The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has received nearly $1 million in new federal funding—including a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award—for research led by Assistant Professor Tianlu Wang to develop tiny, flexible robots designed to work in hard-to-reach environments, from coral reefs to the human body.

The funding includes a five-year, $659,613 CAREER award and a two-year, $299,997 Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Research Fellows grant, both from NSF.

“By focusing on both performance and safety, we鈥檙e working to make miniature robots practical for real-world use in places that are difficult to reach,” said Wang from 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa鈥檚 . “This research brings us closer to technologies that can better support healthcare and protect sensitive environments.”

The CAREER project focuses on improving how small “soft” robots move and function in fluids such as the ocean or inside the body. These robots, about the size of a few millimeters to centimeters, can adapt to their surroundings. However, they currently lack the speed, agility and manipulation capabilities as seen in small marine organisms. The research aims to change that by developing new ways for the robots to interact with fluids, helping them move faster, turn more easily and handle objects. Potential uses include exploring coral reefs and mangroves, monitoring aquaculture systems and reaching difficult areas of the body for medical diagnosis or treatment. The project also supports student learning through new courses, research opportunities and public outreach.

The CAREER program is the NSF鈥檚 flagship award for early-career faculty in the U.S., supporting those who show strong potential to lead in both research and education. CAREER awardees are also eligible for nomination to the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, a White House honor recognizing innovative research and leadership.

Safety and environmentally friendly design

The EPSCoR fellowship focuses on safety and environmentally friendly design. In collaboration with the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, the project will develop miniature soft robots made from materials that are safer for natural environments and medical use. It will also establish methods for designing and testing these robots to ensure they can operate effectively without causing harm. The work is expected to expand research opportunities at 糖心Vlog官方, while training students in robotics, materials science and biomedical engineering.

Wang also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at The Queen鈥檚 Medical Center and a cooperating faculty in 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa鈥檚 .

Related 糖心Vlog官方 News stories:

• Heart tech, mini medical robot breakthrough: 糖心Vlog官方 researcher earns $230K award, April 8, 2026
• Bio-inspired breakthroughs: Engineering solutions from nature, August 26, 2025
• Team of microscopic soft robots could transform medical care, November 10, 2024
• Robot tech to clean oceans wows international summit, February 6, 2024

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, 糖心Vlog官方 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 (糖心Vlog官方) 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.

, an assistant professor in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa , has received the Career Development Award from the to advance medical research and technology for vascular and heart health. The three-year, $230,727 award supports promising early-career investigators working on innovative solutions in cardiovascular and related biomedical research.

“I am very honored to receive this award,” Wang said. “This support allows us to explore bold ideas that could change how we approach medical treatment inside the human body, while building a strong network of collaborators who bring different expertise to the table. It鈥檚 a great opportunity to train the next generation of engineers and create technologies that could one day make procedures safer and less invasive.”

Wang鈥檚 project focuses on developing miniature soft robotics combined with artificial intelligence to create new medical devices that can navigate hard-to-reach areas of the body and enhance the function of cardiovascular and neurovascular systems. The work builds on Wang鈥檚 previous research on soft robotics inspired by diverse marine life. By studying how small aquatic animals move efficiently through complex environments, his team designs flexible robots that can safely operate in delicate spaces, such as inside the human body.

Related 糖心Vlog官方 News stories:

• Bio-inspired breakthroughs: Engineering solutions from nature, August 26, 2025
• Team of microscopic soft robots could transform medical care, November 10, 2024
• Robot tech to clean oceans wows international summit, February 6, 2024

The award also supports collaboration and mentorship with scientists from 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa鈥檚 , The Queen鈥檚 Medical Center, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. These partnerships aim to strengthen research and expand real-world applications of miniature soft robotics in healthcare.

Wang also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at The Queen鈥檚 Medical Center and a cooperating faculty in 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa鈥檚 .

The project highlights 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa鈥檚 growing role in robotics and biomedical engineering, with a focus on developing technologies that can improve patient care and address complex health challenges such as sudden cardiac arrest.

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.

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

The highest ranked 糖心Vlog官方 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.

“糖心Vlog官方 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 糖心Vlog官方 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 糖心Vlog官方 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 糖心Vlog官方 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

糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa placed No. 106 (tied) among the nation’s best for fine arts programs.

