A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa senior student has earned one of Stanford University鈥檚 most competitive graduate awards, underscoring the growing impact of 东精影业 Mānoa鈥檚 engineering programs.

Andrea Murillo, who is graduating this spring, has been admitted to the PhD program in electrical engineering at Stanford and is believed to be the first 东精影业 Mānoa recipient of the Stanford Graduate Fellowship, an award given annually to about 100 incoming doctoral students across the university. The fellowship provides up to three years of funding, including tuition and stipend support, to top scholars in science and engineering fields.

Murillo鈥檚 path at 东精影业 Mānoa reflects a multidisciplinary journey shaped by hands-on research and mentorship. She began her undergraduate journey as a mechanical engineering major before transitioning to computer engineering and ultimately electrical engineering in the electrophysics track, where she found her passion in mixed-signal circuit design.

Through work in several research labs, including projects on embedded systems, TinyML (Tiny Machine Learning), and integrated circuit design, Murillo discovered a passion for building more efficient hardware. She plans to continue that work at Stanford, focusing on circuit design and new technologies that can make electronics faster and use less energy.

“My experiences at 东精影业 helped me discover not just what I enjoy studying, but how I want to contribute to the field,” said Murillo, who is an international student from Mexico. “The support from faculty, mentors and my peers gave me the confidence to pursue graduate school and aim for opportunities like this.”

Community leadership

Beyond the classroom, Murillo has been active in the community as a leader in the FabLab maker space, a member of engineering student organizations and a leader who won an award at the 2024 Honolulu Tech Week hackathon.

Her achievement highlights the role of 东精影业 Mānoa in preparing students for advanced study and contributing to innovation in high-demand fields such as electrical engineering and artificial intelligence hardware.

“By leveraging the full breadth of opportunities at 东精影业, Andrea developed a profound understanding of the grand challenges facing contemporary hardware design. Reflecting her unwavering commitment to excellence, she has secured a place in one of the country鈥檚 most prestigious doctoral programs,” said 东精影业 Mānoa Professor Boris Murmann, who mentored Murillo and was on the faculty at Stanford for 20 years.

Murillo is expected to begin her doctoral studies this fall.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa hosted its 26th annual banquet, bringing together approximately 1,000 students, faculty, alumni, industry leaders and supporters to celebrate the innovation and impact the college has on the state of Hawaiʻi.

Held on April 17 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the event began with a student project expo, where dozens of teams presented hands-on work across aerospace, robotics, sustainability and artificial intelligence. Projects included bioinspired soft robotics systems, student-built satellites, autonomous drones and renewable energy solutions aligned with campus sustainability goals, offering attendees a firsthand look at applied learning with real-world relevance.

Following welcome remarks by Dean Brennon Morioka, 东精影业 President Wendy Hensel and Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green, as well as dinner service, the formal program featured an awards ceremony recognizing contributions to the engineering community. Dayna Nemoto-Shima (Pacific Geotechnical Engineers, Inc.) and Brandon Shima (东精影业) received the Outstanding Service Award, Greg Hiyakumoto (R.M. Towill Corporation) was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award, and Bharath Kadaba (Lu Labs) earned the Dean鈥檚 Award of Excellence.

Connecting talent with opportunity

“The future of engineering in Hawaiʻi depends on how well we connect talent with opportunity, and those relationships happen because of the people who attended our annual banquet,” College of Engineering Dean Brennon Morioka said. “Our industry partners and donors are the heart and soul of our local economy and help create pathways for students to lead, to solve and to stay and make a difference right here at home.”

The formal program also highlighted the featured student project, the unexploded ordnance (UXO) project. The multidisciplinary effort applies advanced sensing technologies and robotics to safely detect unexploded ordnance in Hawaiʻi, addressing long-standing environmental and public safety challenges.

“I got the opportunity to go to the 21 years of peace celebration at Mākua Valley and it really was an amazing opportunity to actually get to talk to the community and we got to talk to students too,” said UXO student project leader Kamalani Goo. “It was really instilled in me that we need to be having these conversations and building these relationships because no one truly understands the issues as well as the community that is experiencing them.”

