University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� public health and nursing alumna Aime Le has been crowned the 74th Cherry Blossom Festival Queen, one of Hawaiʻi’s longest-running ethnic festivals hosted annually by the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce. Her fellow contestants also voted her Miss Congeniality in recognition of her compassion, professionalism and interpersonal leadership.

“As queen, I serve as a cultural ambassador representing Hawaiʻi through community service, educational outreach and cultural exchange programs locally and internationally,” said Le.

Le earned dual bachelor’s degrees in and in 2020 and a bachelor of science in nursing in 2022. She was also inducted into the Japanese National Honor Society–College Chapter for academic excellence in Japanese language studies.

During her time at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�, Le participated in student leadership and service organizations including Mortar Board National Honor Society, Hui Ola Pono Public Health Club, HOSA-Future Health Professionals and Atherton YMCA community programs. She also took part in medical mission and service-learning trips to the Philippines and Kauaʻi and completed a rural clinical rotation in Yap, Micronesia.

“My time in Yap further strengthened my appreciation for community-centered healthcare and cross-cultural connection,” Le said.

Supporting kūpuna through community care

Now a nurse practitioner, Le earned her degree in the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track from the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� in spring 2025. In fall 2025 and spring 2026, Le volunteered with the Memory Café at the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Center on Aging, a free monthly garden-based program for people living with memory loss and their care partners.

“At the Memory Café, I can help support dementia-friendly spaces for kūpuna and caregivers through nature-based activities, social connection and community engagement,” she said.

Le hopes to continue bridging healthcare, culture and community service throughout her career while advocating for compassionate, inclusive care across generations.

“We are so privileged to have someone like Aime be a part of the Memory Café,” said Christy Nishita, a gerontologist with the Center on Aging. “The combination of her personal qualities and professional training has made her the ideal volunteer. She has helped to nurture not only our garden but also the growth of human relationships among students, staff and community participants. I know she will make a superb Cherry Blossom Festival Queen.”

Three members of the 2026 Cherry Blossom Court also have ����Vlog�ٷ� ties: Princess Lauren Sayuri Katayama and First Princess Jacqueline Kiemi Osumi are ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� alumnae, while Princess Kiʻilaweau Kakie Aweau is a current public health PhD student.

Graduate and advanced undergraduate students from across the University of Hawaiʻi System and around the world gathered February 12–15, for the (IGSC) at the East-West Center, marking a milestone year for the long-running, student-led event.

Organized entirely by a graduate student team and supported by the , the 2026 conference centered on the theme, “Legacies Through Time: Rethinking the Past, Confronting the Present, Shaping the Future.” Over three days, approximately 140 participants representing more than 25 countries and regions across North America, the Asia-Pacific and Europe, representing more than 65 institutions, transformed the Hawaiʻi Imin International Conference Center into a hub of interdisciplinary exchange.

“Planning this conference reminded us that scholarship is not just about individual achievement—it’s about building relationships and creating spaces where emerging scholars feel seen, challenged and supported,” said Xiaoyun Neo, a master’s student in at ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa and one of the conference’s organizers. “Watching students step into that space with confidence and generosity was the most rewarding part of this milestone year.”

Neo added, “I also echo the sentiment expressed by IGSC co-chairs Tiến Nguyễn Minh (MA, ) and Oliver Lilford (MA, ) that as scholars, artists and practitioners, we do not simply inherit legacies—we negotiate, challenge and reshape them in the present, using them to reinterpret the past or set the course for different, more hopeful futures.”

Nearly 30 themed panels—including paper presentations, poster sessions, a roundtable discussion and an evening session featuring creative projects and films—highlighted the depth and diversity of student scholarship. Topics ranged from intergenerational memory and language preservation to environmental change and artistic expression, reflecting how legacies shape identities, institutions and futures.

For many presenters, the conference offered a first opportunity to share research in a supportive, peer-centered environment. Graduate student moderators guided discussions, facilitated questions and fostered dialogue across disciplines, creating space for feedback and collaborations.

“Besides the intensive three-day conference, this year’s IGSC also curated pre- and post-conference activities supported by our incredible partners and sponsors,” said Minh. “Our participants enjoyed a field trip to the Mānoa Heritage Center; a tour at the East-West Center Art Gallery; a keynote address in honor of the 25th IGSC by renowned scholar, also an alumna of ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa, Dr. Katerina Teaiwa, sponsored by the Asian American-Pacific Islander, Environmental Humanities and Environmental Justice Initiative; and a play about Joseph Kekuku and his steel guitar invention at the Honolulu Theatre for Youth. These activities not only fostered connections between our participants with local institutions, they also provided opportunities for us to introduce Hawaiʻi’s own legacies through diverse and interactive approaches.”

Launched in 2002, the International Graduate Student Conference continues to serve as a meeting place for emerging scholars to test ideas, build networks and experience academic exchange beyond the classroom.

Voices, movement and moments of reflection filled at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� in early February as , a biennial conference brought together scholars, artists and community members for two days of exchange. Hosted by the (ANNO), the conference explored how Indigenous performance sustains knowledge, language and relationships across generations.

The second biennial conference featured panels, workshops and special events that emphasized learning through practice.