Other rankings

糖心Vlog官方 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, 糖心Vlog官方 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 @糖心Vlog官方M—a registered independent organization at 糖心Vlog官方 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 糖心Vlog官方 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 @糖心Vlog官方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 糖心Vlog官方 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 糖心Vlog官方 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, 糖心Vlog官方 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.

糖心Vlog官方 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 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa placed 3rd. (Video courtesy: Calvin Ota)

Elijah Saloma and Michaella Villanueva dancing the International Quickstep in the Collegiate Team Match where 糖心Vlog官方 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)

, an associate professor of at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has been named one of the 鈥檚 (AIMBE) 2026 Emerging Leaders. The national honor recognizes rising innovators whose work is helping shape the future of medical and biological engineering (MBE).

Ray is one of only nine honorees selected this year, the second year AIMBE has offered the program. AIMBE created the program to highlight exceptional early- and mid-career professionals who are making important contributions to the field and to broaden voices in MBE. The group will be recognized at AIMBE鈥檚 annual event in Washington, D.C., in April 2026.

“I am deeply honored to join this cohort of Emerging Leaders. This recognition truly reflects the dedication of the students and researchers in my lab whose curiosity drives our technology,” Ray said. “I look forward to the mentorship and collaboration within the AIMBE community, which will be invaluable as we scale our work to tackle the next generation of challenges in health monitoring.”

Established in 1991, AIMBE represents the most accomplished individuals in the fields of MBE. AIMBE鈥檚 mission is to provide leadership and advocacy in MBE for the benefit of society. The goal of AIMBE鈥檚 Emerging Leaders program is to increase AIMBE鈥檚 engagement with exceptional professionals that are underrepresented in MBE, recognize outstanding rising leaders in MBE and serve as a pathway for leaders to AIMBE鈥檚 College of Fellows.

Ray鈥檚 research focuses on large scale healthcare challenges as well as scientific problems in advanced manufacturing for remote and rural environments. His group seeks to develop wearable sensors and soft, skin-like devices that collect and analyze sweat to offer real-time health information and help track hydration, diagnose certain diseases and support personalized wellness. His lab is also developing next generation advanced manufacturing technologies to address the urgent need for new materials and fabrication techniques essential in applications spanning health monitoring, batteries and quantum computing.

A comprehensive review of the challenges in printing with paste-like materials and how understanding the underlying physics could improve manufacturing reliability has been co-authored by a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researcher. The paper, published in the , brings together decades of research to create a roadmap for printing everything from artificial tissues to buildings.

“Right now, 3D printing leans heavily on experience and rules of thumb, slightly modifying recipes and settings until things work,” said , associate professor in the 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa . “We want to provide engineers the tools needed to complement experience with physics-based predictions.”

Direct-ink writing

The printing method examined, called direct-ink writing (DIW), works like decorating a cake. The “frosting” must flow smoothly through the nozzle, then instantly hold its shape without melting or collapsing. The method covers a wide variety of printable “inks” that can be living cells, concrete, ceramics or polymer mixtures, opening possibilities to make objects and forms that regular plastic 3D printing cannot achieve.

“The paste-like materials that are used in direct-ink writing are complex fluids, remarkable materials that display both liquid- and solid-like behavior, depending on their surroundings,” said Alban Sauret, associate professor at the University of Maryland and lead author. “Such materials have been studied for decades, but DIW presents new and challenging constraints that require a deeper understanding of how these complex fluids behave during printing.”

Make-or-break moments

The review identifies three make-or-break moments where physics determines success or failure. First, the material must flow through the nozzle without clogging, which is a major problem when the ink contains particles or fibers for added strength.

“We’ve all experienced a clogged pen or ketchup bottle,” said Brett G. Compton, associate professor at the University of Tennessee. “If building precise 3D forms using complex fluid weren鈥檛 challenging enough, imagine the fluid is filled with ceramic particles, cells or fibers, and must be squeezed through a tiny nozzle without clogging the flow or damaging the cells.”

Second, as the material exits the nozzle, it can break apart, coil, or develop wobbles that ruin the print. Finally, after deposition, the material must be solid enough to hold its shape but liquid enough to bond with previous layers. To successfully print an object, one must perform a delicate balancing act across these three areas. The fact that DIW asks so much of its ink, and that its ink compositions range so broadly, means many unanswered questions remain, especially for the particle-filled materials that enable stronger, more functional prints.