The event concluded with a live auction and more networking, celebrating the shared commitment to advancing engineering in Hawaiʻi. The college extended its mahalo to donors and Hawaiʻi鈥檚 engineering industry for their continued support, including mentorship, internships and career development opportunities that help shape student success. All net proceeds from the annual banquet goes directly to supporting the many student projects showcased at the event.

Ten graduate programs at the are in the nation鈥檚 top 50, and an additional 17 programs are in the top 100, according to the 2026 , released on April 7.

东精影业 Mānoa鈥檚 (JABSOM) also placed in the nation鈥檚 top tier (tier 1) for best medical schools for primary care, and 东精影业 贬颈濒辞鈥檚 ranked in a in the nation.

The highest ranked 东精影业 Mānoa programs were in the , ranking No. 18 (tied) for best environmental law programs and law schools with most grads in federal clerkships, No. 24 for best part-time law programs, No. 41 (tied) for best international law programs, No. 47 (tied) for best dispute resolution programs and No. 48 (tied) for best legal writing programs.

The ranked No. 22 (tied) for best international programs, and the (SOEST) placed No. 40 (tied) for best Earth sciences programs. JABSOM ranked No. 42 for most graduates practicing in rural areas and No. 45 for most graduates practicing in primary care.

“东精影业 Mānoa鈥檚 strong showing in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings underscores our commitment to excellence in teaching, research and student success,” said 东精影业 Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos. “These results reflect the talent and dedication of our faculty, students and staff, and Hawaiʻi can take pride in knowing their university is preparing the next generation of leaders and changemakers for our community and the world.”

Rankings were based on multiple factors, including research activity (such as publications and citations), student and alumni outcomes (employment and earnings), quality assessments (from peers and recruiters), student selectivity (GPA and test scores), and faculty resources (doctoral degrees awarded and student-to-faculty ratios).

Note: not all programs are ranked every year. See these 东精影业 News stories on previous years鈥� rankings: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019.

Jump to program rankings:
William S. Richardson School of Law  |  John A. Burns School of Medicine  |  Shidler College of Business  |  School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology  |  School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene  |  College of Education  |  Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health  |  College of Social Sciences  |  College of Engineering  |  College of Natural Sciences  |  College of Arts, Languages & Letters

William S. Richardson School of Law

The William S. Richardson School of Law was ranked in 16 categories by U.S. News and World Report. In addition to its ranking of No. 18 (tied) for best environmental law programs and law schools with most grads in federal clerkships, No. 24 for best part-time law programs, No. 41 (tied) for best international law programs, No. 47 (tied) for best dispute resolution programs and No. 48 (tied) for best legal writing programs, the UH law school placed No. 91 (tied) among the top law schools in the nation.

Other law school rankings include:

• Tax law: No. 80 (tied)
• Criminal law: No. 88 (tied)
• Contracts/commercial law: No. 92 (tied)
• Health care law: No. 92 (tied)
• Constitutional law: No. 95 (tied)
• Business/corporate law: No. 101 (tied)
• Clinical training: No. 102 (tied)
• Intellectual property law: No. 127 (tied)
• Trial advocacy: No. 175 (tied)

John A. Burns School of Medicine

JABSOM was one of 16 schools that placed in the nation鈥檚 top tier (tier 1) for best medical schools for primary care. JABSOM also placed in tier 3 for best medical schools for research.
In addition, JABSOM ranked No. 42 for most graduates practicing in rural areas, No. 45 for most graduates practicing in primary care, No. 139 for speech language pathology and No. 171 for most graduates practicing in medically underserved areas. .

Shidler College of Business

The Shidler College of Business placed in nine subject areas. Leading the way were international programs at No. 22 (tied), accounting programs at No. 68 (tied), information systems programs at No. 72 (tied) and marketing programs at No. 91 (tied). In addition, Shidler ranked at No. 104 (tied) for best management programs, No. 113 (tied) for best executive programs, No. 123 (tied) for best finance programs, No. 125 (tied) for best entrepreneurship programs and No. 142 (tied) for best part-time MBA programs.

