Tiny, sun-powered organisms found in freshwater pools could soon fuel Hawaiʻi鈥檚 sustainable future. Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at M膩noa are charting a path to transform microalgae into a “green gold” reality for biofuels, medicine and nutrition. In a study published in , experts from the (CTAHR) reveal how cutting-edge synthetic biology and metabolic engineering are clearing the way for microalgae production locally and around the world.

Microalgae excel at capturing carbon dioxide and converting it into high-value compounds such as lipids (oils) and terpenoids (organic chemicals). These can be used to create everything from renewable jet fuel to life-saving medications.

“Microalgae have immense potential because they don’t compete with food crops for land or fresh water,” said Zhi-Yan (Rock) Du, an associate professor in CTAHR鈥檚 Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering (MBBE) and the study鈥檚 lead author. “Our research focuses on how we can ‘reprogram’ these organisms to produce more of these valuable materials efficiently.”

Tweaking internal chemistry

Despite their potential, producing microalgal products at a scale that can compete with petroleum has been difficult. The 东精影业 team, including graduate students led by Ty Shitanaka (co-principal investigator with MBBE professor Samir Kumar Khanal), examined how new genetic tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 can optimize the “metabolic superhighways” within the algae.

By tweaking the internal chemistry of the cells, researchers can drive the algae to accumulate higher concentrations of oil and specific health-boosting compounds without slowing down their growth, a common problem in earlier bioengineering attempts.

A sustainable vision for Hawaiʻi

For Hawaiʻi, the state’s year-round sunshine and coastal access provide an ideal environment for algae cultivation.

“This has the potential to help Hawaiʻi create a more resilient, energy-independent economy,” said Khanal. “By integrating microalgae production with wastewater treatment or agricultural byproduct recycling, we can create a system that is both environmentally friendly and economically viable.”

The study also emphasizes the importance of “synthetic biology,” which allows scientists to design biological parts that don’t exist in nature, further pushing the boundaries of what microalgae can produce.

The research was a collaborative effort involving Professor Krzysztof Zienkiewicz from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru艅, Poland. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa graduate student earned top honors at a major international medical science conference, taking home two awards for her research.

Princess Jena Dalit Santiago, a second-year graduate student in the 鈥檚 Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, won both the “Best Graduate Student Talk and Poster” award at the International Symposium on Selenium in Biology and Medicine in Daejeon, South Korea, and the “Best Trainee Award” from the acclaimed Royal Society of Chemistry in the U.K.

“I was more nervous thinking of something to say when I received the award than when I presented my research,” Santiago said.

Her award-winning presentation dives into how the loss of the antioxidant enzyme peroxiredoxin 6 changes how the body uses selenium, which is essential to regulating a cell鈥檚 energy and repairing damaged lipid cell walls. Santiago鈥檚 passion for the field comes from watching her grandmother live with diabetes and other metabolic diseases. This inspiration aligns perfectly with Santiago鈥檚 research, where imbalances of antioxidants in the body is a major factor in metabolic illnesses.

Santiago鈥檚 research is conducted with associate professor Lucia Seale at the , which is part of the . She is on track to finish her master鈥檚 project and graduate in May 2026. While she loves research, she鈥檚 drawn to practicing medicine and has submitted her medical school applications. Her ultimate goal is to return home to Maui and serve her community as a surgeon.

For Kelsea Kanoho Hosoda, receiving the American Indian Science and Engineering Society鈥檚 (AISES) Blazing Flame Professional Award marks a full-circle moment in her mission to uplift Indigenous students in STEM. The national honor recognizes her decades of work expanding opportunities for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students.

“I鈥檝e been a part of AISES since I was an undergraduate, and they really helped me flourish—from undergrad to graduate school and now in my professional career,” said Hosoda, director of the at the University of awaiʻi at M膩noa鈥檚 (JABSOM). “So this award, to me, is more than just recognition from a national organization—it also means a lot for Hawaiʻi.”

At JABSOM, Hosoda leads initiatives that improve Native Hawaiian health through education, research & community engagement, encouraging students to pursue careers in medicine and other health professions.

Bridging communities through mentorship

Hosoda鈥檚 involvement with 东精影业 M膩noa鈥檚 Native Hawaiian Science & Engineering Mentorship Program (NHSEMP) inspired her to co-found the university鈥檚 first AISES student chapter with her husband, creating a bridge between local and national Indigenous STEM communities. She later helped revise AISES policies to expand eligibility for scholarships and internships to all Indigenous students.

Related 东精影业 News story: Advancing the science of mentorships

Over the past 12 years, Hosoda has mentored more than 100 students—many now working in research and medicine. Through programs such as Kauhale Medical Scholars, she continues to guide pre-med students from Hawaiʻi鈥檚 neighbor islands and public schools.