Participants took part in everything from hula workshops led by ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� instructor and Kumu Hula Tracie Kaʻōnohilani Farias Lopes to kapa making, puppet making, carving and a movement-based session by Sami L.A. Akuna that invited reflection on storytelling and the body.

“We hope that the conference delegates engaged in the many offerings of the two-day event and see the importance of Indigenous performance as a site of knowledge production, cultural preservation, and collective imagination,” said Tammy Hailiʻōpua Baker, who co-founded ANNO and is a director of ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s award-winning .

One panel, Aloha ʻĀina Embodied: The Praxis of ʻAha, was conducted entirely in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. The session featured several kumu, including Kaliko Baker, an associate professor at ; Kaipu Keala, an assistant professor at , Kaulu Luuwai, an attorney with at William S. Richardson School of Law, and Snowbird Bento, kumu hula of Ka Pā Hula O Ka Lei Lehua.

Panelists discussed how is expressed through performance and community practice, reflecting on the ways language and movement inform artistic and community-based work.

Celebration and story

The conference concluded with a hoʻolauleʻa, a celebration that combined conversation and creative sharing. Events included a film screening of , directed by Lisette Flanary, professor at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� and a preview of a new hana keaka (theatre work) by ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Hawaiian theatre graduate student Ikaika Mendez. The production, Lele Wale, reflects on community rebuilding after the Lahaina wildfires, honoring those who were lost, those who survived, and those continuing the work of rebuilding on Maui. Performances run March 4–8 at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre at Kennedy Theatre.

• Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News story: Lahaina’s story lives in new hana keaka production, February 5, 2026

Established in 2022 through the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Provost’s Strategic Investment Initiative, ANNO advances Hawaiian and Indigenous performance through scholarship, curriculum and outreach, supporting ongoing research and creative practice at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�.

University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� students played a central role in a landmark Southeast Asian film project now completed after years of collaboration. Through a partnership led by the (CSEAS) and the Vietnam Film Institute in Hanoi, more than 70 classic Vietnamese feature films have been digitized and subtitled in English.

The work began in the classroom. In 2007, CSEAS launched a film translation and subtitling course that trained ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� students with advanced Southeast Asian language skills. Students translated dialogue, timed subtitles and helped prepare films for international viewing. Their work laid the foundation for a long-term effort focused on Vietnamese cinema. Former CSEAS associate director Paul Rausch created the course which was taught by John McGlynn.

Over time, the project grew into one of the program’s most active collaborations. The resulting catalog spans films released between 1959 and 2010.

The films are formatted for streaming on laptops, desktop computers and handheld devices. They are intended for libraries and classrooms, not large theaters or festivals. To support viewers who are hearing impaired, captioning was added alongside English subtitles.

Foundational support for this project was provided through CSEAS‘s designation as a U.S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center.

For more on the catalog email vietnamcinemalibrary@gmail.com. Go to the for the full story.

—By Motoki Saito Yamamori

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�’s (CPS) is marking its 50th anniversary with a series of special events for fall 2025. From art and history to performance and storytelling, the programs invite the public to celebrate the richness of Filipino culture while exploring the future of Philippine Studies.

The anniversary theme, “Rooted in the Past, Growing Together,” honors the history of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s Filipino community while inspiring collective action to guide and uplift future generations.

“We’re proud to present a dynamic range of programs in the coming year that reflect our commitment to education, culture and community engagement,” said Patricia Halagao, co-director of CPS.

Founded in 1975 with the support of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, CPS has been a home for scholarship and community.

Events open to the public

exhibit
October 12–March 15, 2026, East-West Center Gallery

• Filipino fashion, music, art and artifacts curated by artist and fashion designer Iris Gil Viacrusis. Free admission.

Collaboration with ����Vlog�ٷ� Athletics
October 10, 7 p.m., Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center

• .
  Filipino-inspired Warrior “H” logo designed by artist Ara Laylo for exclusive ����Vlog�ٷ� apparel. Buy at the and at the game. .

Philippine Rare Collection Workshop—Cartographies of Skin and Soil
October 15, 5:30 p.m. and October 16, 3 p.m., Hamilton Library 4th Floor, Asia Reading Room

• Discover how rare 16th-Century Philippine maps and traditional Filipino tattoos tell powerful stories of identity, resistance and survival. Guided by Philippine librarian Elena Clariza, the workshop will unpack how both the body and the land were marked. Space is limited. Free admission.

November 14, 15, 21, 22 (7:30 p.m.) and November 23 (2 p.m.), Kennedy Theatre

• Mainstage dance production exploring the experiences of Filipinos navigating belonging and exclusion in Hawaiʻi and beyond. Featuring Filipino Indigenous storytelling, music, hip hop and street dance.

Additional events

iJeepney Launch: Empowering the Next Generation
October 4, 2–4 p.m., Filipino Cultural Summit at Leeward Community College

• Originally developed by the Smithsonian in 2006, “iJeepney” is reborn as a dynamic, youth-driven online platform for Filipino history and culture.

spring 2026, ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�

• The center’s first anthology will feature reflections from past and present directors, faculty, and community partners, documenting CPS’s 50-year history and vision for the future of Philippine Studies worldwide.

September 20, 11 a.m., Biomedical Sciences Building B103

• Tribute to the Center’s Founding Director, Belinda Aquino.