School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

SOEST placed No. 40 (tied) among the nation鈥檚 best Earth sciences programs.

School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene

The School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene placed No. 55 (tied) for best nursing school–master鈥檚 and No. 62 (tied) for best nursing school–doctor of nursing practice (DNP). Both were the only programs in Hawaiʻi to be ranked by U.S. News and World Report.

College of Education

The College of Education ranked No. 57 (tied) in the U.S., the 21st straight year the college has been listed as one of the nation鈥檚 top 100 education programs. Nationally accredited since 2000, the College of Education continues to be recognized for its award-winning programs and people.

Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health

The ranked No. 89 (tied) among the nation鈥檚 top public health schools and programs in the U.S. accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The Department of Public Health Sciences offers a ; a , with specializations in , , and , and a , as well as PhD program in , specializing in community-based and translational research and a PhD in . The Department of Public Health Sciences is also home to an online master of public health program to meet workforce demands.

College of Social Sciences

The College of Social Sciences placed among the nation鈥檚 best in at No. 90 (tied) and at No. 92 (tied).

College of Engineering

The ranked among the nation鈥檚 best in at No. 91 (tied), at No. 92 (tied), and at No. 128 (tied). The College of Engineering overall ranked No. 164 (tied) among the top engineering schools in the U.S. that grant doctoral degrees.

College of Natural Sciences

The placed among the nation鈥檚 best in at No. 97 (tied), and at No. 115 (tied), and at No. 125 (tied).

College of Arts, Languages & Letters

东精影业 Mānoa placed No. 106 (tied) among the nation’s best for fine arts programs.

Other rankings

东精影业 Mānoa also received these notable rankings:

• 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings by Subject, March 25, 2026
• 2025 U.S. News and World Report best online programs, January 27, 2026
• 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject, January 21, 2026

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa ballroom dance team won its third consecutive national title at the (NCDC), in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 27–29.

Competing against 37 colleges, 东精影业 Mānoa once again took first place for “highest point average,” as well as a close second place for the overall team championship, asserting its place among the nation鈥檚 top ballroom dance college teams. Winning top honors in the highest point average requires most team members to perform exceptionally well in all events.

The dancers of the Ballroom Dance Club @东精影业M—a registered independent organization at 东精影业 Mānoa—are trained and coached by Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti. Narayan and Sumukti also represented Hawaiʻi in the senior age division placing 1st in several events.

“We are no longer the underdogs, so all the other colleges are looking at us as the team to beat,” said Narayan, who is also an adjunct faculty member in the 东精影业 Mānoa . “The bar is getting raised higher and higher each year, but we prevailed once again. We are incredibly proud of the dedication of our dancers who put in many hours to prepare for this competition. We are grateful for the incredible support we have received from the entire ballroom community in the state of Hawaiʻi.”

The Ballroom Dance Club @东精影业M was formed in September 2022, and the team took first place for “highest team average” in 2024 and 2025.

“Nationals was an amazing and eye-opening experience for me,” said Caleb Zerbe, who competed in the nationals for the first time. “Getting to see so many people dance and enjoy themselves on the floor made me realize how fun dancing can be, even at the highest stages. It was a moment that helped me build a lot of confidence, and one that I will never forget.”

Christopher Ramirez, who competed on all three victorious 东精影业 Mānoa teams, added, “Given the opportunity to compete at my third nationals, there is always something new to learn. Winning for the third year in a row has reminded me just how incredible it is to be a part of this team.”

Tough competition

NCDC is a grueling competition with events starting at 7 a.m. every morning. It consisted of multiple events based on proficiency (bronze, silver, gold, etc.). Each student danced in up to 32 different events at the bronze and silver skill levels. They competed in all four styles of ballroom dance including International Standard (waltz, tango, viennese waltz, foxtrot and quickstep), American Smooth (waltz, tango, foxtrot and viennese waltz), American Rhythm (chacha, rumba, swing, bolero and mambo) and International Latin (samba, chacha, rumba, paso doble and jive).

