Windward Community College has launched a free, limu (seaweed) culture pathway combining traditional Native Hawaiian knowledge with Western scientific methods, with classes beginning in the fall. The new prepares students for emerging algal-based career opportunities in agricultural biotechnology, pharmacognosy, agribusiness entrepreneurship and plant-based manufacturing.

“These classes are a wonderful opportunity for students and community members to learn more about the importance of limu in Hawaiʻi. For those thinking about a career in agriculture or biomanufacturing, these classes are a great place to start,” said Jolie Dollar, Limu Center coordinator and instructor. “Our partnership with the Waikalua Loko fishpond, where limu is already being grown, is a bonus for students wanting coursework that combines Hawaiian traditional knowledge, ecological sustainability and food production.”

The limu culture track, which can be completed in two to three semesters, enables students to conduct research on critical limu-related topics, enhancing their knowledge of limu ecology and production. Students can also enroll in the , and earn credits that can be used for advancement to the limu culture CA.

Thanks to grants from the (TCUP) and Carl D. Perkins Strengthening Career and Technical Education, all classes within the limu culture CA program will be tuition-free. A tuition waiver will be automatically applied once students register for the limu culture classes. Students must apply to Windward CC and receive an acceptance email before registering.

• Related 东精影业 News story: $3.5M grant for limu research center at Windward CC, May 2, 2023

The U.S. is experiencing a growing demand for skilled algae workers, with more than 11,500 projected jobs nationally, offering salaries exceeding $40,000 annually, according to an Algae Technology Education Consortium survey. Hawaiʻi‘s unique environment makes it a prime location for algae-related employment, with around 5,000 job opportunities in algae cultivation, harvesting and processing, and another 5,000 positions in algal biomanufacturing and fermentation.

For more details about the Limu Culture pathway, contact Dollar at (808) 236-9245 or jolied@hawaii.edu.

The first two recipients of the Dr. Inge White Scholarship endowment each received $500 per semester for tuition and books at . The White scholarships will support two students every year in the program. Spencer Waite and Paula Duke are the inaugural recipients.

“Receiving the Dr. Inge White Endowed Scholarship will assist me in finishing up my schooling. Through this program I have learned how to process nutraceutical plants into bioproducts. Generally, these are value added products that fulfill a niche in the market,” said Waite.

Through the Agripharmatech certificate program, students receive hands-on training and conduct field and laboratory research in plant-based product manufacturing and plant biotechnology.

“It is a profound honor to be selected for the Dr. Inge White scholarship. The scholarship came at a perfect time when the funds can be applied to my remaining credit. This will allow me to complete the [Certificate of Achievement in] Agripharmatech,” said Duke. “I hope to continue expanding my knowledge of biotechnology, ethnobotany and entrepreneurship by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in plant production and management. My ultimate goal is to serve communities by growing, educating and creating biomedicinal products that help them thrive.”

A drive for the Dr. Inge White Scholarship Endowment was spearheaded in 2018 by Professor Emerita Jacquie Maly and grew to exceed its original $25,000 goal. After the endowment was fully funded in September 2020, Honolulu Orchid Society continued its pledge to support the scholarship endowment for a total pledge of $3,000 over five years.

“This is technology in agriculture and plant-related sciences that can lead students to employment or opportunities for higher education,” said Professor Emerita Inge White, former coordinator of the agripharmatech program. “It doesn鈥檛 matter where you go, you can go anywhere—plant knowledge can be applied to life.”

Agripharmatech students have presented their research in Singapore, South Africa and Ecuador at the World Orchid Conference and at the scientific conferences on Andean Orchids.

“These students honor Dr. White鈥檚 legacy of place-based, science-informed, Hawaiʻi-relevant education. The purposeful generosity of Dr. White, Dr. Maly, [Honolulu Orchid Society President] Brad Lau, the Honolulu Orchid Society and the donors provides for students and grows our college and community,” said Chancellor Ardis Eschenberg.

Learn how to give to the .