“Being part of AISES taught me to bring my whole self to work,” Hosoda said. “That sense of balance and authenticity is something I try to pass on to my students.”

A proud 东精影业 M膩noa alumna, she earned her bachelor鈥檚 in biology and Hawaiian language, a master鈥檚 in molecular biosciences and bioengineering, and a PhD in communication and information sciences—experiences that deepened her integration of ʻIke Hawaiʻi and STEM.

Hosoda will receive the Blazing Flame Professional Award at the AISES National Conference in Minneapolis this October.

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In a leap for agricultural science, a team of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa undergraduate students has developed a new method that slashes the time needed to test gene-editing tools on corn from several months to just a few days. This significant breakthrough can help scientists accelerate corn breeding efforts and overcome challenges in developing new, improved types of corn. Their work, centered on the revolutionary gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9, was published in .

The students tested the new CRISPR tools on four different types of corn. The results showed that the tools are powerful, with an editing efficiency of up to 24%. This is particularly important for tropical corn, which is sensitive to daylight, making it challenging for farmers to grow in some climates.

CRISPR is a landmark molecular biology tool that allows scientists to make precise changes to DNA. It was co-developed by Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, a renowned biochemist with deep ties to Hawaiʻi; she was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Hilo. The groundbreaking tool has opened up new possibilities for treating genetic diseases and improving agriculture.

Prepping for high paying jobs

The research was conducted as part of the MBBE/BIOL 401 Lab, a 400-level course led by Zhi-Yan “Rock” Du, an associate professor in the ’s Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering. The class is designed to give students hands-on experience and prepare them for careers in many fields, from pharmaceuticals to agriculture.

“Having a published paper is a major accomplishment that makes students more competitive for potentially high-paying jobs and graduate school,” Du said. “It’s an engaging way to help them think critically about what they are learning and provides them with their first publication before they even graduate.”

Students from the 2025 spring semester class also wrote a review paper on CRISPR applications in agriculture that was published in the .

A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa undergraduate had the opportunity to observe a pathologist perform an autopsy and shadow forensic investigators at a crime scene during her .

This hands-on experience with the City and County of Honolulu鈥檚 Medical Examiner鈥檚 Office gave Nanami Mehring, a fourth-year molecular biosciences and biotechnology major at the (CTAHR), a profound lesson in personal resilience, solidifying her interest in a field that demands both scientific precision and empathy.

While the technical skills and pre-med knowledge she gained from her CTAHR courses such as biochemistry were essential, Mehring discovered that her most valuable insight was the compassionate nature of the work.

The Medical Examiner’s Office provides clarity and closure to families whose loved ones have died in mysterious circumstances.

“It鈥檚 a job full of compassion,” she said. A pathology career asks for a blend of objectivity and a “strong soul.”

Solidifying career aspirations

For Mehring, the Poʻokela Fellowship solidified her career aspirations and prepared her for a future where she can provide answers and much-needed closure to families in their time of grief.

The Po鈥檕kela Fellows Internship Program introduces college students to the City and County of Honolulu鈥檚 , connects them with City leaders and encourages them to apply classroom knowledge to various projects and make a difference in their communities.

The internship gave Mehring confidence in her career path and a sense that she can handle the emotional and physical demands of pathology. Investigators and pathologists at the office gave her insight into the next steps—from medical school to pursuing a master鈥檚 program to become a pathologist assistant. Internship programs such as the Poʻokela Fellowship help to support workforce development in Hawaiʻi, one of the core pillars of the 东精影业 System Strategic Plan. Research shows too that early career exposure such as Mehring鈥檚 is strongly correlated with academic persistence and early career success.

By honoring the legacy of women in data science, University of Hawaiʻi at M膩noa researchers are pushing for a more inclusive and innovative future in the rapidly growing field.

Published in the June 2025 issue of , the piece “Highlighting the Achievements and Impact of Women in Data Science” was written by Lauren Higa, a PhD student in the Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering Program in the , and her advisor, Youping Deng, professor and director of the Bioinformatics Core at the (JABSOM).

The article honors pioneers including Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer; Florence Nightingale, who used data to improve public health; and NASA mathematicians Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, whose computational work was crucial to space exploration. These trailblazers laid the foundation for modern data science. It also highlights current leaders such as Fei-Fei Li, whose ImageNet project revolutionized artificial intelligence and computer vision, showing the lasting impact of women in the field.

A call for equity and inclusion

Despite these remarkable contributions, women remain underrepresented in science fields, making up only 23% of the global data science workforce, according to a 2024 Anaconda report. Higa and Deng argue that this lack of representation hinders progress, limits innovation and introduces bias in data-driven technologies.

