd and his team at the UH Cancer Center to assist. On long-duration space flights, musculo- skeletal changes primarily from acclimation to a microgravity environment can cause a loss of over 30 percent of muscle mass in less than six months. Astronauts on long-duration space flights share frailty characteristics of sarcopenia, cachexia and even osteoporosis, increasing the risk of bone fractures and loss of function — conditions that would endanger crew safety and put missions in jeopardy. The

14 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i “This research is incredibly novel as it will lead to the development of new methods for measuring body composition for astronauts in space who are prone to muscle and bone loss, but it also has direct applications to cancer patients who may suffer from a similar condition called cancer cachexia.” –Randall Holcombe, UH Cancer Center Director

most intuitive warning sign of this functional to changes in body shape. Part of the team’s decline is physical changes in appearance or research is to monitor frailty risks using 3D body shape. scans with the necessary adjustments to Due to his research expertise in body com- compensate for the fluid redistribution. position and shape analysis, NASA’s Translation- al Research Institute for Space Health awarded A New Area in Cancer Research a grant to Shepherd’s ASTRO3DO study that Measurement of body composition is a relative- was designed to measure body composition on ly new area in cancer research that has direct long-duration space flights. Shepherd and this implications for understanding how obesity team will monitor frailty risk using 3D whole and body shape contribute to the development body optical scans and create a space-feasible cancer and its outcomes. prototype for microgravity testing. “This research is incredibly novel as it will “Because astronauts lose muscle mass lead to the development of new methods from the effects of microgravity, they need for measuring body composition for astro- to be able to have direct feedback on the nauts in space who are prone to muscle and quality of their muscles and bones in flight,” bone loss, but it also has direct applications to said Shepherd. “With the technology our team cancer patients who may suffer from a similar develops, we hope the astronauts can modify condition called cancer cachexia,” said UH FACING PAGE: Dr. John Shepherd and his team

their nutrition and adjust their training to Cancer Center Director Randall Holcombe. Left: Dr. Shepherd explains the BodPod procedure minimize the expected muscle loss.” “The research findings by Dr. Shepherd and to a subject while a lab staffer sets up While current 3D optical scan models can his team may eventually be utilized to better the subject profile. accurately estimate bone and body compo- understand and prevent cancer-related muscle Right, top: Dr. Shepherd scans a subject on a dual sition on Earth, they are not acclimated for wasting and improve the quality of life for energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) system. space. Due to microgravity, extracellular fluids cancer patients.” right, bottom: Sample of a full-body optical in the body tend to redistribute around the 3D scan body depending on body position leading Credit: UH Cancer Center

NOELO 2020 | 15 Sustainable Ecosystems and Energy

Iconic Watercress Farm Aids UH Sustainability Research

Once a preferred swimming pool of is one of only a handful of watercress farms a great synergy of ideas and information that Hawaiian ali‘i, the Kalauao Spring on the remaining in Hawai‘i. would never have been possible without their island of O‘ahu today continues to supply In 2017, the Sumida family began to col- generational accounts of lived experiences on millions of gallons of clean, fresh water to the laborate with members of UH Mānoa’s ‘Ike Wai the farm.” Pearl Harbor region. But changes to the envi- research group to investigate changes they Barbara Sumida kept detailed hand-written ronment, climate and continued development were observing in their crops. Third-generation records of watercress yields over the years — of the surrounding areas has put into question siblings Barbara and David Sumida had been bundles harvested, sales prices, delivery loca- its sustainability. A unique partnership between running the farm for decades, and had seen tions and notes regarding weather conditions, the multigenerational Sumida Farm family and their share of challenges, including invasions of pest infestations and fertilizing schedules. researchers from the University of Hawai‘i at the diamondback moth and aster yellows This treasure trove of time-series data about Mānoa (UH Mānoa) is using novel methods to disease. But now, they were starting to wonder the crop history formed the basis of a 25-year study the past, present and future of this frag- about the clean fresh spring water that was the retrospective trend analysis conducted by ile resource. source of their livelihood. Was it experiencing University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Since 1928 when Makiyo and Moriichi Sum- pollution from the surrounding urban devel- Organization (UHERO) Economists Kimberly ida started watercress farming near Kalauao opment? Were the springs getting saltier from Burnett and Christopher Wada, along with Spring, the Pearl Harbor area has transitioned sea level rise? And why were the crops dying off economics graduate student Nate DeMaagd, from small family farms, to plantation agricul- during the hottest summer months? that compared harvest data to factors such as ture, to today’s densely urban landscape that Funding secured by Hawai‘i Institute of groundwater pumping, rainfall, air tempera- includes the Pearl Ridge Shopping Center, Geophysics and Planetology affiliate Jennifer ture and the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI). As military installations, condominiums, strip malls Engels from an Active Societal Participation in expected, watercress yields were negatively and now, the Honolulu Rail Transit system. Research and Education (ASPIRE) grant, and correlated with high temperatures, increases Throughout these changes, the Sumidas’ 11 ‘Ike Wai, allowed a multi-disciplinary team of to the ONI and the presence of pests. acres of bright green watercress fields have UH Mānoa researchers to work side by side Next the UH Mānoa team worked to been cultivated in much the same way as they with the Sumida family to discover the past, collect monthly water samples from spring were more than 90 years ago — hand-planted, present and future sustainability of their water locations across the farm — mauka (mountain), hand-harvested, and hand-washed to weekly resource using a mixed-methods approach. middle, and makai (ocean). Earth Sciences produce four to five tons of the nutritious “This deep dive into the history of the farm Professor Henrietta Dulai tested samples for traditional crop that O‘ahu’s families and chefs uncovered some very surprising insights,” said the presence of chemicals that pass through have loved for generations. Sumida Farm sup- Engels. “The close partnership between the the human body into cesspools, including plies 70 percent of the state’s watercress, and UH Mānoa team and the Sumidas resulted in estrogen and caffeine — that surprisingly, were below detection limits. Usually, agricultural chemicals from the plantation era tend to linger for decades, including the pesticides atrazine and DDT — however, they too were below detection limits, indicating that Kalauao Spring’s source has been geologically isolated from human pollutants. Dulai also looked for sea level rise-induced saltwater intrusion and found that the makai side of the farm is starting to show trace amounts of salt — a concerning omen for the future. Geographer Leah Bremer of UHERO and the Water Resource Research Center and Depart- ment of Urban and Regional Studies graduate student Pi‘ilani Smith interviewed the Sumida family and researched local press to get insight into the resilience of the Sumidas’ watercress farm despite the pressures of urbanization that have made other small farms obsolete around the islands. What did the Sumidas do differ- ently? What is special about Kalauao Spring? How has the community supported and valued