Several students took individual first place awards in their respective divisions defeating up to 70 other competitors in some events. This trip was designed to give the team exposure to a collegiate competition, as Hawaiʻi has no statewide collegiate ballroom competitions.

More about the Ballroom Dance Club

The Ballroom Dance Club offers beginner classes to all 东精影业 Mānoa students, faculty and staff in studio 2 in the athletics department from 6—7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. No dance experience is required. For more information, or visit their Instagram page @bdcuhm.

The team would like to thank the Department of Information and Computer Sciences, 东精影业 Mānoa Department of Athletics, Student Activity and Program Fee Board, Associated Students of the University of Hawaiʻi, USA Dance Honolulu and the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation for facility and financial support.

东精影业 Mānoa 2026 nationals collegiate and adult team roster:

• Ravi Narayan, faculty (computer science), coach and alumnus
• Synthia Sumukti, coach and alumna
• ʻAulani Wagner, library science and American studies
• Alexander Picken, Earth science
• Amanda Kanthack, psychology and Japanese
• Caleb Zerbe, computer science
• Christopher Ramirez, linguistics
• Christopher Wright, electrical engineering
• Courtney Hisamoto, computer science
• D’Elle Martin, architecture
• Elijah Saloma, computer science
• Gregory Snyder, mechanical engineering
• Hannah Madiam, kinesiology
• Iris Calauan, pre-nursing
• Jonathan Bona, civil engineering
• Julietta Lopez, architecture
• Kanaru Ebi, psychology
• Karl Merritt, mechanical engineering
• Luis Hernandez, electrical and computer engineering
• Lyndsey Moku, political science
• Maya Ito, psychology
• Michaella Villanueva, computer science
• Noah Asano, computer science
• Samantha Reed, computer science
• Shaelyn Loo, computer science
• Tessa Heidkamp, journalism and political science
• Andrew Lin, computer science alumnus
• Sydney Kim, computer science alumna
• Jason Aguda, computer engineering alumnus
• Matthew Rummel, political science and business alumnus
• Ariel Ramos, cinematic arts animation alumna
• Yong-Sung Masuda, computer science alumnus
• Wilson Tran, computer science alumnus
• Florence Liu, faculty, mathematics

Luis Hernandez and Maya Ito dancing the American Cha-cha in the Collegiate Team Match where 东精影业 Mānoa placed 3rd. (Video courtesy: Calvin Ota)

Elijah Saloma and Michaella Villanueva dancing the International Quickstep in the Collegiate Team Match where 东精影业 Mānoa placed 3rd. (Video courtesy: Calvin Ota)

Coaches Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti dancing the Mambo in the Senior IV American Rhythm Championship final. (Video courtesy: Ravi Sundaram)

Students cheering for their coaches Ravi Narayan and Synthia Sumukti (Video courtesy: Ravi Sundaram)

A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa research project focused on agriculture and artificial intelligence (AI) has been selected for support through the NVIDIA Academic Grant Program, bringing additional advanced computing hardware to the university.

The project, “AinaFarm: Building the Foundation for Scalable Agricultural Physical AI,” led by 东精影业 Mānoa (ICS) Assistant Professor , in collaboration with Professor , and , a recent (ECE) PhD graduate, competed in the Robotics and Edge AI track. The work explores how robotics and AI can support agriculture, particularly with vision-language-action (VLA) models that allow robots to see their surroundings, understand spoken or written instructions, and carry out tasks in real farming environments.

As part of the award, NVIDIA is donating hardware to 东精影业 Mānoa to support the research. The in-kind grant includes two RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell GPUs, high-powered computer processors designed to train and run advanced AI models, and four Jetson AGX Orin compact supercomputers, which will serve as the “brains” of farm field robots, enabling them to run AI applications and make decisions directly in real-world agricultural environments.

“This project is about building practical AI tools that can actually work on farms,” Chen said. “With NVIDIA鈥檚 support, we can combine robotics and advanced computing to support local agriculture, reduce labor challenges, and develop technologies that are especially relevant for Hawaiʻi鈥檚 farming environments.”