To address the gender gap, Higa and Deng propose a range of actionable solutions, including strengthening mentorship and sponsorship opportunities, ensuring equitable access to authorship and publishing, and creating institutional policies that promote work-life balance and long-term career support.

Through their research and leadership at JABSOM鈥檚 Bioinformatics Core, the 东精影业 M膩noa team hopes to inspire positive change in the data science landscape, one that is inclusive, equitable and reflective of the communities it aims to serve.

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The first University of Hawaiʻi Program—integrating human and veterinary medicine and environmental science—graduates accepted their certificates at the 东精影业 M膩noa Commencement Ceremony on May 17. The inaugural One Health certificate recipients were molecular biosciences and biotechnology major Braxton Ramos, and biology major Zarek Kon.

Ramos conducted her capstone research project, “Effect of Environmental Selenium on Microbial Diversity in Culex quinquefasciatus” under the mentorship of Associate Researcher Lucia Seale and Associate Professor Matthew Medeiros at the Pacific Biosciences Research Center. Her study focused on an important symbiotic gut fungus, and aims to profile microbial diversity of the gut microbiome in the presence of increased selenium. Ramos plans to continue her training after graduation to become a physician鈥檚 assistant.

Kon鈥檚 capstone research project, “Environmental Surveillance of Leptospira in Hawaiʻi: Evaluating DNA Extraction Methods for Soil and Water Samples” was mentored by Assistant Professor Jourdan McMillan and Professor Sandra Chang at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). His findings demonstrated that commercial DNA extraction kits can successfully identify pathogenic Leptospira in environmental samples. Kon will enter JABSOM as a first-year medical student in fall 2025.

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More on the certificate

The prepares students with the skills and knowledge to work collaboratively across disciplines to solve real-world problems.

The One Health certificate will benefit students pursuing a wide range of professions in human, animal or environmental health. Besides specific jobs in these areas, other One Health-related careers include science writing, food safety, disaster preparedness, global disease surveillance, policy and sustainability practices.

The tradition of academic and research excellence at the University of Hawaiʻi at M膩noa was on international display as several experts were named to the list. Among the 2024 honorees were Samir Kumar Khanal, Daniel Huber, Bin Wang and Daniel Mende.

The scholars on the list were recognized as having shown exceptional and community-wide influence that shapes the future of science, technology and academia globally. Each researcher earned their place by consistently publishing papers that rank in the top 1% by citations in their respective fields, as measured by the Web of Science citation index. This elite recognition places them among the most influential 0.1% of the world鈥檚 scientists, according to the list鈥檚 methodology. The list includes 6,886 influential researchers from more than 1,200 institutions from 59 countries and regions.

CTAHR Professor Samir Kumar Khanal

Samir Kumar Khanal, a professor in the in the (CTAHR), was selected for the list in the cross-field category.

He leads research in the interface of energy and environment. More specifically, he is globally known for his work in the fields of anaerobic digestion, nanobubble technology, aquaponics, and waste-to-resources. Khanal鈥檚 work has made significant contributions to the field, with more than 160 publications and multiple books, including a best-selling work on anaerobic biotechnology and a textbook on bioenergy.

IfA Astronomer Daniel Huber

(IfA) Associate Professor and Astronomer Daniel Huber was recognized on the highly cited researchers list for the sixth consecutive year. He was one of just 65 scientists worldwide selected to the space science category.

Huber鈥檚 research at IfA focuses on the structure and evolution of stars, as well as the discovery and characterization of planets outside our solar system. Huber鈥檚 research uses data from NASA space telescopes such as Kepler and TESS, as well as ground-based telescopes in Hawaiʻi such as Keck, Subaru, ATLAS and ASAS-SN.

SOEST Professor Emeritus Bin Wang

(SOEST) Professor Emeritus Bin Wang has been recognized in the geosciences category for the fifth time (previously in 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2023). He has been with the at 东精影业 M膩noa since 1987.

Wang is a leading meteorologist specializing in climate and atmospheric dynamics. Among his research interests are variability and predictability of Asian-Australian monsoons, climate predictions, tropical cyclones and El Niño-Southern Oscillation dynamics.

Former SOEST postdoctoral fellow Daniel Mende was honored in the biology and biochemistry category, making the highly cited researchers list for the third straight year. Mende specializes in environmental microbiology, microbial ecology, metagenomics and more. He is now an assistant professor at Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam.

This story was compiled based on current affiliation according to the Web of Science鈥檚 Highly Cited Researchers list. If there are other researchers currently or formerly affiliated with 东精影业, email Marc Arakaki at marcra@hawaii.edu.

The University of Hawaiʻi at M膩noa was awarded a $486,000 National Institutes of Health grant to expand educational opportunities in computational genomics (the study of DNA of organisms) and data science for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and other underrepresented students.