October 10,11, 12, 13, Various locations. Free admission.

• University of the Philippines Rondalla Tour presents a musical and cultural experience. Free admission.

This September, the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�’s and invite audiences into a world where imagination becomes survival. , a Theatre for Young Audiences production directed by MFA candidate Emmanuel Mante, shares the true story of Benjamin, a boy born with hemophilia whose boundless creativity helps him navigate illness, loss, and ultimately, an HIV diagnosis.

“This isn’t just a children’s show—it’s a heartfelt experience for all ages,” said Mante. “It celebrates how the human spirit turns pain into art and illness into beauty. It’s imaginative uplifting, and transformative.”

The production runs September 24–28, at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre.

While Benjamin’s life is shaped by hospital visits, isolation, and loss, his imagination offers him freedom. He turns to drawing, coloring, and storytelling to express what words cannot. In one poignant scene, he colors with his doctor as the only way to explain his pain.

Imaginative staging

The production’s artistic team help transform the story for the stage. Set designer and theatre major Juliana Damrow uses reconfigurable pieces and everyday objects to reflect how children reshape their world through play. Lighting designer Kelli Finnegan adds expressive colors and projections that mirror Benjamin’s sketches, including the symbolic yellow boat he draws.

The production also weaves in cultural elements. Costumes by Amber Baker feature handwoven Filipino textiles. Choreographers Nani Marcos and Gwen Arbaugh layer movement into the story, while music director Paul Gabriel Cosme provides live accompaniment.

“Each costume is a celebration of Filipino artistry and heritage,” Mante said. “Hawaiʻi’s multicultural environment makes this kind of storytelling feel especially resonant.”

Although filled with joy and imagination, The Yellow Boat also faces difficult truths of illness, isolation and loss. Benjamin’s story ends with his passing, portrayed by the cast with care and sensitivity. Families are encouraged to reflect on these themes and join the post-show discussion on Friday, September 26, with the director and cast.

Ticket information

Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.

Content Advisories: Covers health issues and suffering, such as hemophilia and HIV.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s has acquired a remarkable piece of history, one of the .

The map comes from a rare Rome edition of Cosmographia by Claudius Ptolemy, a geographer from ancient Alexandria whose ideas shaped how the world was visualized for centuries. This version is special for an additional reason. It was printed by Konrad Sweynheim, a 15th century German printer and engraver who pioneered copperplate printing in Italy.

The map was purchased by the ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa and gifted to the library.

“The Center for Southeast Asian Studies is proud to support the Maps and Southeast Asia Collection in Hamilton Library through funding from the National Resource Center grant from the International Foreign Language and Area Studies Program in the U.S. Department of Education,” said Teri Skillman, associate director of CSEAS.

Hamilton Library helped bring the map to life through high-resolution imaging that will allow students and researchers to study it in detail without touching the fragile original.

“This is the oldest map in Hamilton Library and it enhances the already world-class Southeast Asia collection,” said Ted Kwok a geospatial librarian at Hamilton Library.

Rome’s finest maps

Sweynheim began work on the maps in 1474 and trained mathematicians to engrave copper plates, a process that would dominate Italian mapmaking for more than 100 years. Although he died before the atlas was published, his legacy lives on. The plates were completed by his colleague Arnold Buckinck, also known as Pannartz.

Many historians consider the Rome edition to be the finest set of Ptolemaic maps produced before the rise of Gerard Mercator’s world atlas in 1578.

The map will be part of the library’s or MAGIS collection, expanding ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa’s holdings in global historical geography.

When Chinoko Shirakura walks into her classroom at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, she carries more than just lesson plans and textbooks—she brings with her a passion rooted in identity, heritage and connection. Shirakura is ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa’s newest lecturer and is focused on helping students rediscover their roots and build cultural bridges.

Born and raised in Thailand to a Thai mother and Japanese father, Shirakura grew up in a multicultural household where language was more than a means of communication.

“I realized early on that language wasn’t just words. It’s a way of understanding daily life, of connecting to people,” she said. “Even casual conversations carry culture.”

Discovering her passion

That understanding deepened after moving to Hawaiʻi in August 2024. Shirakura is currently pursuing a master’s in at ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa, a two-year program that she said allows her to immediately apply what she learns to her own teaching.

Upon moving to Hawaiʻi, friends and colleagues encouraged her to share casual Thai phrases.

“I’d see how excited they got when they understood something, even just simple phrases,” she said. “That’s when I knew I wanted to pursue this seriously.”

Currently, Shirakura teaches Thai 101 and Thai 202 to students who tested into the higher level, with plans to expand to Thai 102 next semester.

“For many students, learning Thai is a way to reconnect with their heritage. I’ve seen students light up when they realize they can now communicate with their grandparents,” Shirakura said. “That’s when I knew I wasn’t just teaching vocabulary—I was helping them find part of themselves.”

This fall, Shirakura’s students are also launching a Thai language club, a student-led initiative that reflects the growing interest and enthusiasm for the program.

The Thai language program is housed in the ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa .

Set in Hokkaido, Tokyo and Hawaiʻi, the world premiere play adaptation of Dance Dance Dance leads audiences on one man’s journey to open doors to “other” places. The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� and production is based on the novel published by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Adapted and directed by ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� MFA candidate Maggie Ivanova, the play blurs the lines between various realities framed by magical realism and incorporates scenes set in Sapporo and an old multi-storied building in downtown Honolulu.

“The creative team and I approach Sapporo and Honolulu as places where ancestors can visit and co-exist with the characters,” Ivanova explained. “The legacy of the land and all that came before is there. But we need to slow down, listen to, and recognize the connections that are still there. The mana (power) of place and objects is potent and present, lending to the magical realism characterizing this piece.”

In 2012, Murakami received an honorary doctorate at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� while he was a visiting professor at the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures.

The idea of adapting one of Murakami’s novels for the stage was on Ivanova’s radar for several years prior to her admission to ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�.

“Of all the novels he has written, Dance Dance Dance provides a closure at the end that many of Murakami’s other works don’t,” she said.

Ticket prices range from $8–$18 for the in-person production at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre on January 25–28 at 7:30 p.m. and January 29 at 2 p.m.

The play includes strong language, sexual content, simulated smoking and references to murder.

For more information visit the .

Students from the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� (ACM) in the are asking the public to weigh in on their individual film projects. On Friday, October 7, ACM Share the Screen will feature multiple student films in front of a live audience, which will provide firsthand feedback.

“Ideally, the student filmmakers will benefit by being able to view their film within a theatrical setting, gauge audience feedback, and to be able to have a healthy Q&A, feedback discussion with the audience on their work-in-progress edits of their student film projects. Films are meant to be shared,” said Associate Professor Anne Misawa who teaches the ACM 386 Techniques: Film Festivals course.

In addition to screening their films, Misawa’s students are also organizing the event. Her inaugural ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� ACM course introduces students to different perspectives of a film festival; as participants, filmmakers and event coordinators.

Light refreshments will be provided at the free showcase at the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Art 132 Auditorium from 5 to 9 p.m. Ten student flicks will cover a wide range of genres including drama, animation and horror. Audiences will also be treated to a creative short event promo created by ACM 386 students to kickoff the ACM Share the Screen event.

“It has been terrific to see how enthusiastic the students are in this class to learn the ins and outs of active participation in the film festival arena,” Misawa said.

Student films

• As Cliche As It Sounds, Emmy Okinaka
• Charlie’s Guide, Beck Hong
• Cringe Kid Kyle: The Musical, Ian Severino
• Embers, Justin Pascua
• Love in Silence, Leslie Dam
• Nocturnal, Justin Pascua
• Parental Consent, Justin Ocampo
• Quests Are for the Broke, Jewel Racasa
• The Rose, Katrina Spencer
• Venus Rises, Mina Hostrop

This November, students will have the opportunity to shadow Hawaiʻi International Film Festival organizers to get an insider’s view of what it takes to put on the world-renowned event each year.

The recently released the largest and most comprehensive collection of Cambodian literature available in English to date. Published in September 2022, Out of the Shadows of Angkor: Cambodian Poetry, Prose, and Performance through the Ages, is featured in the biannual publication .

Assembled over 30 years, the book features:

• 14 centuries of literature, from ancient transcriptions to a graphic novel excerpt (full color).
• Rescued literature nearly lost during Cambodia’s civil war, the Khmer Rouge regime, and its aftermath.
• Literature never before available in English, including translations of Khmer, Sanskrit and French works, alongside pieces penned in English by writers of the Cambodian diaspora.

“[T]his book seeks to bring Cambodian literature out of the shadows of the great temples of Angkor and out of the ashes of a war that killed most of the country’s authors and destroyed countless irreplaceable books, whether by fire, neglect, or being turned into cigarette wrappers or toilet paper,” wrote Sharon May, one of the anthology’s five guest editors.

The book includes passages from Reamker, an adaptation of the Hindu Ramayana, and works from the Cambodian Golden Age, including Khun Srun on political repression. Emerging writers, poets, musicians and performers are also featured pushing boundaries with diverse reflections on contemporary Cambodia and the diaspora.

Members of the ����Vlog�ٷ� community can view the works for free via .

is the companion volume to (spring 2004). Both appear as part of the ����ԴDz� series.

More on the ����ԴDz� editors

Out of the Shadows of Angkor was produced by the distinguished and long-standing editorial team Frank Stewart and Pat Matsueda, from the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� . This is their penultimate issue, produced prior to their retirement in fall 2022. Their final issue will feature the literature of Burma, to be published in winter 2022.

Stewart is a writer, translator and founding editor of ����ԴDz�: A Pacific Journal of International Writing. He is a professor emeritus of English at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�.

Matsueda has been managing editor of ����ԴDz� since 1992.

The ����ԴDz� journal will continue to be published by ����Vlog�ٷ� Press and sponsored by the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Department of English.

World renowned scholar in Greek history and literature, ancient medicine and archaeology Robert Littman celebrated 50 years at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in September. Littman was recruited by ����Vlog�ٷ� in 1971 and is a professor in the (CALL). He is known for, among other things, helping recreate Cleopatra’s perfume and a project based in Egypt where ����Vlog�ٷ� students participate in the excavation of an ancient city.

����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa pursued Littman when he was at Brandeis University in Boston. Littman’s wife suggested that they go to Hawaiʻi for what they thought would be one year, and it turned into more than five decades. Littman earned a BA in classical languages from Columbia University, a masters in ancient history from the University of Oxford and a PhD in classical philology from Columbia University.

“One of the things I’ve appreciated about being out in Hawaiʻi is, since I teach in a small program that is not very specialized, I have not been pigeonholed,” said Littman. “I’ve had the opportunity to diversify my academic work here. I started out as a classicist and historian with a little bit of archaeology. And in Hawaiʻi, I’ve gradually shifted into biblical studies in both Hebrew bible and Greek bible and biblical history. And then I expanded my work in Egyptology in both teaching and researching in the ancient Egyptian language and moving into Egyptian archaeology.”

Littman’s achievements

Littman has amassed a myriad of accomplishments over his time at ����Vlog�ٷ� including: being selected as the 2018 recipient of the Martha and Artemis Joukowsky Distinguished Service Award; he was part of a team who recreated Cleopatra’s ancient perfume, which was showcased in a National Geographic exhibit; he was involved in producing the digital edition of the Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest New Testament and Greek version of the Old Testament dating from the 4th century A.D.; and he co-published the illustrated children’s history book, The Story of Ancient Timai.

Littman continues to direct the ����Vlog�ٷ� , the excavation of the ancient city of Thmouis in Timai El Amdid, Egypt in the Nile Delta that started in 2007. To date, more than 200 ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa students as well as students from other universities, have traveled to Egypt to participate in the excavation of Thmouis, a flourishing city from 500 B.C. to about 600 A.D. for the Egyptians followed by Greeks and then the Romans.

While on excavations students are exposed to ancient Egyptian culture, they learn about archaeological techniques, and they help with pottery washing on site.

“My first job was in a commercial kitchen washing dishes, and I guess I’m still doing it, only it’s [ancient Egyptian] pottery, and I usually get the students to wash it now,” Littman said.

Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News stories:

• Cleopatra’s ancient perfume recreated, July 30, 2019
• ����Vlog�ٷ� professor leading excavation in Egypt receives national archaeology award, November 24, 2017
• ����Vlog�ٷ� Tell Timai project provides books to children of Egypt, July 27, 2015

50 years of advancement

Littman has experienced dramatic changes in the university over 50 years. Two years after he was recruited, ����Vlog�ٷ� started the and the in 1973. Changes in technology have also completely revolutionized education and research. In his early days, Littman was unable to conduct much of his research at ����Vlog�ٷ� because sufficient resources were not available at the library. However, with the rise of the internet over his academic career, Littman is now able to access most publications online.

The nature of Littman’s research has shifted, not just archaeologically, but with the changes in science and scientific techniques. One area he works in is the history of medicine, particularly pandemics.

“When I started out, most of my work was looking at clinical symptoms,” said Littman. “Over time in the 1970s and 80s, as the field of epidemiology developed, I teamed up with various epidemiologists from the University of Hawaiʻi and we looked at epidemiological approaches to the analysis of ancient disease. And now, in the last five years, I’ve teamed up with the newest aspect which is looking at ancient DNA. So those developments in the field over the last 50 years, have paralleled my own professional development of moving into newer and newer techniques in the archeological fields.”

When asked if he had any plans for retirement, Littman chuckled and replied, “I am much too young!” His love of teaching and passion for training the next generation of classicists, historians and archeologists is what inspires him to continue his work at ����Vlog�ٷ�.

This work is an example of ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa’s goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

An award-winning journal published by the for the past three decades received a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The biannual publication, ����ԴDz�: A Pacific Journal of International Writing, features traditional and contemporary writings from the Pacific Rim, one of the world’s most dynamic literary regions.

“We’re very pleased to get this award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which along with ����Vlog�ٷ� and ����Vlog�ٷ� Press, has been a generous supporter of ����ԴDz� Journal for many years,” said Frank Stewart, the journal’s editor. “I think they appreciate that the journal has 8,000 institutional subscribers in over 100 countries and that it’s praised for its high quality of literature and translation.”

The award was given by the Grants for Arts Projects program which supports projects that use the arts to unite and heal in response to cultural heritage and creativity. The grant will support the production of the journal’s 2021–22 issues. Faculty and staff throughout the ����Vlog�ٷ� system can read for free on .

• Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News story: ����Vlog�ٷ� Press journal cultural work supported by national grants, June 1, 2020

����ԴDz� is among 1,073 projects across the U.S. awarded nearly $25 million in funding. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support this project,” said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “����ԴDz� is among the arts organizations across the country that have demonstrated creativity, excellence and resilience during this very challenging year.”

����ԴDz� has editorial offices in the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� and is supported by the .

The NEA is the only arts funder in the U.S.—public or private—that provides access to the arts in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Each year, it awards thousands of grants to provide all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation.

This work is an example of ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� doctoral candidates, in programs ranging from linguistics to health sciences, have been selected to receive the esteemed 2020 from Soroptimist Founder Region Fellowship, Inc. This year, 4 of the 7 awardees in the Founder Region, which encompasses Northern California, Hawaiʻi, Guam, the Mariana Islands and the Republic of Palau, are from ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�.