In addition to hardware, the program offers access to NVIDIA development tools, models and training resources, as well as opportunities for broader visibility through presentations and promotional channels.

The NVIDIA Academic Grant Program supports researchers worldwide by providing access to high-performance computing resources, hardware and software. The program is designed to accelerate academic research and help move ideas from concept to real-world application.

The AinaFarm project is part of a broader, interdisciplinary collaboration at 东精影业 Mānoa that brings together researchers from the , , and (CTAHR) to advance AI-enabled solutions for agriculture. This growing effort builds on recent successes in agricultural robotics, including 东精影业 Mānoa鈥檚 $10,000 grand prize win in the 2025 Farm Robotics Challenge, and reflects a shared goal of developing practical, field-ready technologies to support farming in Hawaiʻi and beyond.

ICS is housed in the College of Natural Sciences, the Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences is housed in CTAHR and ECE is housed in the College of Engineering.

A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa team won the Best Novelty and Impact Award at an international hackathon for a project designed to transform how community health workers (CHWs) support patients during and after remote check-ins.

The winning project, “,” acts as a “digital co-pilot,” utilizing speech analysis and artificial intelligence to flag possible signs of hidden distress. The system analyzes both what a patient says and how it is said—through the tone and pacing of a patient鈥檚 speech—to detect possible signs of emotional or mental distress and sends a discreet alert to the CHW along with a context aware suggestion to guide a more supportive response.

The goal of Aurion is to reduce missed emotional cues and workload of CHWs so that they can focus more on giving people the care they need. Beyond real-time support, the tool streamlines post-conversation administrative workflows. The tool is designed to reduce post-conversation paperwork for CHWs by about 70% by automatically filling out forms for them.

The 东精影业 Mānoa team included:

• Akib Sadmanee (PhD student in and a master鈥檚 graduate)
• Quang Loc Lam (PhD student in and a master鈥檚 graduate in economics)
• Fahim Yasir ( data systems analyst and a master鈥檚 graduate in )

“We wanted to create something that could make a real difference, especially here in Hawaiʻi,” Sadmanee said. “Tools like this have the potential to improve care in communities where access and distance can be real challenges.”

The hackathon was held December 5–6, at the 东精影业 Mānoa Campus Center, and was part of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Automatic Speech Recognition and Understanding (ASRU) Workshop held December 6 to December 10 at the Hyatt Regency, Waikīkī. The event brought together students, researchers and professionals to develop solutions to real-world challenges in speech and language technology.

The team presented its work during the main ASRU 2025 program verbally in front of judges and also as a poster to the general audience, and received a certificate of achievement.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa took first place and a $3,000 cash prize in an international artificial intelligence (AI) competition, beating out teams from tech companies and global universities.

Seven haumāna (students) from the 东精影业 Mānoa 鈥檚 ECE (Electrical and Computer Engineering) on large-scale AI won the . The contest drew 59 teams and nearly 200 participants from 42 organizations.

The challenge asked teams to create up to 10,000 high-quality examples to help AI models better understand and reason about images. 东精影业 Mānoa鈥檚 winning entry stood out not for its size, but for its efficiency. The students used only 1,000 samples—just 10% of the allowed amount—yet outperformed every other team.

“This project pushed us to think creatively about how to get the most out of a tiny amount of data,” team leader Yosub Shin said. “We learned quickly that good ideas matter just as much as computing power, and it was exciting to see our approach stand up against teams from around the world.”

The team鈥檚 dataset boosted a widely used open-source model鈥檚 accuracy by more than 7%, the highest gain in the competition. It surpassed submissions from industry heavyweights, including a team from Ant Group, the parent company of Alibaba.

Preparing for a fast-growing future

Beyond the recognition, the experience gave students real-world practice in one of the fastest-growing areas of AI: teaching computers how to interpret both language and images. The hands-on training—curating data, testing models, and working within open-source frameworks—prepares them for future roles in fields ranging from robotics to medical imaging.