16 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i “The close partnership between the UH Mānoa FAcing page: Watercress at Sumida Farm Credit: Jennifer Engels team and the Sumidas resulted in a great synergy of Left: Henrietta Dulai measures salinity in the spring water at the center of Sumida Farm, where salt encroachment due to sea level rise is being closely ideas and information that would never have been monitored. credit: Jennifer Engels possible without their generational accounts of Right: Sheree Watson and graduate student Catherine Hudson collect microbiological samples to study the effect of nutrient cycling on watercress lived experiences on the farm.” health. credit: Jennifer Engels –Jennifer Engels, HIGP Affiliate Bottom: Sumida Farm Credit: Corey Rothwell

NOELO 2020 | 17 Sustainable Ecosystems and Energy

As urban areas expand around the world, there are growing efforts to restore and protect natural and agricultural systems for “….Then the group the services they provide to urban communities, finally reached the waters of Kahuawai in Kalauao, such as crop production, flood prevention and and there they swam for nutrient retention. a long time. The visitors felt nothing but admira- tion for the beauty and the this family enterprise such that it is still viable? coolness of the swimming pools that belonged It turns out that thousands of community mem- to this chiefess …” – William Uaua, 1870 bers, from school children to senior citizens to As urban areas expand around the world, celebrity chefs, have been welcomed to Sumida there are growing efforts to restore and pro- farm over the past several decades… tect natural and agricultural systems for the “…It’s very important to the community, espe- services they provide to urban communities, cially the old timers that remember when it was such as crop production, flood prevention all sugarcane…Yeah, besides the value of the crop, and nutrient retention. Team member Sheree it has the social value, it’s probably more valuable Watson, now a Science & Technology Policy that we’ll figure it out how to do it. Now the than the crop...” – David Sumida, 2018 Fellow with the American Association for the next generation needs to figure out how to “…As we drove to Sumida Farms, Chef Mavro Advancement of Science, discovered that the do it, because they have a different view that lit up as he told me about the farm which he Sumidas’ watercress crop provides important I don’t have...and I think the community would described as the “most magical place on the water quality protection by removing biore- be really mad if this got bulldozed over.” island.” If you are a chef who concentrates on active nitrogen, a non-point source pollutant In an unfortunate and heartbreaking turn local sourcing, then an 86-year-old watercress that impacts ecosystem function and threatens of events, Barbara Sumida passed away in farm seems like a good choice to give the badge human health, as occurs in natural wetlands. In February of this year. Although her presence of “most magical…” – Huffington Post, 2017 addition, the Millennium Ecosystem Assess- is deeply missed, her spirit and legacy remain Institute for Hawaiian Language Research ment highlights the importance of urban strong. Her brother David, now joined by the and Translation researcher ‘Ano‘ilani Aga and her ecosystems to mental health, sense of place, fourth generation of Sumida farmers, Emi and students conducted an extensive place name and heritage and aesthetic values in a com- Kyle, are continuing their partnership with UH search of the Papakilo newspaper database to munity. The question is, will these social and Mānoa’s research team. Their goal is to adapt better understand the way that the spring and cultural values of Sumida Farm allow the farm and evolve the farm in response to changing surrounding areas were used and valued in the to persist into the future? Barbara Sumida environmental and social needs so they can past, and found more than 500 entries… believes they will. continue to nourish the islands and serve the “...It was she [Kala‘imanuia] who made Pa‘aiau, “We’ve all been really lucky to have man- community. The Sumida legacy is certainly Opu, and Kapa‘akea to be fishponds for herself; aged to get through every disaster that came alive and well, as the family farm continues to she also made large kalo terraces in Kalauao to along, whether it was the diamondback moth sustain its community in more ways than one. supply herself with food. The land around O‘ahu or the aster yellows — and now the change in yielded in abundance through much cultivation food safety laws,” said Sumida. “We’ve always [during her time]...” – Samuel Kamakau, 1865 been optimistic in that way and always thought

This article is dedicated to the memory of Barbara Masae Sumida, July 3, 1954 – February 14, 2020

ABove: Sumida Farm employees hand plant, harvest and prepare watercress for market the same way for more than 90 years. Credit: Corey Rothwell

LEFT: The ASPIRE working group from UH and Sumida Farm gathers to share stories and watercress. Left to right: Jennifer Engels, David Sumida, Barbara Sumida, Sheree Watson, Kimberly Burnett, ‘Ano‘ilani Aga, Leah Bremer and Henrietta Dulai. credit: Deborah Southern

18 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i Digital Economy AND Civil Infrastructure Security

As today’s fast-paced, high-tech world demands even more, technology is being pushed towards the seamless integration of computers into the surrounding environment through an approach known as Ambient Computing.

UH Mānoa’s Ambient Lab Shaping the Future of Interactive Computing

There was a time when computers took on a smartphone or smartwatch. As today’s up an entire room, ran inefficiently fast-paced, high-tech world demands even and were not very user-friendly. Since more, technology is being pushed towards then, computers have evolved into small, the seamless integration of computers into powerful, cost-efficient and easy to use tools the surrounding environment through an that have changed our understanding of the approach known as Ambient Computing. world around us and the universe beyond. Ambient Computing technologies often The computing power provided by the cur- perform computational tasks without a direct rent generation of servers, laptops, tablets, command from the user, resulting in interac- smartphones and connected devices has trans- tions that can occur without the user’s knowl- formed society into one that has become quite edge. Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant dependent on technology and the convenience are current examples of Ambient Computing it provides. devices that turn on lights, play songs or pro- However, this convenience still requires a vide the weather report in response to spoken certain level of input from human operators commands issued to the environment itself. to perform operations and complete tasks. As Ambient Computing progresses, technolo- Whether searching for a nearby restaurant gies like motion tracking, gestures, voice on Google or adjusting a Nest thermostat to recognition, artificial intelligence and others Carlson’s IoT course provides each student further cool the room, these actions must will be incorporated to achieve an increasingly with Raspberry Pi computers. still be keyed in or programmed manually seamless interplay of devices and services.

