An innovative mass-timber public space designed for the Kakaʻako Ma kai shoreline was presented by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa students at the 2026 International Mass Timber Conference in Portland, Oregon. “The Hale” integrates Indigenous architectural principles with modern sustainable materials to propose a new model for public gathering spaces in Honolulu.

The project was originally developed in a first-semester graduate design studio by architecture students Edwin Sun, Jayden Uowolo and Dylan Martos. Reimagining the traditional Hawaiian “place of shelter” as a contemporary civic space, the design adapted cross-laminated timber and glue-laminated timber systems for long-term performance in tropical marine environments.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to present my team’s work at the International Mass Timber Conference and represent the School of Architecture,” said Uowolo. “This experience pushed me to think more deeply about how traditional Pacific Island ideas can shape contemporary design, while also connecting me with a global community of designers, builders and thinkers. I left with a stronger understanding of how culture, material systems and industry all connect in the making of architecture.”

Addressing coastal challenges

The project addressed coastal challenges by elevating the structure to mitigate projected sea-level rise, storm surges and salt exposure. It also incorporated climate-specific durability strategies such as marine-grade coatings, protected steel connections and rainscreen façades integrated with cross ventilation.

Supported by School of Architecture Dean Mo Zell and guided by professors Ben Parker and Ho Kyung Lee, the students’ research also explored using locally harvested softwoods to strengthen regional supply chains and reduce transportation-related carbon emissions.

“Opportunities like this are so valuable to students,” said Parker. “They give them early exposure to the critical topics professional architects are discussing, and provide chances to network and connect with firms as they plan their own future careers. These events also enrich the school and the profession, as the exchange helps everyone to integrate education and research with real-world concerns.”

The University of Hawaiʻi celebrates May 2026 faculty and staff anniversaries.

40 years

Hu, Esther M
Researcher, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹

Inafuku, Derek T
Vice Chancellor, Honolulu CC

30 years

Kumagai, Chrisjames K
IT Specialist, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹

Lozanoff, Scott
Professor, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹

More anniversaries
April 2026
March 2026
February 2026
More anniversary lists

20 years

Clayton, Cathryn H
Associate Professor, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹

Imanaka, Teri R
Educational Specialist, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹

Jenkins, Thomas Y F
Building and Grounds Custodian, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ West Oʻahu

Koizumi, Lauren L
Administrative and Fiscal Support Specialist, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ System

Saeki, Lori Ann Y
Librarian, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹

Taketa, Charmaine Y
Budget Analyst, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹

Ye, Carrie K W
Fiscal Specialist, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹

10 years

Andrade-Fujii, Colette
Student Services Specialist, Kapiʻolani CC

Moss, Evelyn M
Human Resources Specialist, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹

Saavedra, Rosary J R
Library Assistant, Honolulu CC

Saito, Jenna L A
Administrative Officer, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹

Seto, Justin K K
Building Maintenance Worker, Kauaʻi CC

Taniguchi, Kelton R
Lab Manager, Leeward CC

Tavares, Kylie L T
Assistant Extension Agent, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Rocket League team captured a national championship in its first year of competition, completing an undefeated 10-0 spring 2026 season and sweeping the grand finals 4-0.

Rocket League is a competitive game that combines soccer and driving, with players controlling rocket-powered cars to score goals in fast-paced team matches. At the collegiate level, the game requires strategy, communication, teamwork and quick decision-making under pressure.

This win is the latest milestone for ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Esports, one of the country’s premier collegiate esports programs and widely recognized as one of the best collegiate esports programs in the nation. Formally launched in 2018–19, the program earned national acclaim in 2022 when it was named the best collegiate esports program in the U.S. It now includes more than 100 student-athletes competing year-round in the Mountain West Conference and in national tournaments across multiple games, including Rocket League, League of Legends, Overwatch and Valorant.

“This isn’t just students playing video games,” said Sky Kauweloa, ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Esports director. “Esports at ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Mānoa is about leadership, teamwork and creating opportunities for students to represent their university at the highest level. What this team accomplished in its very first season shows the talent we have here in Hawaiʻi and the kind of community we’re building through this program.”

Freshman Logan Gregory, a Mililani High School graduate known in-game as “Sly,” helped lead the program as team captain. Gregory was already one of Hawaiʻi’s top high school Rocket League players and a state champion before coming to ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Mānoa. He played a key role in building the team from the ground up and shaping its competitive culture.