Members of the team included Shin, Michael Buriek, Boris Sobolev, Pavel Bushuyeu, Vikas Kumar, Haoyang Xu and Samuel Watson.

“Watching the students take ownership of a complex, open-ended challenge like this was remarkable,” ECE Assistant Professor said. “They showed that with curiosity, discipline, and a willingness to experiment, students can make meaningful contributions to the broader AI research community.”

As the top prize winner, the 东精影业 Mānoa team will present their work on stage at the in San Diego this December and be listed as co-authors on the competition鈥檚 official publication.

Hawaiʻi AI Initiative

The ECE 605 course and the students鈥� participation in the challenge are part of a larger effort Molybog is driving to promote AI in the state, called the (HawAII). The initiative is developing new project-based AI coursework, strengthening internal innovation by supporting student and faculty ventures, and attracting top collaborators from the continental U.S. and abroad through global research challenges. It also includes major investments in 东精影业鈥檚 computing infrastructure and early partnerships with local schools to build a strong pipeline of homegrown talent.

A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa engineering professor has been recognized with an international honor for his decades-long commitment to guiding students.

Professor and Department Chair Wayne A. Shiroma has been selected for the inaugural class of , an international recognition honoring chapter advisors who have guided exemplary programs and fostered sustained student success over many years.

The inaugural class celebrates six advisors who mentor chapter leaders, maintain effective operations, elevate the impact of HKN programs and champion the organization within their campus communities. Inductees demonstrate excellence in mentoring and extracurricular engagement. Shiroma was recognized at the 滨贰贰贰鈥慔碍狈 Student Leadership Conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on November 8.

“It鈥檚 an incredible honor to be recognized alongside so many dedicated advisors,” Shiroma said. “The credit goes to our students—they set the standard for excellence year after year. Supporting their growth as engineers and leaders has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career, and I鈥檓 grateful to help foster a community where they can thrive.”

Since 1999, Shiroma has served as faculty advisor to the 滨贰贰贰鈥慔碍狈 Delta Omega Chapter at 东精影业 Mānoa, which has earned the 滨贰贰贰鈥慔碍狈 Outstanding Chapter Award every year since the 2005–06 academic year. Under his mentorship, four graduating seniors have received the 滨贰贰贰鈥慔碍狈 Alton B. Zerby and Carl T. Koerner Outstanding Student Award, among the highest honors for undergraduate electrical and computer engineering students.

Shiroma earned his BS degree from 东精影业 Mānoa, MEng from Cornell University and PhD from the University of Colorado Boulder, all in electrical engineering. He joined 东精影业 Mānoa in 1996.

—By Justin Scott

Future engineers are getting a firsthand look at Hawaiʻi鈥檚 growing microelectronics field, as the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa wrapped up its first internship cycle tied to a multi-million-dollar national innovation hub.

The internship experience was part of the , which received $15.3 million in federal funding as part of a larger $238 million U.S. Department of Defense initiative to strengthen U.S. leadership in advanced computer chip design and production. 东精影业 is part of the Northwest AI Hub along with several institutions, including Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley.

Five undergraduate students participated in the inaugural internship at 东精影业 Mānoa, including three undergraduates who transferred from a 东精影业 community college. Their 10-week long experience included research and lectures on chip design and fabrication, with projects ranging from organic light-emitting diodes to pressure sensors. Students also became familiar with cleanroom practices and equipment, laying the foundation for continued work this fall.

Internship participant Jenny Brown, an major, was also selected to travel to the University of Washington for four days to observe a cleanroom internship there. The visit provided insight into how other partner institutions run their programs and offered ideas that 东精影业 Mānoa can adapt for the next cohort, expected to expand in 2026.

“Working in 东精影业鈥檚 microelectronics internship and visiting the cleanroom program at the University of Washington gave me a full perspective on how advanced chip design programs operate,” Brown said. “It showed me the growth and value of investing in Hawaiʻi‘s future. We have incredible, growing talent here, and I’m eager to bring back the inspired ideas and strategies to the next student cohort.”