NOELO 2020 | 19 Digital Economy AND Civil Infrastructure Security

Ambient Computer Lab Projects

(a) Device (b) Distribution of electrodes Telepresence Mixed Reality Intection Brain Controlled Dynamic Simulation-based Robot Collaboration Contact Tracing Robotics Projection Mirror Learning Web-controllable Interactive Interactive proximity Control system Articulating projector Augmented robotics platform Augmented Reality data visualization for for robotic arms based lens mirror system Reality platform for with integrated simulation sharing for anyalyzing and tracking on Brain Computer with network-based dynamic eLearning media streaming for medical training hospital acquired Interface and control for advanced content (HoloLens and telepresence applications (JABSOM collaboration) infections microcontrollers projection mapping Mobile AR)

Ambient Computing technologies often perform computational tasks without a direct command from the user, resulting Media study program, which award-winning research track on interactive in interactions that can occur without trains students and working pro- environments was an essential piece of the the user’s knowledge. fessionals in the areas of video puzzle to help us achieve that goal.” game development, virtual and Carlson’s appointment complements ACM augmented reality, and digital System’s ongoing support of UH Professor The Ambient Computing Laboratory at storytelling and filmmaking. Jason Leigh’s Laboratory for Advanced Visu- the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa’s College of “These new forms of digital content are alization & Applications (LAVA) at UH Mānoa. Engineering develops advanced cyber-physical causing seismic shifts in media consumption Since 2014, LAVA has served as a dynamic systems that combine interactive multimedia habits and consumer behavior worldwide,” maker space and innovation hub at UH, where with the unique research possibilities offered said Carlson. “Incredibly, the video game and researchers develop a wide range of big data by the billions of connected devices that are interactive media industries are estimated visualization techniques for science, engineer- increasingly connected to the Internet. This to surpass $300 billion in global revenue by ing and training. LAVA also forms the core of evolution of the Internet, known as the Inter- 2025 — dwarfing mainstream entertainment the Hawai’i Data Science Institute, which serves net of Things (IoT), is well underway, with the sectors, such as television, music, and film.” the data intensive science, engineering and current 20 billion connected devices projected Recognizing the strategic value of this training needs of UH System’s 10 campuses. to surpass 75 billion devices by the year 2025. ongoing digital transformation, ACM System’s Carlson initially designed two innova- “Our students develop novel algorithms, Founder and Director, Chris Lee, has spent over tive courses that incorporate engineering, frameworks and approaches for building IoT fifteen years developing Hawai’i as a center of computer science and design. His first course ‘Smart Spaces’ that will power next-genera- excellence in media. Lee, who previously served teaches students how to build smart, connect- tion computing environments,” said Electri- as president of production for both TriStar ed products using IoT technology and Cloud cal Engineering Assistant Professor Darren Pictures and Columbia Pictures, established Computing. During the semester, students Carlson, the cyber-physical systems expert ACM System in 2003 to promote integrated form “mini start-ups” and create prototype IoT who founded and directs the Ambient Lab. multimedia, arts, and technology education in systems that are presented during a simulated “These environments are physical locations Hawai’i as a catalyst for creating 21st century venture capital pitch event on the last day of infused with sensors, embedded computers knowledge-based jobs across the islands. Lee class. His second course covers the advanced and intelligently coordinated network services has been instrumental raising the public and programming techniques used to build video that provide users with digitally augmented private capital needed to fund its activities, games, virtual reality systems and interactive experiences that are responsive, adaptive and building initiatives, and attracting visionary installations. This course supports UH degree personalized.” researchers — like Carlson to UH in 2016. programs and is also part of the UH’s upcom- The Ambient Lab’s research focuses on “With the current industry shift toward ing Creative Computational Media Certificate, several Hawai’i-specific needs, such as remote interactive media, one of my goals is to fuse which brings together students and faculty collaboration, distance education and connected computer engineering with new forms of digi- from the Ambient Lab, LAVA, UHM Animation healthcare. Together with UH System’s Acad- tal design and interactive entertainment,” said and even UH Mānoa’s Department of Theatre emy for Creative Media (ACM System), the lab Lee. “Darren’s globally recognized expertise and Dance. also helps foster UH’s emerging Computational in cyber-physical systems coupled with his “The Ambient Lab’s core research area

20 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i addresses the critical fragmentation challeng- engine, which supports context-aware device es that threaten the IoT’s existence as an open discovery, plug-in based adaptation and service ecosystem,” said Carlson. “Although connected orchestration. devices and network connectivity are becom- Building on these techniques, the Ambient ing ubiquitous, a historic lack of open protocol Lab is also creating an advanced Smart Space standards and fierce competition for market framework that can be used to build a variety dominance is rapidly fragmenting the IoT at of digitally augmented physical environments the application layer — creating a patchwork using next-generation Edge Computing. “Edge of isolated walled gardens with limited reach.” Computing refers to a paradigm in which the To unify wide-area IoT interactions, the resources of a small data center are strategi- LEFT: Hybrid video game development course Ambient Lab is developing an adaptive mobile cally placed at the edge of the Internet,” said taught in collaboration with UH West O‘ahu computing framework, called Ambient Dyna- Carlson. “By offloading processor and memory and Honolulu Community College. mix, which enables diverse connected devices intensive tasks to powerful servers situated right, top: Assistant Professor Darren and network services to work together across at the network edge, connected device appli- Carlson, PhD

IoT ecosystem boundaries. Dynamix provides cations enjoy fast response times, stable right, bottom: Joseph McConnell an open plug-and-play architecture that allows bandwidth characteristics and a lower risk of demostrates his team’s IoT “life remote” for the dynamic integration of new algorithms, connection loss.” project. connected device support and third-party This new framework, called Ambient Edge, software at runtime. enhances traditional Edge Computing tech- After installing Dynamix, mobile users can niques with proactive service staging, plug-and- simply “walk up and use” almost any nearby play device integration, real-time messaging, connected device using their smartphone or automatic task offloading and seamless hando- tablet — regardless of its network, vendor ver between Smart Spaces. The Ambient Lab is or IoT ecosystem. As users change locations, also building a visual programming extension Dynamix automatically discovers the avail- for Ambient Edge, which will enable designers able IoT devices and services nearby and then without extensive programming knowledge to deploys the plug-ins needed to communicate build a variety of immersive systems, including with them over-the-air at runtime. As users interactive installations, enhanced learning interact with new physical environments, Dyna- spaces, digitally augmented architecture and mix automatically models the encountered net- projection mapping that turns any surface into works, services and connected devices at scale, an interactive video display. by transforming the growing community of learn more about the Ambient Lab at: Dynamix-enabled mobile clients into a distrib- http://ambientlabs.org uted IoT crowd-sensing platform — aggregat- ing the scanned results into the lab’s IoT search