“Building the program for Rocket League in Hawaiʻi was an amazing opportunity to prove that Hawaiʻi can compete on a national level when leadership, teamwork and dedication are put together into one team,” Gregory said. “Coming in as my first year, I wanted to help create something special here at ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Mānoa; a foundation for Rocket League that shows Hawaiʻi players belong in the national esports scene. In such a short amount of time, I am proud that we have accomplished something so great through the hours of the team’s commitment, trust, bonding and love for the game for the chance to prove ourselves that we are a championship level team.”

The team also added a major transfer in junior Jesse Hushower, known in competition as “Hoosh,” who came to ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Mānoa from Boise State University, one of the nation’s top collegiate Rocket League programs. His experience competing at a high level helped strengthen the roster during its championship run.

“Before transferring from Boise State University, I had the opportunity to tour ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Mānoa‘s campus and meet with the esports team,” Hushower said. “After I talked with several members in the esports program I realized how connected the people here seemed which was a large influence on why I chose to come to ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Mānoa. Coming from a school with a well established esports program, Rocket League in particular, I believe I was able to bring some of that experience with me and enhance the quickly growing ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Mānoa esports program. It has been an overall amazing experience.”

Junior Ahled Dame Domingo (“ad2littt”) and freshman Noah Vila (“nowuz”) rounded out the championship roster, contributing to the team’s depth and consistency throughout the season. The operator of the Rocket League tournament was PlayVs.

ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ esports team’s and pages. More stories on ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ’s esports program.

Nine players from the University of Hawaiʻi at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ tennis team were recognized by the Big West Conference, with four Rainbow Wahine and five Rainbow Warriors earning all-conference honors.

Rainbow Wahine

ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ‘s No. 1 (Grete Gull/Sophie Rachor) and No. 2 (Hannah Galindo/Makeilah Nepomuceno) doubles teams were named to the All-Big West Second Team, while Gull and Nepomuceno earned honorable mention accolades in singles.

Gull and Rachor finished the season with an even 8-8 dual-match record and Galindo and Nepomuceno compiled a 10-7 overall record, including a strong 6-3 mark in conference play.

In singles, Gull competed at the No. 1 spot for the duration of the season and posted two conference victories.

Nepomuceno, competing at the No. 2 spot, posted a 6-10 overall record and a 5-4 mark in conference action.

Rainbow Warriors

Azuma Visaya earned all-first team honors in both singles and doubles with partner Toa Maeda, while Timothy Li (singles), and doubles partners Adriano Dzhenev and Kent Mueller all earned honorable mention honors.

Visaya anchored the Rainbow Warriors at the No. 1 singles position throughout the season and led the team with nine dual-match singles victories.

Visaya and partner Maeda won their last four straight matches to finish the season with an overall record of 10-6.

Li went 5-9 overall and 1-2 in conference for the Rainbow Warriors.

Dzhenev and Mueller played primarily at the No. 3 doubles position and recorded a strong 9-4 overall record and a 3-1 mark in conference play.

The University of Hawaiʻi at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ pair of Julia Lawrenz and Izadora Stedile earned second-team All-America honors, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced on April 30.

The duo became the 14th and 15th All-Americans in program history and the fourth ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ pair in the past five years to receive national recognition. Lawrenz and Stedile teamed up in all 34 matches this season, posting a team-best 23–8 record while primarily competing at the No. 1 spot.

Lawrenz, a three-year starter, adds the honor to her resume after earning first-team all-conference recognition and establishing herself as one of the nation’s top blockers. Stedile also earned first-team all-conference honors in her first season with the Rainbow Wahine, following a standout indoor career at Hofstra where she previously received All-America recognition.

The pair is among 32 players nationwide selected to the AVCA All-America teams, continuing a strong tradition for Rainbow Wahine beach volleyball, which has produced at least one All-American in 11 of its 14 seasons.

Read more at .

For decades, scientists have worked to improve predictions of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a climate powerhouse that can cause droughts, flooding, marine heatwaves and more around the world. Researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa a study showing that they can skillfully predict El Niño and La Niña 15 months ahead of time using only observations of the ocean surface temperature and height—no complex climate model needed.

“We found that it can predict El Niño and La Niña surprisingly well, with useful skill up to about 15 months ahead,” said Yuxin Wang, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher with the in the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Mānoa (SOEST). “Accurately predicting ENSO more than a year in advance is important because it can provide early warning, allowing communities, governments and resource managers to take actions and make adaptations to reduce the potential impacts from El Niño and La Niña.”

