University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Chancellor Don Straney hosted the UH Hilo 2015 Recognition and Awards Celebration on May 14. Recognized at the event were Student Employee of the Year, UH Hilo Award recipients, retirees, and faculty and staff receiving years-of-service recognition.
Koichi and Taniyo Taniguchi Award for Excellence in Innovation
Kaleonui Hui and John Coney received the Koichi and Taniyo Taniguchi Award for Excellence in Innovation. This award recognizes the creative use of technology in teaching, scholarship, research and artistic production by full time faculty or staff at UH Hilo. Hui and Coney were recognized for upgrading the physics freshmen labs, which included implementation of several new experiments, three major technical contributions, production of almost 50 videos for laboratory instruction and a major upgrade of lab manuals.
Award for Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities
Susan Jarvi, professor of pharmaceutical sciences and director of the Pre-Pharmacy Program, was honored with the Award for Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities for her work on rat lungworm disease, including basic and applied research as well as community advocacy and education. This award is presented to a member of the tenure track faculty or a full-time Board of Regents classified professional staff member for outstanding achievement in scholarly and/or creative endeavors, including publication of well-reviewed books, publication in refereed journals, or performances or exhibitions at the state or national levels.
Outstanding University Support Employee
Davelyn Cruz, interim secretary, Division of Social Sciences, whose duties include accounting, course entry, and logistical scheduling for the division, was named the Outstanding University Support Employee. This award is presented to a university support service employee who has made significant contributions to UH Hilo.
Award for Professional Staff
Nadine Hara was presented the Award for Professional Staff. This award is presented to a faculty or professional staff member who has made major professional contributions to his/her unit and to the university as a whole, and has made a positive impact on the welfare of students and colleagues at UH Hilo. Hara was recognized for serving as the fiscal specialist for the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy. In addition to preparing, managing and implementing the college’s budget, Hara serves as senior administrator to support staff members with grant projects, university funds and UH Foundation accounts.
Student Employee of the Year
Kristen Laguana, a laboratory assistant responsible for maintaining equipment and proper operation of the astronomy lab, received the Student Employee of the Year Award.
—From the UH Hilo Stories website
—By Susan Enright