NOELO 2020 | 21 Digital Economy AND Civil Infrastructure Security

GenCyber Hawai‘i

Preparing Today’s Youth to Protect Tomorrow’s Cyber Future

Disney. Toyota. Facebook. Google. Citi. cyber-savvy students ready to enter the work- Advanced Technical Training (PCATT), Hawai‘i They all share the mantle of being some of the force in this critical area. Department of Education, CyberHawaii and world’s most influential, recognizable and prof- One such effort is the GenCyber Program, the Maui Economic Development Board. Since itable companies. Unfortunately, they along a national movement to increase interest in 2015, the program known locally as GenCyber with many other Fortune 500 companies also cybersecurity careers for students and teach- Hawai‘i, has hosted 25 student camps and 25 share a more dubious commonality — they ers, while diversifying the cybersecurity work- teacher camps that have engaged and enriched have all been the victims of a cyberattack. force in the United States. The mission is 683 K-12 students and 701 K-12 teachers from While companies have invested in robust simple: to ensure that enough young people across the state. cybersecurity protection measures, the sheer are interested and inspired to direct their “The GenCyber Hawai‘i camps are an impor- numbers of bad actors ranging from hostile talents into this vital field of protecting the tant first introduction for students to learn foreign governments to the teenage hacker country’s national and economic security in an about information technology and cybersecu- operating out of his/her bedroom — have made internet-connected space. rity in a fun, hands-on and engaging learning it increasing difficult for cybersecurity experts In Hawai‘i, the statewide effort led by environment,’ said Jodi Ito, chief information to stay ahead of the curve. To combat this the University of Hawai‘i in partnership with security officer for the University of Hawai‘i and ever growing threat, it has become paramount the National Security Agency (NSA), National lead coordinator of GenCyber Hawai‘i. “For the to educate and create a new generation of Science Foundation (NSF), Pacific Center for teachers, it provides them with the necessary

22 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i The mission is simple: to ensure that enough young people are interested and inspired roadmap, tools and curriculum to help them science,” said one student. to direct their talents into this vital field of prepare their students for a potential future in “Every day I looked forward protecting the country’s national and economic this vital, high-demand field.” to camp because I know security in an internet-connected space. Prior experience in cybersecurity is not that I will be constantly needed to participate in GenCyber Hawai‘i and developing my skills not the camps are offered at no cost to participants only in the realm of cybersecurity, but also soft with funding provided jointly by the NSA and skills such as collaborating with others.” the NSF. Topics include introductions to cyber- For teachers, GenCyber Hawai‘i serves as a security, how the internet works, networking, professional development course that enables cyber forensics, computer science, and cryptog- them to provide their students with the neces- raphy. Additionally, students learn about being sary tools to become safe and responsible users a good digital citizen, cybersecurity ethics, of the internet. Teaching materials provided cyber hygiene, spotting fraud and phishing are aligned with the appropriate standards, attacks, and group problem solving exercises includes lesson plans, technology starter kits, that closely simulates the teamwork often nec- classroom project ideas, and access to a Gen- essary as a cybersecurity analyst. Cyber teacher network to help with additional

Another highlight at the GenCyber Hawai‘i resources and promote collaborative efforts. camp is the mini career and education fair. This As a result, GenCyber-trained teachers are now right: GenCyber Hawai’i participants using popular event allows both parents and stu- better prepared and equipped to help students their teambuilding skills for a networking dents to learn more about cybersecurity and develop clear avenues to post-secondary edu- activity for camp. the different career opportunities available cational opportunities and career pathways. Left: GenCyber Hawai’i participants had the from local employers, such as the NSA, FBI, “Especially in this day and age I cannot honor of hearing from Captain Kurt Mole, Commander of NSA Hawai’i. Hawaiian Telcom, Bank of Hawaii, CIO Council stress enough the importance of the GenCyber of Hawai‘i, University of Hawai‘i and others. Program for Teachers,” said Ken Kang, technol- The one-week camp culminates with an ogy coordinator at Aiea High School and 2017 exciting capture-the-flag type event that has Milken Educator Award recipient. “The lessons participants team up to utilize their newly and hands-on experiences cannot be over- acquired skills to hack and defend their way to stated as a valuable resource for not only my victory. Raspberry Pi, a single-board computer, students, but also for me as an educator and is used throughout the camp to help students my practices with technology and the cyber learn programming skills, build hardware proj- systems around us.” ects, and explore how find ways to secure the Information and registration for future Internet of Things (IoT). Each student is given GenCyber Hawai‘i camps can be accessed at a Raspberry Pi to take home. https://gencyber-hi.org “GenCyber Hawai‘i has allowed me to pur- sue my passion of cybersecurity and computer

NOELO 2020 | 23 Innovation

Cultural Entrepreneurship in Action Kaua‘i Community College Putting Theory into Practice