For more information about the agripharmatech program and scholarship opportunities, contact Hongwei Li at hli@hawaii.edu or call (808) 236-9104.

, a professor of botany and microbiology at was awarded the 2015 Masaki and Momoe Kunimoto Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions in Vocational Education. She is the creator of the with two concentrations—plant biotechnology and ethnopharmacognosy.

White developed four unique facilities used for student research and hands-on training—the , the , the climate-controlled greenhouse for orchid growing, and the for growing medicinal and nutritious plants for nutraceutical research and bioproduct manufacturing.

This successful certificate program has graduated numerous students. Some graduates enter the workforce in science related fields or became agribusiness or plant-based product entrepreneurs. Her hands-on teaching style instills self-confidence in students and deepens their interest, participation and learning in plant science and pharmaceutical fields.

White recently developed a pathway certificate of competence in plant-food production and technology. She initiated a credit/non-credit collaborative certificate partnership with Windward CC’s Hiilaniwai Food Service Innovation Training program to improve student recruitment, completion rates and expansion of workforce development initiatives. These joint certifications have greater value in competitive job markets. She also recently built a partnership with Kailua High School to provide dual颅credit botany classes on their campus starting in fall 2016, allowing students to receive the college certificate while in high school. These partnerships will produce skilled workers ready to enter the workforce and pursue degrees in plant science fields.

More about the Kunimoto Memorial Award

The Masaki and Momoe Kunimoto Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Vocational Education rewards outstanding achievement and significant contribution to vocational and technical education by a community college faculty member or student.

The award was established by family members to honor the namesakes’ role in development of the food industry in Hawaiʻi.

东精影业 News video on Windward CC’s agripharmatech program

, March 11, 2014

Since 2002, students have been researching traditional medicines derived from natural sources.

Windward students pick kī nehe, also known as Spanish needle, from the college’s medicinal garden. The students research plants like kī nehe to determine their medicinal and nutritional values, including things like vitamin content, explains Windward CC botany and microbiology professor Ingelia White, “Once we know the vitamin content of that plant, the students will be able to make food pharmacy.”

Food pharmacy is the next step where students create recipes and different products from plants, like kī nehe.

“It is really high in antioxidants,” said Windward CC student Michael Dennis. “We make a number of products out of the extracts and the powder that you grind with it. You can make tea, tooth powder, all kinds of candy, chocolate dipped candy, all kinds of lollipops and soap.”

The student laboratory research findings and recipes for meals and bioproducts for each plant are published in a series of booklets sold by the college.

This scientific process is called ethnopharmacognosy and is one of the two, plant-related fields that make up a unique program called , developed and run by White at Windward Community College.

The second is plant biotechnology—developing and improving plant production by making crops more nutritious and disease resistant and less dependent on pesticides.

Using state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, students work with orchids to learn how to identify plants, perform tissue cultures, create clones and perform gene transformations.

The work done by Windward agripharmatech students has been recognized around the world.

“My research was on gene transformation of an orchid to provide resistance to cymbidium mosaic virus,” said Nyan Stillwell, an agripharmatech graduate. Stillwell presented his work at the Fourth Scientific Conference on Andean Orchids in Ecuador.

The 30-credit, two-track program takes two to three semesters to complete and is an excellent foundation for a four-year or graduate level degree.

White says she has graduates who go on to pharmacy school. “And I have students who become medical doctors, and I have students who, are not only horticulturists and ethnobotonists, but also nurses.”

Some students who complete the program have gone straight to work in the agricultural industry.

“It is a chance for people to come and do something that is going to set them apart when they are looking for a job,” said Heather McCafferty, a Windward botany instructor.

Students take either the biotechnology track or the ethnopharmacognosy track, or both, to earn a certificate of achievement in agripharmatech.

“It’s hands on. We make the products, we grow the products, we do the extractions, we do all the work, we do the studies,” said Dennis.

“It’s exposed me to all kinds of new ways to view plants,” said Stillwell. “It’s provided me with the foundation I need.”