“Our simpler, data-driven empirical climate model, built only from ocean observations related to two core climate memories known for over 50 years, achieves ENSO forecast skill comparable to, and in some cases better than, many of today’s more complex climate models and leading AI-based approaches,” added Wang.

Building on past discoveries

Klaus Wyrtki, a pioneering oceanographer at SOEST in the 1960s through 1990s, was the first to show that sea level changes can reveal heat build-up in the tropical Pacific, which led him to propose using tide gauge observations to predict El Niño. Klaus Hasselmann, a German oceanographer and Nobel laureate, showed that the ocean can retain a memory of past climate conditions through large-scale temperature patterns, including sea surface temperature patterns outside the tropical Pacific that can still influence ENSO.

Building on these two principles, the SOEST team developed the “Wyrtki-CSLIM,” short for Wyrtki CycloStationary Linear Inverse Model, a computer model to predict ENSO.

Predicting future ENSO

The Wyrtki-CSLIM currently predicts the development of a strong El Niño, more than 2°C warmer than normal over the equatorial eastern Pacific, toward the end of this year. This up-to-date is available online at the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Sea Level Center.

“Our Wyrtki model is predicting a stronger El Niño than most of the other statistical models, and it is in line with the much more sophisticated dynamical models,” said Matthew Widlansky, study co-author and associate director of the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Sea Level Center. “However, it is important to note that all models have uncertainties, and the climate impacts of each El Niño event are different.”

This new research also offers a clear direction for other ENSO forecasting systems.

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Beginning in summer 2026, all University of Hawaiʻi online classes—including hybrid courses with an online component—will be delivered through (LMS).

The change, required by adopted on April 1, 2026, is designed to strengthen the student experience across ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ‘s 10 campuses while improving data security and systemwide support for teaching and learning.

Providing students with single point of reference

Using a single LMS provides students with a consistent point of access for course materials, communication and grades, regardless of campus or department. This reduces the number of different platforms students must navigate and supports stronger engagement and success in online learning environments.

“Moving to a single learning management system makes it easier for students to stay organized and engaged in their courses, while also giving faculty a secure, well-supported platform for teaching,” said Kim Siegenthaler, senior advisor to ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ President Wendy Hensel. “³¢²¹³¾²¹°ìÅ« strengthens consistency across our campuses and helps ensure that both students and instructors have the tools they need for a successful learning experience.”

The move also enhances protection of student information. ³¢²¹³¾²¹°ìÅ« meets ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Information Security policies and applicable data privacy requirements, significantly reducing the risk of security breaches involving course materials, grades and other sensitive information.

Faculty may continue using third-party instructional tools when appropriate, but those tools must meet ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ policy requirements and be integrated through ³¢²¹³¾²¹°ìÅ«.

³¢²¹³¾²¹°ìÅ«: Lighting the path for learning

The Hawaiian word ±ô²¹³¾²¹°ìÅ« means torch—the same torch represented in the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ logo—and symbolizes education and enlightenment, ±ô²¹³¾²¹°ìÅ« o ka naʻauao. The platform reflects ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ‘s ongoing commitment to advancing teaching and learning through modern, secure and student-centered technology across the system.

At the University of Hawaiʻi at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹, students are leading efforts to address period poverty—the inability to afford menstrual products and limited access to menstrual education and care—recognized as both a public health and equity issue in Hawaiʻi.

A found 43% of ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ students who menstruate have experienced period poverty, about three times the national average. Those affected are more likely to face food insecurity, severe depression and academic disruption.

Student-led drives expand campus support

Graduate student Jenny Brown and undergraduate student Lovely Molina, both from a College of Engineering , organized “Flow Forward” period product drives in October 2025 and February 2026, collecting 2,679 pads and tampons for the campus . They also hosted kit-making events to support distribution and awareness.

“These efforts aim to institutionalize this as a permanent budget priority, providing equitable and sustainable access to basic hygiene is a strategic investment in student success and retention—and what’s needed now is senior leadership to champion it to the finish line,” said Brown.

Overlapping needs

The Food Vault was chosen because period poverty often overlaps with food and housing insecurity, allowing one access point to meet multiple needs. Brown and Molina also coordinate with student groups, alumni, nonprofits and faculty advisors Yuka Polovina of the Department of Public Health Sciences and Teresa Bill of Womenʻs Center/SEED program.

“I’m so proud of our students who demonstrate this level of passion and initiative to address this critical public health issue,” said Polovina. “And at the same time, it concerns me that they shoulder this burden as students.”