The distance between Kaua‘i Island, or balance with oneself, others, the land, work Hawai‘i and the country of Jordan and life itself. is just over 8,600 miles. While it may The driving force behind this group of seem like worlds and cultures apart, students talented and highly motivated social entre- at Kaua‘i Community College (Kaua‘i CC) have preneurs is Assistant Professor and Business managed to bridge that gap with a remark- Program Coordinator Dirk Soma, who is him- able virtual collaboration on sustainability and self, a lifelong entrepreneur in the fields of entrepreneurship. hospitality, economic development, education As participants in the Global Solutions and career planning. Soma lives his life by the Sustainability Challenge, a virtual exchange motto, “In life it’s not what you acquire, it’s initiative that supports workforce develop- who you inspire.” ment in the U.S., Iraq and Jordan — Kaua‘i CC The true iteration of cultural entrepreneur- international business students joined forces ship came to him when he asked to review a with their counterparts from Al-Balqua Applied white paper on benefits corporations and the University in Jordan to address the following premise to achieve the 3Ps. “I realized there challenge: The technology industry requires was a fourth P missing — it was pono,” said sustainable development that meets the needs Soma, who is of Native Hawaiian ancestry. “For of the present without compromising future me, cultural entrepreneurship has to incor- generations. How can we create greater sus- porate preserving and perpetuating a set of tainability in the technology industry through values, norms and practices of a distinct com- the three pillars: people, planet and profit? munity and/or place — whether it’s Kaua‘i, Jor- Team Jordwaiian, as they were aptly named, dan or someplace in between.” developed a pitch to address the problem of By incorporating the value of pono into e-waste and the growing digital divide though the standard 3P sustainable business model of the creation of business concept company planet, people and profit used by benefits cor- called E-Waste Not, Want Not, Inc. (EWNWN). porations, Soma’s tweak to create a 4P model Under the plan, several for-profit divisions of closely aligns it with the ancient Hawaiian land the company would extract and resell pre- management system known as the Ahupua‘a, cious metals in the electronics, create and sell a system of land division that runs from the 3D printer filament and process repurposed mountains to the sea, that created an equi- materials to the construction industry for build- table, self-sustaining ecosystem for each ruling ing materials and road paving. Concurrently, chief. As a result, the existing business model EWNWN’s community benefits division would canvas was transformed into the Kānaka provide refurbished mobile phones, computers (Native Hawaiian) Kanvas (see graphic). and youth-led training programs to ensure that “On Kaua‘i, and to a certain extent in seniors and the less-fortunate individuals have Hawai‘i, there is a sort of mindset that we have access and knowledge to stay in touch with the to look to the mainland or other countries for rapidly changing technological world. best practices and new ideas,” said Soma. “The The team advanced through the first round creation of Kānaka Kanvas has helped our stu- against 17 bi-national teams and was one of six dents to shed that particular point a view and selected to make their final pitch this past April to take a deeper look at the great resources we in a virtual business exposition, placing third have on island and in our state.” and receiving the audience favorite award. As a result, a small but important startup Although Team Jordwaiian did not win the ecosystem is beginning to take root in this competition, the Kaua‘i CC students were able sleepy island community of just over 71,000 to share with their Jordanian teammates and residents — one that has recognized that it fellow competitors the concept of pono, the must develop a diversified and sustainable Hawaiian term of being in a state of harmony economy to weather tourism fluctuations,

24 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i “For me, cultural entrepreneurship has to incorporate preserving and perpetuating a set of values, norms and practices of a distinct community and/or place — whether it’s Kaua‘i, Jordan or someplace in between.” –Dirk Soma, Assistant Professor, Kaua‘i CC

LEFT: The Kanaka Kanvas© created by Dirk Soma serves as a platform to teach entrepreneurship.

including the September 2001 terrorist attacks competition sponsored by HP Life last Octo- skill sets to enable students to become business and the current COVID-10 pandemic, to ensure ber, students were tasked with providing a owners. The project envisions using a 40-acre that there are sufficient jobs at living wages to solution to a local challenge faced around the portion of the campus to allow students to prevent its youth from leaving to pursue oppor- UN Sustainability Goal 14 — Providing Quality design and develop a community that incorpo- tunities elsewhere. Education. With their proposal to provide free rates sustainability in every stage from building The following highlight some of the recent housing for up to two years at Kaua‘i hotels materials, to renewable energy, aqua- and hydro- accomplishments and national entrepreneurial and condos as an incentive to help recruit and ponics and a zero-waste management program. awards earned by Soma’s program and students: retain local teachers, students Meagan Luoma One of the competition judges has already and Meghann Matsuda-Blaylock from Soma’s reached out to link Kaua‘i CC’s project with HI Joe! marketing class captured second place and the international partner and in January of this Introduced in the fall 2019 semester, students audience favorite award at the National Asso- year, Kaua‘i CC received $16,000.00 for the from Soma’s entrepreneurial classes worked ciation for Community College Entrepreneur- project from a donor on the island. together to create a pop-up coffee tent at the ship (NACCE) national conference. “Dirk Soma and his students have really Kaua‘i Community Famer’s Market to provide “This was an innovative and out-of-the- put together quite an amazing cultural entre- only 100 percent Hawai‘i grown and roasted box solution to reduce the main barrier [high preneurship program that emphasizes the coffees that will perpetuate sustainability and cost of housing] to keeping our teaching talent importance of incorporating a sense of place provide incremental income to local coffee home,” said Soma. “By utilizing existing lodging and local values to increase its relevancy and producers. Biodegradable coffee cups, lids and inventory on island, this plan could be rapidly connection to the community, “said Kaua‘i CC stirrers are used and all coffee grounds are deployed and just as rapidly, make an immedi- Chancellor Joseph Daisy. “The awards, accolades added to the campus compost bins. Students ate impact in both the classroom and in the and attention that the entrepreneurial pro- staffed one of three teams that included — community.” gram has recently garnered is a source of great Marketing and Promotions, Operations and Remarkably, six student teams from Soma’s pride for our campus, our island and the state.” Logistics, and Finance and Accounting. class entered the competition and all six “Professor Soma was great to come up with teams made it to the top 20, with the team of this idea of business, because it was relatively Luoma and Matsuda-Blaylock making it to the simple to start, had all the difficulties of a busi- final five. Facing page, Top to Bottom: ness and we were able to learn a lot practicing 1) Students from the Marketing for Small Business what we learned in class,” said student Anna Ratcliffe Pitch for the Trades course created and facilitated the Kaua‘i CC Student Pitch Competition during National Lammotte. “It also showed us the need that At the same NACCE conference, Kaua‘i CC’s Entrepreneurship Week. Kaua‘i has for more entrepreneurs and small Sustainable Building Construction Technology 2) Students and faculty from the Starting a Small businesses, as people want to be able to spend proposal was awarded $15,000 from the Philip Business course at the HI Joe! pop-up tent at the their money in great products and experiences.” E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation as part of Kaua‘i Community Market. Success has come rapidly to the startup, another nation-wide contest, the 2019 Pitch 3) Dirk Soma accepts Kauai CC’s $15,000 award as the farmer’s market wants HI Joe! to be a Competition for the Trades. from the Ratcliffe Foundation Pitch for the Trades regular vendor, Kaua‘i CC has asked them to Developed by Soma, Kaua‘i CC Trades Divi- competition at NACCE. consider an on-campus kiosk, team members sion Chair Gordon Talbo and Carpentry Program 4) Students from the Survey of International are considering a brick and mortar location in a Instructor Duke Lang, their “Back 40” Smart & Business course collaborate virtually with their shopping mall, and Intuit Education has express Sustainable Community (B40 S&SC) proposal counterparts from Al-Balqua Applied University during the Global Solutions Sustainability Challenge. interest in rolling out a hands-on HI Joe! com- created a model for a sustainable commu- ponent to their financial management curricu- nity using smart technologies and indigenous 5) Students Meagan Luoma and Meghann Matsuda placed second at the NACCE with their Alaka‘i lum project to give students across the nation knowledge that can be replicated locally, Initiative. access to this experiential learning opportunity. nationally and globally. Credit: Kaua‘i CC In addition to focusing on exposing students Alaka‘i Initiative and existing tradesmen to new construction As participants in the Student Entrepreneur- techniques focusing on sustainability, Kaua‘i ship Challenge: Solutions for a Sustainable Life CC’s project also incorporates entrepreneurship