Honorees Sharon Estioca, Joanna Kettlewell, Solange Saxby and Priscilla Seabourn were honored at this year’s virtual Founder Region conference held in May 2020, where they shared their research findings and each received $10,000 of unrestricted funds to cover expenses to complete their doctoral degrees. “This fellowship has allowed me to continue my education without the burden of financial stress,” said Seabourn, a doctoral candidate in entomology. “More importantly, it has enabled me to connect with other highly educated women in diverse fields of study.”

“The application materials, research and work reflected in those materials, and the candidates themselves are consistently impressive and inspiring. Indeed, over the years many of the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� applicants have received our fellowship awards,” shared Cheryl Poncini, fellowship president of the Soroptimist Founder Region Fellowship Board of Directors. “The fellowship board and I look forward to receiving and reviewing the applications for our 2021 fellowship awards.” The deadline for submitting completed application packets is January 11, 2021.

Founded in 1921, Soroptimist is a global volunteer organization committed to promoting the empowerment of women through access to education to achieve economic empowerment and participation in decision-making at all levels in the community. The fellowship is awarded to outstanding women doctoral candidates whose area of study improves the lives of women and girls and contributes to the welfare of society.

Krystyna Aune, dean of , noted, “The Founder Region of Soroptimist International has been a generous supporter of female doctoral students at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�. We are so grateful for our long-standing collaborations and know that the support they provide will help our graduate students continue to make significant contributions through their research.”

Founder Region Fellowship honorees

Sharon Estioca, (Linguistics)

As a native Subanon and former elementary school teacher, Estioca is working to become a documentary linguist. Estioca came to the U.S. to earn a PhD in linguistics so she could learn more about teaching and how to preserve undocumented languages. The Subanon language is an endangered Austronesian language indigenious to the Philippines. Estioca’s dissertation is a comprehensive description of the grammar of Subanon, which will be critical for teaching the language to the new generation of Subanons. Estioca is also co-compiling a Subanon-English dictionary for publication.

Joanna Kettlewell, (Biomedical Sciences, Tropical Medicine)

Kettlewell’s dissertation studied the potential impact of pharmaceutical agents to inhibit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) entry into the brain and resulting inflammation that leads to a spectrum of cognitive deficits referred to as HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� has translated Kettlewell’s knowledge and skills in infectious disease to public health. Since graduating with her PhD, Kettlewell is now assisting the Hawaiʻi State Laboratories Division in the COVID-19 response as a postdoctoral fellow.

Solange Majewska Saxby, (Nutritional Sciences)

Saxby is exploring the prebiotic potential of local Hawaiian foods, specifically taro, to modulate the gut microbiome and prevent colorectal cancer. The gut microbiome is a highly individualized ecosystem of microorganisms within the colon, which may influence human health. She hopes that her research can elucidate the interconnectedness of diet, the gut microbiome and overall human health.

Priscilla Seabourn, (Entomology)

Seabourn’s dissertation studies the microbiome of a mosquito species widespread throughout Hawaiʻi that is a major vector of the Dengue and Chikungunya viruses. Seabourn’s project is essential for understanding how disease transmission changes across landscapes and aims to clarify which environmental and ecological characteristics impact the mosquito microbiome. As a result, this study may enhance the predictability of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks. Seabourn strives to cultivate a career in public health by improving lives in local and global communities.

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� is a leading voice in an effort to deliver reliable information about the COVID-19 pandemic to more people around the world.

Assistant Professor Bradley McDonnell teamed up with experts from the University of London and State University of New York at Buffalo on , a project aiming to provide marginalized communities with accurate COVID-19 information in their own languages so their people are informed about how to prevent the spread of the virus. The volunteer team focuses on endangered languages and started by developing resources for nearly 20 languages spoken in Cameroon. The team has also covered languages in Ghana, Indonesia and Pakistan, with more expected.

“The virALLangauges team partners with language communities all over the world, and the larger numbers of resources in languages of Cameroon, Ghana, Pakistan and Indonesia represent existing connections that members of the virALLangauges team had already developed,” McDonnell said. “For example, I have been conducting linguistic fieldwork in Indonesia for over a decade, so I reached out to language communities and academic linguists in Indonesia.”

Team members were inspired to create the project because written information in majority languages is not well-understood or well-received by many minority communities, especially in areas where information is mainly communicated orally. The team created and a in different languages with basic health information on COVID-19, tutorials on making hand sanitizer and advice on adjusting one’s social life amid COVID-19.

“This is an excellent example of how the Department of Linguistics works to address real-world problems for communities that are often overlooked in the world today,” Department Chair and Professor Kamil Deen said. “Professor McDonnell, as a representative of the Department of Linguistics at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�, is the perfect ambassador for that ethos.”

����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� students Jacob Hakim, Khairunnisa, Jessica Charest, Shirley Gabber, Leah Pappas, Sebastian Ohara-Saft and Katherine Strong have contributed to the project. McDonnell also worked closely with Yanti, the head of the Center for Language and Culture Studies at Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia; and Ika Nurhayani, the head of the linguistics graduate program in the faculty of cultural studies at the University of Brawijaya in Malang, Indonesia.