In 2023, the State Senate passed Senate Resolution 23 urging the ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ System to provide free menstrual products across campuses. Implementation remains limited due to infrastructure and funding challenges.

“Implementing an ‘unfunded resolution’ is challenging on a campus with more than 300 Women’s and All Gender restrooms, controlled by three different entities,” said Bill. “Selecting new locations will take into account ‘high traffic’ areas as well as product ‘deserts,’ but this is a long-term project.”

While systemwide efforts continue, students remain the primary drivers of immediate support through donation drives, nonprofit partnerships like , and advocacy.

“Providing period products for students should not be another student’s responsibility,” said Molina. “We started this drive without high expectations of getting many donations and seeing my peers raise this much product blows my mind.”

After nine years leading the University of Hawaiʻi women’s volleyball program, Robyn Ah Mow has announced her decision to step down from her position as Rainbow Wahine head coach.

“This wasn’t an easy call to make. I’ve done a lot of soul searching, and right now the time has come to focus on my family. They’ve sacrificed so much to allow me to live out my dream of leading this program, and it’s time I put them first,” Ah Mow said.

“I gave this team everything I had. My goal was always to push these players to be the best they could be, but more importantly, to make sure they leave here as strong, successful women. Wearing the ‘H’ was a privilege when I played, and coaching this program has been a true honor.”

Associate Head Coach Kaleo Baxter will serve as interim head coach. A national search for a permanent head coach for the women’s volleyball program will begin immediately.

Ah Mow concludes her coaching tenure with a 165-72 (.696) overall record and a 114-28 (.803) mark in the Big West. Succeeding legendary coach Dave Shoji in 2017, Ah Mow’s teams won three consecutive Big West regular-season championships (2019, 2021, 2022) followed by back-to-back Big West Championship titles (2023, 2024). Ah Mow led the ’Bows to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching the NCAA Regional Semifinals in 2019. She was named Big West Coach of the Year three times (2019, 2021 and 2022) and earned AVCA Pacific North Region Coach of the Year honors in 2019.

“Robyn Ah Mow is the epitome of what it means to be a Rainbow Wahine,” ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Athletics Director Matt Elliott said. “She is a fierce competitor, a dedicated mentor, and an undeniable legend in the state of Hawaiʻi and the global volleyball community. We are incredibly grateful for the dedication and passion she poured into this program over the last nine years as the leader of Wahine Volleyball, and more than 30 years since she first stepped on campus. We will all miss her dearly as our head coach, and wish her the absolute best in her next chapter.”

For more go to .

The recognized students, faculty and program contributors at its annual award ceremony on April 24.

The event honored 30 graduating seniors, along with 38 new learning assistants and three new faculty members joining the program. The ceremony also highlighted four award categories recognizing excellence in teaching innovation, program advocacy, and student support.

The Learning Assistant (LA) Program places undergraduate students in courses across campus to help facilitate active, discussion-based learning. Learning assistants work with faculty to support collaborative instruction in lectures, labs and discussion sections, helping shift traditionally lecture-based courses into active learning environments. The program, which began in STEM fields, has since expanded to include a wide range of disciplines across ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Mānoa.

For the first time, graduating seniors in the LA Program were presented with honors cords, recognizing their academic progress, skill development and contributions to student success. The cords were approved following the LA program’s transition into the , after serving as a successful pilot of the Provost’s office for the past several years.

Program organizers describe the cords as a symbol of dedication, perseverance, and belonging within the LA community. They recognize students who have significantly supported active learning environments while completing their own academic journeys.

“The honor cords recognize meaningful time supporting their peers and partnering with faculty to cultivate active learning communities across disciplines,” said LA Program Director and Professor Tara O’Neill. “This program is about creating meaningful learning experiences on both sides of the classroom—where students and instructors are shaping how knowledge is built and shared at ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Mānoa. As LAs, our students are not only strengthening their own content knowledge, they are transforming learning at ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Mānoa by creating spaces that encourage engagement, questions and innovation.”

Program awardees

• Outstanding Learning Assistant Award recognizing students for excellence in supporting course instruction and fostering engaging learning environments: Katie Thai, Jack Santos and Kevin Phan
• The Agent of Change Award promoting new approaches to active learning at ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵ Mānoa: Instructor Astrid Delorme
• Curriculum Innovation Award for course design work that integrates LAs to improve student learning experiences: Professor Monique Chyba
• LA Advocacy Award for leadership in advancing the program: Interim Vice Provost of Student Academic Success Amy Ebesu Hubbard