NOELO 2020 | 25 Innovation

Harnessing Algae for Natural Color and Sustenance

In the seafood section of today’s Until now, natural colorant has been scarce for scalable natural products with sustain- supermarkets, consumers are treated to and expensive. Demand for natural astaxan- able water and land use. The algae achieve brightly lit refrigerated showcases filled with thin is high, but is cost-prohibitive with legacy remarkably high densities in the tanks, drasti- colorful salmon, trout, sea bass, red snapper microalgae production technology. That is cally reducing their water footprint. Producing and shellfish. For the modern seafood shopper, changing with Kuehnle AgroSystems (KAS), natural whole-cell nutrition from algae grown fish color is an important indicator of its quality whose groundbreaking algae-growth technol- in the dark is the company’s forte, with patents and freshness. ogy is positioning the company to become a pending. Significantly, the KAS technology Despite language of “color added” being product leader for natural algae ingredients, substantially improves the unit economics to mandated on labels by the US Department of including astaxanthin in a variety of markets. a point where natural algae can replace syn- Agriculture, most consumers are unaware of Hawaiian microalgae naturally possess thetic or unsustainable ingredients in foods the fact that synthetic color is often added by exceptional concentrations of protective, pig- and other products. feed manufacturers to aquafeeds in order to mented antioxidants to combat the sun’s Kuehnle AgroSystems’ founder, Heidi Kue- mimic the pink of wild catch. Farmed salmon is harsh rays, and these are coaxed out using KAS hnle, PhD, is highly experienced in natural color. a classic example, for without the added color, technologies. However, microalgae have been While a professor in the College of Tropical it is gray. dependent on sunlight-driven photosynthesis Agriculture and Human Resources at the Uni- The group of chemical compounds respon- in order to grow, which makes it difficult to pro- versity of Hawai’i at Mānoa, her lab’s research sible for seafood pigmentation is known as duce the very large volumes needed for feed for over 20 years focused on flower color xanthophyll carotenoids, and includes astaxan- and food materials. KAS discovered how to nur- among orchids and anthuriums. Her research, thin, lutein and canthaxanthin; the primary one ture algae to grow efficiently in total darkness which has resulted in over 80 publications is astaxanthin (pronounced “asta-ZAN-thin”). and to quickly produce high amounts energy including two co-authored books, led Kuehnle With the exception of organic seafood, the and nutrition compounds along with useful to study pigment biology found in single-celled astaxanthin in farmed food is predominantly carotenoids. This method allows the algae to organisms such as microalgae. synthetic, a relatively inexpensive petrochemi- be grown fermentation-style, indoors in food- Pigments not only provide color, but they cal made to substitute for natural astaxanthin grade stainless steel tanks similar to beer vats are a source of biologically active compounds found in microalgae and other organisms in the in breweries. for healthy anti-oxidants and anti-inflammato- food chain. In this way, KAS practices “vertical farming” ries delivered as dietary supplements and for

26 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i Significantly, the KAS technology substantially improves the unit economics topical use in cosmetics. For Kuehnle, the for- the HATCH accelerator to a point where natural algae can replace mation of a company was the next logical step program in Singapore. synthetic or unsustainable ingredients in in order to steer her cell technology out of the While not yet in the foods and other products. lab and towards commercial applications. market, their products Helping in that transition is HATCH, a ven- are garnering a lot of ture capital firm that runs the world’s first and attention from feed manufacturers and also only aquaculture accelerator program. HATCH from food supplement distributors eager to invests in companies that provide technologi- meet growing consumer demand for natural cal solutions to industry challenges while pro- nutritional ingredients that conserve water and viding better and more sustainable products. land resources. This unique program is in partnership with the KAS’s dedicated team of scientists has also Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority succeeded in using the same fermentation pro- (NELHA), the Hawaii Strategic Development cess for producing a tasty protein-rich whole

Corporation and the University of Hawai‘i’s UH algae food ingredient. Unlike farming cattle Ventures, LLC. or even soybeans, there is no polluting run-off above: Dr. Heidi Kuehnle (center) with scientists Headquartered at the NELHA’s Hawaii and no use of pesticides. “Today’s production Dr. Norie Anne Nolasco and Bob Schurr of Honolulu-based biotechnology company, Kuehnle Ocean Science and Technology Park in Kailua- of protein uses up water and land at levels that AgroSystems. CREDIT: Gordon Wallace Kona on Hawai’i Island, HATCH provides strategic threaten humanity. One ton of our algae pro- advice to KAS and other startups on business tein uses only a fraction of water, with 100- to and financial matters, which includes matching 1000-times less water than soy or beef, respec- products to their ideal markets to maximize tively, and no rainforests need to be cleared for impact. farming”, said Kuehnle. This is shovel-ready “The HATCH accelerator is an exciting technology to help address the need for opportunity to place Hawai‘i on the global aqua- locally-produced protein for the Islands’ food culture innovation map,” said Steve Auerbach, security. Armed with support from the Hawai‘i interim director of the University of Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and engineering Office of Innovation and Commercialization. design, KAS is seeking financing to build its first “It serves as a perfect complement to our vertical farm. growing suite of innovation and entrepreneur- “We could not have arrived where we are ial programs designed to get game-changing without the amazing team from HATCH,” noted UH-based research technologies like Kuehnle Kuehnle. “This was our first experience with a AgroSystems into the marketplace.” business accelerator and I would encourage Having completed participation at HATCH, anyone with an entrepreneurial idea that can KAS’s innovations and natural, non-GMO micro- contribute to the vital industry of aquaculture algae will be finding their way into aquafeeds to explore an opportunity with HATCH.” and foods. In December 2019, their new ingre- dients were announced in the final event of

NOELO 2020 | 27 innovation

While the sheer volume of its fuel capacity is impressive, it was the project’s engineering and design, considered radical and innovative at that time, which ultimately qualified the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility to being named as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1995.