Information source

The team’s main information source is the World Health Organization with assistance from the Community for Global Health Equity at the State University of New York at Buffalo. After gathering the latest COVID-19 information, team members shared it with native speakers for them to create video and audio recordings in their own languages.

“The most rewarding part of the project for me is seeing the willingness of people to help their own communities in spite of the challenges they are currently facing,” McDonnell said. “We’ve had medical doctors, nurses and professors volunteer their time to record heartfelt messages in their own languages to reach their own communities.”

Recruiting collaborators

The team is recruiting speakers of minority or endangered languages around the world who are willing to assist with the project. The team is also looking for researchers, activists and travelers familiar with communities who speak a marginalized language and can establish a connection with team members. .

“Our biggest challenge remains recruiting people who are able to make the recordings of reliable and memorable information on COVID-19,” McDonnell said. “In many cases, we are simply unable to identify people in a number of communities. In Indonesia alone, linguists have identified over 700 different languages, and so reaching people from each community is a real challenge.”

Translation video by Lusi Susianti, the team Leader and speaker for Kapuas Hulu in Indonesia.

—By Marc Arakaki

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� is merging the College of Arts & Humanities (AH), College of Languages, Linguistics & Literature and the School of Pacific and Asian Studies into a single college named the College of Arts, Languages & Letters (CALL), effective July 1. The goal is to reinvigorate the liberal arts at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� with a focus on Asia and the Pacific, for which ����Vlog�ٷ� is internationally known. The collective resources of the new college will create more opportunities for students and faculty by facilitating stronger interdisciplinary collaboration while attracting more students and enabling financial stability. Current AH Dean Peter Arnade will be the dean of the new college.

“We anticipate that increased faculty collaboration under the leadership of a single dean will enable more flexible engagement of faculty, for example in teaching the culture, history and language of a region,” said ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Provost Michael Bruno in the merger action memo to ����Vlog�ٷ� President David Lassner. “It will inspire stronger cohesiveness across language, literature and culture and enhance cross-disciplinary scholarship and studies to attract more students to CALL‘s academic offerings and better prepare those students for the requirements and challenges they will face as global citizens.”

Consultation with stakeholders on the merger began in October 2018 and included faculty and department chairs from the affected units, the ����ԴDz� Faculty Senate and unions. After continuous discussions, the consultation led to an updated plan that includes retaining the School of Pacific and Asian Studies as a school within the new college and retaining Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures as a department.

In approving the recommendation from Provost Bruno, ����Vlog�ٷ� President David Lassner stated that “this reorganization will strengthen the ability of the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� to advance our unique mission, especially in light of the financial challenges now before us.”

The new college is the latest step in the ongoing discussions regarding the reorganization of the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� that began in 2016. It follows the merger of the School of Travel Industry Management and the Shidler College of Business in August 2019, the creation of the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Provost position and recombination of the ����Vlog�ٷ� President and ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Chancellor positions approved in April 2019, and the integrated coordination of administrative services between the campus and system.

will further refine and sharpen the mission, leadership, and functions of the various support units primarily reporting to the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Provost. The formal consultation on that phase will begin in fall 2020 with a goal of implementation beginning in January 2021.

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� recognized creative writing students with awards and scholarships.

����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� graduate student Micah Lau’s poem “Free Skate” is based on Olympic figure skaters Yuna Kim—an international sensation—and a lesser-known Canadian pairs team Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison.

“Focalized through a narrator who visits Bucheon, South Korea, where both Kim Yuna and the narrator’s host were born, the poem explores what it means to submit oneself to elegance and danger, with or without a partner,” Lau said.

Lau won The Academy of American Poets Prize, which recognizes the best poem on any subject. He won $100 and a one-year Academy of American Poets membership.

“I was surprised,” Lau said. “The poem was written a while ago, and I decided to submit it to the contest at the last minute. Though I’ve been focusing on writing fiction in the graduate program, I’ll definitely return to poetry when it feels right.”

One judge wrote “Competitive figure skating is the initial conceit that defines the tension between performance, intimacy and pain. Readers are roped into the question: ‘what heart does not want, in some sinister way, to leave marks on the other?’ The poet of ‘Free Skate’ held me most as a reader, thinker and writer.”

The Patsy Sumie Saiki Award

����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s Briana Uu took first place for The Patsy Sumie Saiki Award and a $1,000 prize. The award recognizes the best short story that reflects the history, cultures or traditions of Hawaiʻi. Uu’s winning piece is “Old Spider Man.”

“With lyrical clarity, well-placed humor and detailed metaphors, ‘Old Spider Man’ is a delightful coming-of-age story about three brothers who navigate place, boyhood and community amidst fear, shame and imagination,” one of the judges commented.

Second place and $250 went to ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s Ashley Insong for “A Spoonful of Home,” and third place and $100 went to ����Vlog�ٷ� �ᾱ����’s Alexander Coley for “The Haole Who Never Knew Fear (And Then Got Scared at a Farmers’ Market).”

The Stephen C. & William H. Stryker Award for Fiction

The winner of The Stephen C. & William H. Stryker Award for Fiction and $500 is ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� graduate student Christina Lee for “A Lesson in Grief.” The award recognizes the best short story on any subject.

“I was very encouraged about the amount and quality of the submissions we received during the pandemic,” said Craig Santos Perez, ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� associate professor and interim creative writing director. “It showed me the resiliency and ongoing passion for writing.”