Connecting with employers

As part of their experience, students took part in site visits to Nalu Scientific and the Naval Information Warfare Center, building connections with local employers. Program leaders said such visits are critical for showing students career opportunities in Hawaiʻi and supporting efforts to retain technical talent in the state.

“This first internship cycle showed how powerful hands-on training can be for our students,” Professor Jeffrey Weldon said. “They not only gained technical skills, but also built connections with local employers that will help strengthen Hawaiʻi鈥檚 high-tech workforce.”

东精影业 Mānoa鈥檚 role in the $15.3 million project emphasizes both workforce training and industry engagement, bridging research expertise with practical experience. With the first round of internships completed, 东精影业 leaders plan to scale the program to reach more students in future years.

The University of Hawaiʻi at M膩noa continues to solidify its status as a leading research institution, ranking No. 92 among the top 660 research universities in the U.S. and No. 68 among the top 420 public universities. This is according to the latest , which measures research and development (R&D) expenditures across various disciplines and serves as the primary source for R&D data in U.S. higher education.

• Related 东精影业 News story: 东精影业 M膩noa among nation鈥檚 best in latest research rankings, February 5, 2024

Top-performing disciplines

东精影业 M膩noa demonstrated research excellence across a range of critical fields, with several disciplines maintaining their place in the top 10% nationally for fiscal year (FY) 2023:

• Ocean sciences and marine sciences: No. 7 out of 414 (top 2%)
• Astronomy and astrophysics: No. 15 out of 517 (top 3%)
• Geological and earth sciences: No. 13 out of 414 (top 3%)
• Computer and information sciences: No. 39 out of 500 (top 8%)
• Communication and communications technologies: No. 37 out of 474 (top 8%, ranked in top 10% for the first time)
• Atmospheric science and meteorology: No. 41 out of 414 (top 10%)

东精影业 M膩noa also excelled in agricultural sciences (No. 40 out of 343, top 12%) and electrical, electronic, and communications engineering (No. 49 out of 403, top 12%).

“Our continued presence among the nation鈥檚 top research universities reaffirms the strength and consistency of our research programs at 东精影业 M膩noa,” said Interim Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship Christopher Sabine. “These rankings are a testament to our faculty and researchers and proof of our commitment to innovative research and scholarship to address challenges here in Hawaiʻi and beyond.”

Examples of 东精影业 M膩noa projects that attracted significant funding, include:

• The Hawaiʻi Ocean Time-series (HOT) established in 1988 that studies climate and environmental changes in the North Pacific. After nearly 350 expeditions to the exact same location north of Hawaiʻi dubbed station ALOHA, the 35-year time-series record is still going strong. Read more on 东精影业 News.
• A 东精影业 telescope on Maunakea that will support NASA鈥檚 $19.5 million Landolt Space Mission by helping calibrate telescopes with an artificial “star” satellite and creating new star brightness catalogs. Read more on 东精影业 News.
• Earth scientists studying the chemical evolution of the Hawaiian hotspot and K墨lauea鈥檚 volcanic cycles, revealing the submarine Hawaiian volcano Kamaʻehuakanaloa has erupted at least five times in the last 150 years. Read more on 东精影业 News.

Record-breaking extramural funding

东精影业 M膩noa received a record $464.9 million in extramural awards in fiscal year 2023-2024, leading the way in the 东精影业 10-campus system’s record-breaking $615.7 million that fiscal year, surpassing the previous year鈥檚 record by $99.8 million.

Extramural funding, which comes from external sources, mainly the federal government, supports research and training initiatives by university faculty and staff. This marks the third consecutive year 东精影业 has exceeded half a billion dollars in funding.

National research trends

The HERD survey revealed an 11.2% increase in national academic R&D spending in FY 2023, the largest growth rate in two decades. Total U.S. academic R&D expenditures reached $108.8 billion, a $11.0 billion increase from FY 2022.

“东精影业 M膩noa鈥檚 performance aligns with this upward trend, further emphasizing its role as a key contributor to the national research landscape,” said 东精影业 M膩noa Provost Michael Bruno.