Red Hill: UH Lends its Expertise to an Engineering Marvel

Shrouded in secrecy until the late 1990s, the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility filling the gaps between the steel and rock U.S. Navy’s Red Hill Underground Fuel Stor- to being named as a National Historic Civil with concrete. Since it was anticipated that age Facility on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, Engineering Landmark in 1995. Here are some the concrete would pull away from the rock could arguably be considered as one of the of those key features: as it cured, high-pressure grout was pumped most innovative and unique engineering proj- into the gaps to prestress the lining to prevent ects in the world. Located under a mountain Vertical Tanks cracks and permanently bind the sides of tank ridge about three miles from Joint Base Pearl By building vertical tanks in lieu of horizontally to the surrounding rock wall — fortifying them Harbor-Hickam, the massive facility utilized oriented ones, construction and excavation to withstand the pressure from within the tank novel design and construction techniques for could occur simultaneously — made possible and at the same time, making them almost the 1940s era — that still remain significant in by a vertical shaft drilled through the center- impenetrable to attack from above. today’s modern engineering. line of the tank allowing excavated rock to be funneled down onto a series of conveyor belts Ship in a Bottle History in the lower access tunnel to be taken away As with any aging structure or facility, constant In response to the growing threat of war for use as aggregate. This process eliminated and vigilant maintenance efforts are needed with Japan in the late 1930s, the Roosevelt the need for heavy equipment and a larger to keep the operation in top shape. However, administration authorized the construction of workforce to haul the material away, greatly the Red Hill facility’s unique engineering a top secret underground fuel storage facility reducing the cost of the project and shorten- design poses significant challenges to its in realization that above ground fuel storage ing its timeline for completion. The project upkeep. Since the back of the tanks are liter- tanks made easy targets for enemy air attack. broke ground in December 1940 with the ally imbedded into the rock, visual scans for Up to that point, underground fuel storage for first tank completed in September 1942. The corrosion on the steel walls are impossible. As naval bases involved the utilization of several, remaining 19 tanks were finished a year later, a result, specialty contractors on suspended relatively small 20,000 gallon tanks buried in nine months ahead of schedule and coming in scaffolding inside the tank — similar to those shallow trenches. By comparison, the final at a cost of $43 million dollars. used by window washers, must painstakingly plans of the Red Hill Underground Fuel Stor- and methodically search for corrosion using age Facility, which broke ground on December Gravity-Fed Pipelines hand-held ultrasonic scanners that would 26, 1940, called for the construction of two Since Red Hill is located at a higher elevation detect any thinning of the steel. Repairs are rows of 10 tanks, 250 feet high and 100 feet in relation to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, done by welding new ¼ inch patch plates in diameter, each approximately 110 to 174 three gravity-fed pipelines are used to carry over the affected areas on the inside of the feet below the surface to protect them from bunker and jet fuel for ships and aircraft based tank and to ensure its integrity, undergo bombardment. With a storage capacity of there or for further distribution to U.S. Air stringent testing. approximately 12.5 million gallons in each Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and U.S. Unfortunately, a spill of 27,000 gallons tank, the total fuel storage capacity of the Coast Guard bases on the island. Powered of jet fuel occurred in January 2014 from a Red Hill facility is 250 million gallons, a stag- pumps are used only to transfer fuel between tank that was just put back on line after gering volume that remains unmatched even tanks for routine maintenance or in case of an repairs were completed the previous month — by today’s standards. emergency. catching the attention of public interest groups and regulators, as well as stirring Outside of the Box Engineering “Mined” Into the Mountain public emotion — because the Red Hill facil- While the sheer volume of its fuel capacity is To compensate for the greater hydrostatic ity is built over a vast aquifer that supplies impressive, it was the project’s engineering pressure found inside of a filled vertical tank a good portion of drinking water to greater and design, considered radical and innovative than that of a horizontal tank, engineers lined Honolulu and to a section of Joint Base Pearl at that time, which ultimately qualified the the tank with ¼ inch thick steel plates and Harbor-Hickam.

28 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i A tunnel inside of the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility.

left: Entrance and walkway to one of the 20 12.5 million gallon capacity fuel tanks at Red Hill.

Right: A photo taken in 1942 shows miners standing on scaffolding as they work on one of the 20 caverns constructed for fuel tanks at Red Hill.

Credit: U.S. Navy

Fortunately, the release was contained technology” by 2045 or have the fuel removed not locked into a mountain, with access fur- and did not permeate into the aquifer. The and the facility shut down. ther restricted by a narrow walkway — making following year, officials from the U.S. Navy, One suggestion has been repeatedly it virtually impossible to move large structures U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and brought up is to retrofit the existing tanks in for repairs. the Hawai‘i State Department of Health signed with secondary containment or a double wall. “To some degree, figuring out double- an administrative order of consent (AOC) While this would seem relatively simple, wall equivalency or secondary containment to address the cleanup of the leak. It also existing retrofitting technologies of double- here is akin to building a ship in a bottle,” said required the Navy to research and evaluate wall/secondary containment were designed for Captain Marc R. Delao, commanding officer of methods of upgrades to the Red Hill tanks shorter, above-ground tanks with significantly Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawai‘i. to decrease the threat of future leaks and to lower pressure, making them unsuitable for “There are certainly some engineering chal- upgrade the tanks with the “best available use at the Red Hill facility. Also, most tanks are lenges, but we have some incredibly gifted

NOELO 2020 | 29 INNOVAtion

“Because there is so much emotion surrounding the future of the Red Hill facility, the role of UH as an independent arbiter will hopefully go a long way in ultimately validating the results to bring greater objectivity among all parties involved.” –Brennon Morioka, College of Engineering Dean, UH Ma¯noa

