Petrice R. Flowers has been appointed director of the (CIPA) at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补. Established in 2022 with Congressional funding, CIPA serves as a university-based think tank addressing the complex security challenges in the Indo-Pacific. Flowers is a distinguished scholar and professor at the in the 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 .

Flowers succeeds Kristi Govella, an assistant professor in the Asian studies department, who served as the founding director of CIPA.

“I am honored to lead the Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs and excited to build on the strong foundation established by Dr. Govella,” said Flowers. “This is a crucial time for advancing research and fostering collaboration on the key security issues affecting the Indo-Pacific region.”

• Related 东精影业 News story: $1M grant to launch Indo-Pacific affairs initiative at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补, September 27, 2022

Flowers has been a faculty member at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 since 2004 and steps into the role with an extensive background in international relations, specializing in Japan and global human rights norms.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Flowers into this leadership role,” said Cathryn Clayton, chair of the Asian studies department. “Her commitment to interdisciplinary research and her deep expertise in international relations make her an ideal fit to lead CIPA into the future.”

More on CIPA

CIPA tackles complex issues by integrating fields such as economics, technology, environmental science and public health. Flowers is known for her research on diplomacy, transnational networks, and refugee policies in Japan. Under her leadership, CIPA plans to launch new initiatives, including public lectures, workshops, and professional development opportunities for students.

In October, undergraduate and graduate students from around Oʻahu gathered at the for a three-day workshop to engage on nuclear policy issues. The workshop featured lectures from leading experts, group discussions and a crisis scenario exercise. In addition to discussing policy issues at the global level, students also thought critically about the ways nuclear policies impact Hawaiʻi and the Asia-Pacific region.

“This workshop may very well be the first time deterrence, nonproliferation and disarmament have been discussed on the 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 campus since the Reagan administration,” said Brien Hallett, professor in the at the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补.

The Honolulu Nuclear Policy Workshop was organized by the in partnership with 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 and and the at the East-West Center. It was the latest in a series of workshops the Truman Center has convened in cities such as Chicago and Atlanta with the goal of diversifying the pipeline of people working in U.S. nuclear security. This diversity ensures a more comprehensive representation of communities affected by those policies and fosters a more inclusive policy making process.

Encouraging diverse perspectives

No prior expertise with nuclear issues was required to apply for the workshop, and the organizers actively encouraged applications from women, people of color, Indigenous and LGBTQ+ students. Thirteen undergraduate and graduate students from 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补, Hawaiʻi Pacific University, Chaminade University of Honolulu and University of the South Pacific were selected to participate.

“I came away with a new perspective and more confidence in my ability to discuss nuclear policy issues,” said Monica Orillo, a graduate student in at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补.

The first day of the workshop kicked off with sessions addressing the dawn of the nuclear age and nuclear deterrence led by Lily Wijtowicz from the Truman Center. The second day included a breakout session on proliferation in East Asia and a lecture on deterrence in East Asia by David Santoro from Pacific Forum, a Honolulu-based non-profit foreign policy research institute. The third day began with a session on nuclear disarmament led by Jana Wattenburg from Aberystwyth University, followed by a lecture on why nuclear testing matters for Hawaiʻi by Lilly Adams from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Nuclear weapons, public health, environmental preservation

Throughout the workshop, discussions highlighted the links between nuclear weapons, public health and environmental preservation. Participants explored the continued risks that nuclear weapons pose to people around the world, especially those in historically underserved communities. Students were encouraged to think critically about the policy making process and to consider how the inclusion of new voices could impact their communities and the world.

“Prior to the workshop, I had never thought about viewing nuclear politics through a gender lens, or using feminism as a tool for world peace, or that increased gender representation at nuclear arms control and disarmament discussions could potentially shape a different kind of foreign nuclear policy,” said Elizabeth Yen Tzu Liew, a student in the 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 Master鈥檚 in Asian International Affairs program.

The workshop concluded with a panel discussion on careers in nuclear policy featuring speakers working in a variety of fields. Liew said, “This experience was instrumental in inspiring me to see the myriad of career opportunities where nuclear politics could merge with soft power, my area of interest, and that one need not be a nuclear scientist to pursue a career related to nuclear policy.”

To prepare students for dynamic careers that require expertise in the Asia-Pacific region, the (SPAS) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has launched the Careers in Asia-Pacific Affairs (CAPA) initiative. CAPA is designed to increase students’ awareness of the diverse, exciting careers that they can pursue.

The collaborative initiative presents a significant step towards equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in Asia-Pacific related careers in government, education, business and the nonprofit sector. Key elements include the creation of a three-credit course in the Asian studies department that will enable students to explore the range of careers related to and develop the skills and materials that will position them to succeed in these fields. A speaker series is another critical component which aims to build bridges between students and future prospective employers.

“We believe that University of Hawaiʻi students have important contributions to make across many different fields, and we aim to support them by offering world-class education and training, connecting them with employers, and helping them to build their professional networks,” said Kristi Govella, director of the which is housed in the 东精影业 Mānoa .

CAPA speaker series

This fall, the School of Pacific and Asian Studies kicked off the CAPA initiative with two events. Students connected with guest speaker Larry Chun, a special agent in the Diplomatic Security Service at the U.S. Department of State. Chun talked about how growing up in Hawaiʻi has served him in a unique career field that encompasses international diplomacy and federal law enforcement. The series also featured Mireille Zieseniss, a public diplomacy advisor at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, who touched on the opportunity her career provides to tell America’s story, connect people, and shape foreign policy.

The CAPA speaker series continues with Think Tank Careers: Policy, Communications, and Project Management, October 25, 3–4 p.m. at Moore Hall 258 or . The event will feature Elina Noor (senior fellow in the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), Keoni Williams (information and publications officer at the Pacific Islands Development Program) and Jesslyn Cheong (senior program manager at Pacific Forum).

The CAPA initiative complements the cross-center Indo-Pacific Affairs Initiative in SPAS, which is supported by Congressionally-directed funding during 2022–25 to bolster 东精影业 Mānoa鈥檚 strengths in Asia and the Pacific through the newly created Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs and other features such as a , visiting experts, and the expansion of educational and professional development opportunities.

Funded by Title VI through the U.S. Department of Education, the CAPA initiative is co-sponsored by the , the East Asia National Resource Center, the , the and the .