Other awards presented:

Myrle Clark Awards

• Allison Tomooka
• Isabella Pasa
• Emily Jane O’Callaghan
• Heather French
• Kyoungmin Kim
• Eva Campney
• Samuel St. John
• Pohaikealoha Duarte
• Shannon Velligas
• Camryn Miller
• Kamryn Curammeng

Hemingway Awards

• Shannon Velligas
• Camryn Miller

The Young Writers of Hawaiʻi Scholarship

• Micah Lau
• Isabella Pasa

Grace K. J. Abernethy Scholarship

• Hillary Stratton

—By Marc Arakaki

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� , the first Korean language and culture education center in the U.S., received another (NSEP) grant to support the program through 2024. The funding, which includes the grant and additional student support, is worth approximately $4 million.

NSEP was established within the U.S. Department of Defense to support and develop expertise in languages and cultures critical to U.S. national security and international competitiveness.

The first flagship grants were awarded to universities in 2002 for Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Russian; ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� was selected for Korean. Since then, the center has been a leader in Korean language education, dedicated to training students with high proficiency in Korean to become the next generation of global Korean specialists.

In spring 2007, at the request of NSEP, ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s non-degree program was transitioned to the Korean Language Flagship Center. The center immediately developed the flagship MA degree program in 2007 and the flagship BA degree program in 2008, in cooperation with the . The Korean flagship undergraduate program consists of coursework, followed by a one-year overseas capstone component. The center also offers various study abroad scholarships in addition to ROTC flagship scholarships.

The Korean Language Flagship Center cultivated more than 200 Korean specialists as of fall 2019. Due to COVID-19, it swiftly and safely relocated program participants back to Hawaiʻi in early March 2020. Faculty and staff implemented a domestic immersion program for students to complete their capstone experience that will keep them on track to successfully finish the program in June 2020 with professional proficiency in Korean.

—By Karin Mackenzie

Craig Santos Perez said he was “shocked, excited, honored and grateful” to win a prestigious national fellowship and more than $100,000 in funding. The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� associate professor of is one of 12 awardees of the 2020 Mellon/American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Scholars and Society Fellowship.

His project will focus on the effects of climate change on the state of Hawaiʻi, and will use poetry to articulate indigenous ecological beliefs, critique the history of ecological imperialism, advocate for environmental justice and imagine sustainable futures.

“I am passionate about poetry because it is a powerful and creative way to address and educate the public about climate change, the most urgent issue in the Pacific today,” said Santos Perez.

Each awardee is offered a stipend of $75,000, and an additional $15,000 for programming that bridges community-engaged work with doctoral education, $10,000 for the fellows’ partner organizations and $6,000 for research and project costs.

Santos Perez, a native of Guam, said the research funds will be used for books and curriculum materials, and editing and publishing of a new anthology. The additional funding will go toward a series of literary and environmental events on and off the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� campus. His partner organization is the , a Hawaiʻi-based non-profit, whose executive director is Takiora Ingram, a renowned Pacific author, scholar and ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� graduate.

The Mellon/ACLS Scholars and Society Fellowship is in its second year. The program provides opportunities for faculty in PhD humanities departments to address important societal questions in their research, serve as ambassadors for humanities scholarship and broaden support for innovations in doctoral education. The awards are funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

—By Marc Arakaki

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� (LLL) held its first online graduate student conference on April 18. Originally designed as an in-person format, the conference was revamped to an online platform due to the COVID-19 crisis. Organizers said the 24th annual event went smoothly and successfully.

Dean Laura Lyons delivered a welcome and acknowledged the following student chairs and their innovative work:

• Victoria Lee, second language studies
• Tyler Miyashiro, East Asian Languages and Literatures
• Thu Hà Nguyen, second language studies
• Denis Melik Tangiyev, second language studies
• Chao Truong, second language studies
• Kristen Urada, second language studies

The following MA and PhD students delivered presentations reflecting the wide range of outstanding scholarship and research that takes place within the college:

• Jenniefer Corpuz, English
• Lane “Laneski” Davey, English
• Bonnie Fox, East Asian Languages and Literatures
• Jacob Hakim, linguistics
• Christie Honoré, English
• Micah Lau, English
• Christina Lee, English
• LynleyShimat Lys, English
• Thu Hà Nguyen, second language studies
• Michaela Nuesser, second language studies
• Joana O’Steen, English
• Jeffrey Otto, second language studies
• Kevin Rickman, second language studies
• Lucía Camardiel Sardiña, Languages and Literatures of Europe and the Americas
• Ching Shek, East Asian Languages and Literatures
• Melinda S. Smith, English
• Yunhe Sun, East Asian Languages and Literatures
• Mie Tobias, second language studies
• Chau Truong, second language studies
• Jue Wang, second language studies
• Boeui Woo, East Asian Languages and Literatures
• Ruri Yoshii, East Asian Languages and Literatures

Atsushi Hasegawa, an assistant professor of Japanese Language and Linguistics, delivered the keynote address. LLL Excellence in Research Award recipients Theres Grüter, Sharon Joy Bulalang and Haerim Hwang were featured speakers.

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—By Karin Mackenzie