Hueneme, California last December to present “Storage tanks are similar to airplanes, a comprehensive proposal that involves the in that both are both are subjected to inter- College of Engineering and School of Ocean nal pressure and external elements,” said UH and Earth Sciences and Technology at Univer- Mānoa College of Engineering Dean Brennon sity of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UH Mānoa), Applied Morioka. “However, unlike aircraft, access to Research Laboratory at UH (ARL at UH) and the entire structure of the Red Hill tanks is funding by the Office of Naval Research. The not possible, making the reliance on accurate proposal has been funded and work will com- scans of steel — taking into account any effects mence this summer. to the readings by any corrosion products — of “In the current situation, a more careful extreme importance.” long-term, scientific-based strategy is needed Other researchers from the UH Mānoa to achieve a balance between preserving both College of Engineering will also be conducting national security and O‘ahu’s water infrastruc- research on NDT using drones and magnetic ture,” said Syrmos. “By forming a strategic part- robot crawlers for both empty and fuel-sub- nership with UH, the Navy has expressed their merged tanks; inspection of concrete degra- willingness and confidence in our researchers dation; and novel leak detection by analyzing to deliver unbiased assessments, while provid- products of microbial degradation; while the ing the necessary expertise to explore current School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Tech- and future technologies in the areas of corro- nology will further examine geologic conditions sion prevention, surface coatings, groundwater and conduct soil vapor monitoring; while ARL monitoring and double-wall containment.” at UH will be concentrating their efforts on To begin the multi-phase project, corrosion real-time sensor development and display, data research experts from the UH Mānoa College analysis and information assurance work. of Engineering will assess the current situation “We will be developing various sensor pack- of the tanks using data collected by the Navy ages to increase the Navy’s ability to sense the and by performing additional independent environment in and around the tanks,” said analysis. In addition to researching methods to ARL at UH Director Margo Edwards. “Our team measure the minimum thickness of the existing will also be looking at ways to incorporate steel more accurately, they must also devise a machine learning to securely distill data into scientists and engineers working on this from protocol for measuring the in situ corrosion a user-friendly dashboard for the decision- the Navy, industry and now — researchers from rate of the tank wall to help determine safe makers, while at the same time — working to the University of Hawai‘i (UH), to help ensure time intervals for repair and maintenance. deliver a communications system to help create that the facility remains absolutely safe today In subsequent stages of the project, the more transparency for the general public about and well into the future.” researchers plan to machine-in known defects the facility.” (mimicking corrosion) into steel lab sample “As scientists, we want the science and Engaging UH Research — Letting the plates to analyze and verify the limits of detec- facts to speak for themselves,” said Morioka, Science and Facts Speak for Themselves tion of non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, who also travelled to Point Hueneme to pres- Already familiar with the University of Hawai‘i’s then backfill the defects with specific types of ent his college’s capabilities. “Because there is expertise in science and engineering through corrosion products to determine if the same so much emotion surrounding the future of a number of collaborative projects over the defects could be identified or if the signals the Red Hill facility, the role of UH as an inde- years, the Navy turned to UH to independent- were affected by the corrosion products — to pendent arbiter will hopefully go a long way ly assess the current condition of the tanks improve the interpretation of NDT data to in ultimately validating the results to bring and to help develop technologies to improve identify corrosion defects and estimate remain- greater objectivity among all parties involved.” on what it refers to as TIRM (testing, inspec- ing plate thickness more accurately. They also Morioka added, “Many of our faculty involved tion, repair and maintain). Led by UH Vice plan to investigate tank-wall repair protocols, in this partnership are long-time residents of President of Research and Innovation Vassilis and investigate the feasibility of heat-resistant the potentially affected communities and also L. Syrmos, a team of UH researchers and offi- coatings that can withstand welding on a repair share a vested interest in preserving the safety cials traveled to the Naval Facilities Engineer- plate to enhance resistance to corrosion and of the aquifer.” ing and Expeditionary Warfare Center at Port crevice corrosion.

30 | Research and Innovation at the University of Hawai‘i Facing page: Placards at Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility in Hawai‘i note its 1995 listing as a National Historic Engineering Landmark and the 3,000-plus men who built it, 17 of whom died during construction. left: Military and defense officials tour the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility, Aug. 26, 2019. right, top: Aerial view of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. right, bottom: Fuel supply specialists service a ship at Joint Base Pearl-Harbor Hickam.

Credit: U.S. Navy

NOELO 2020 | 31 UH West O‘ahu Creative Media Facility to Shine Brightly

“T he new Academy for Creative Media Student Production Facility at UH West O‘ahu will serve as the hub for creative media education for the University of Hawai’i and the state. It is a game changing, 33,000 square foot complex offering state of the art environments and technology, including streaming and transmedia production, VR/AR/MR, digital post production, eSports, animation, data visualization, screening room with Dolby Atmos mixing panel, and even an incubator space for student run companies. The $37,000,000 facility will instantly position UH, ACM System and UH West O‘ahu as one of the preeminent creative media programs in the world and the first with a majority Asian Pacific American student enrollment.”

–Christopher Lee, Director, Academy for Creative Media, UH System University of Hawai‘i

Board of Regents President / Senior Management PROVOST AND Chancellors

Benjamin Asa Kudo David Lassner Erika Lacro Michael S. Bruno Joseph Daisy Chair President Vice President for University of Hawai‘i Kaua‘i Community Community Colleges at Ma¯noa College Jan Naoe Sullivan Nainoa Thompson Vice Chair Special Advisor to the Garret Yoshimi Bonnie D. Irwin Carlos Peñaloza President on Hawaiian Vice President for University of Hawai‘i Leeward Community Wayne S. Higaki Affairs Information Technology / at Hilo College Vice Chair Chief Information Officer Donald Straney Maenette Benham Lui Hokoana Simeon R. Acoba, Jr. Vice President for Carrie K. S. Okinaga University of Hawai‘i University of Hawai‘i Kelli K.K. Acopan Academic Planning Vice President for at West O‘ahu Maui College and Policy Legal Affairs / University Eugene Bal III General Counsel Rachel Solemsaas Ardis Eschenberg Michael T. McEnerney Jan Gouveia Hawai‘i Community Windward Community Vice President for Vassilis L. Syrmos College College Alapaki Nahale-a Administration Vice President for Randolph G. Moore Research and Innovation Karen Lee Kalbert K. Young Honolulu Community Michelle A. Tagorda Vice President for Tim Dolan College (Interim) Robert Frank Westerman Budget and Finance / Vice President for Ernest K. Wilson Chief Financial Officer Advancement / Chief Louise Pagotto Executive Officer University Kapi‘olani Community of Hawaii Foundation College

CREDIT: M.L. Parker Noelo DELVE SEEK OUT VERIFY

David Michael Karl

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