Related 东精影业 News story: $10.9M to establish 东精影业 Pacific Center for Genome Research, October 2023

Led by Youping Deng and Yiqiang Zhang from the (JABSOM), the Pacific Computational Genomics and Data Sciences (CGDS) Research Education Program is the first of its kind in Hawaiʻi, and aims to develop a diverse pipeline of talent equipped with cutting-edge skills in genomics research.

Genomics research analyzes an organism’s DNA to understand gene functions, traits, and disease interactions using lab techniques and bioinformatics (computer algorithms) to identify genetic mutations linked to specific diseases. With the grant, the Pacific CGDS program will equip students with advanced genomics data skills, addressing critical health issues such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.

“At the heart of this initiative is the use of cloud computing technologies, including NIH-sponsored big-data ecosystems,” Deng said. “This technology will enable students to analyze large omics datasets, enhancing Hawaiʻi鈥檚 genomics research capabilities.”

By creating new educational pathways in CGDS, we open doors for our students and communities to engage with the future of medicine and science.
—Yiqiang Zhang

The program also emphasizes cultural values such as community and collaboration. “By creating new educational pathways in CGDS, we open doors for our students and communities to engage with the future of medicine and science,” said Zhang. “We are proud to bring these opportunities to Hawai驶i, where the spirit of m膩lama鈥攃aring for one another鈥攎eets the frontiers of genomics and data science.”

JABSOM Dean Sam Shomaker highlighted the program鈥檚 mission. “Who better to address the health issues affecting our diverse population than individuals from that very community?” He noted that training local talent through this program aligns with JABSOM鈥檚 vision of achieving lasting health for all in Hawai驶i.

Gernot Presting from 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补’蝉 is also part of the program team. The Pacific CGDS Research Education Program is one of four partner sites of NIH-funded CGDS hubs. This effort complements another NIH-funded training program focused on AI and biomedical research, where Deng and Zhang also hold leadership roles.

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The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources has officially changed its name to the (CTAHR), in a step that CTAHR Dean Parwinder Grewal said will better reflect the college鈥檚 mission and vision (below).

“This update embodies our college鈥檚 commitment to fostering resilience across individuals, communities, economies and ecosystems, emphasizing its focus on sustainable agriculture, climate change adaptation, and family and community well-being,” said Grewal. “We at CTAHR define human resilience as building individual, community and environmental endurance in the face of challenges such as climate change.”

CTAHR aims to lead research and educational initiatives that help prepare Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region to respond to and recover from climate-driven impacts to agriculture and communities.

“Our programs are centered on enhancing the human condition through a comprehensive approach to building resilience in agricultural and natural systems in the face of climate change,” said Grewal.

The process to change the name, which retains the college鈥檚 well known acronym, CTAHR, began shortly after Grewal started as dean of the college in March 2024. He had a series of meetings with faculty, students, staff, and alumni who all supported the name change proposal. A survey conducted among CTAHR faculty, staff, students, alumni and stakeholders found that more than 67% of respondents endorsed the change, with more than 72% agreeing that 鈥渉uman resilience鈥� better captures the college鈥檚 mission and values.

The mission of several of CTAHR‘s departments already reflect the name change such as the , which conducts research and teaching programs on individual and family resiliency. The focuses on research and academic programs in human nutrition and dietetics, to enhance nutritional health of individuals, children and families. The explores human dimensions research through the relationships between humans and the natural environment for improved human management decisions and policy creation. CTAHR‘s extension programs focus on improving economic, social, and health and wellbeing of individuals, families and communities and offer youth development programs such as 4-H to build teenage resiliency.

The school will be changing its signage and webpages over the coming months to reflect the name change. 鈥淗uman Resources鈥� was added to the then “College of Tropical Agriculture” in 1978 when the college merged with the 东精影业 Hawaiʻi Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, which was dissolved in 1999. The meaning of “human resources” has since shifted from resources for people, like healthy food and clean water, to primarily being associated with business and personnel management.

CTAHR was the very first college at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa when it was founded in 1907 under the Morrill Act as a land-grant college of agriculture and mechanic arts. The flagship campus now has 17 colleges and schools.

CTAHR Mission

CTAHR creates and delivers knowledge that supports and strengthens families, agricultural and food systems, and the natural environment. We educate and serve the people of Hawaiʻi and those from around the world with integrity and excellence.

CTAHR Vision

CTAHR provides exceptional education, research, and extension programs in tropical agriculture and food systems, family and consumer science, and natural resource management for Hawaiʻi and the international community. We cultivate innovative scientific inquiry, solve real world challenges, and provide experiential learning in an interdisciplinary setting with global impacts.