“We鈥檙e still in a mode of discovery where each answer provides new questions to ask and new areas to explore, which was what brought the three of us together in the first place,” Ray noted.

The review also highlights promising innovations such as materials that harden on command when exposed to light or heat, and cleverly designed nozzles that reduce clogging.

“The fact is, there鈥檚 excellent DIW research out there, but it has been spread out across fields that don鈥檛 usually overlap—think medicine, chemistry and civil engineering,” Sauret said. “With this review, we鈥檙e hoping to present a cohesive and fundamental fluid mechanics framework that highlights universal challenges and inspires new interdisciplinary research to make the technology more reliable and accessible, regardless of where it鈥檚 being used.”

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, National Institutes of Health and Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, LLC. .

The (AIAA) has named Professor Dilmurat Azimov of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa鈥檚 to its Class of 2026 Associate Fellows, citing his exceptional contributions to aerospace engineering by “demonstrating the utility and importance of analytical integration methods of mechanics in trajectory optimization, and guidance and control of aerospace vehicles.”

The AIAA Associate Fellow distinction honors individuals who have accomplished or supervised notable engineering or scientific work, carried out original research of outstanding merit, or made significant contributions to the advancement of aeronautics and astronautics. Only one member of AIAA in every 150 is selected annually for this recognition.

Azimov joined 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa鈥檚 faculty after an extensive career in academia and research, and currently serves as a professor in the . His research focuses on trajectory optimization, guidance and control systems for flight vehicles, and analytical methods for optimal control problems—work that contributes to the development of next-generation aerospace systems and autonomous vehicles.

“Being named an Associate Fellow of AIAA is a tremendous honor and a significant milestone in my career,” Azimov said. “I鈥檓 proud to represent Hawaiʻi, the Aloha State, in the global aerospace community and to contribute to advancing aerospace engineering research and education from our islands.”

Azimov earned a PhD in mechanics from the Peoples鈥� Friendship University of Russia (1992) and a DSc in dynamics, ballistics, and flight vehicle control from the Moscow Aviation Institute (2008).

The AIAA will formally induct the Class of 2026 Associate Fellows at a ceremony during the AIAA SciTech Forum on January 14, 2026, in Orlando, Florida.

The AIAA is the world鈥檚 largest aerospace technical society, with nearly 30,000 members from 91 countries. It serves as a leading forum for the exchange of ideas and advances in aerospace science, engineering and technology.

—By Justin Scott

Materials science is the study and design of new materials and their properties, and it plays a crucial role in industries ranging from renewable energy and aerospace to electronics and national defense. Researchers at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa鈥檚 (HIGP) are leading new initiatives to advance materials science across the state.

Materials Science Consortium for Research and Education

糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa launched the Materials Science Consortium for Research and Education (MSCoRE) in 2017, with a goal of bringing together materials experts and infrastructure scattered around several colleges and departments under one group in support of education, innovation and to lay the foundation for a future materials science center at 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa.

Under MSCoRE, 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa developed a popular research experience class for undergraduates and became successful in obtaining grants to bolster its materials science program. One of its early successes was earning a U.S. Department of Energy grant to study hydrogen storage materials.

Materials Research and Education Consortium

Utilizing this momentum, researchers from 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa and the University of Washington (UW) received a seed award from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) program in 2021. The collaboration, known as the Materials Research and Education Consortium (MRE-C), is made up of seven 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa faculty from HIGP, , and , as well as faculty from the UW Molecular Engineering Materials Center.

MRE-C conducts public school visits around the islands to increase student interest and participation in materials science and STEM, and facilitates student exchanges at the undergraduate and graduate levels between 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa and UW. The grant was recently renewed by NSF for a full six years at $4.2 million.

Hawaiʻi Institute of Materials Research

As a testament to 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa鈥檚 expanding capacity and expertise in this space, the Office of Naval Research just awarded a three-year, $4.5 million grant to conduct innovative, high-risk scientific research with the potential to enhance naval capabilities and national security in the Indo-Pacific region. Together with the NSF PREM grant, 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa will now have a formal structure in place with the establishment of the Hawaiʻi Institute of Materials Research (HIMaR). HIMaR will be a virtual, interdisciplinary institute of applied and fundamental research in materials science, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and advanced manufacturing.

Read more on materials science research at 糖心Vlog官方 . Noelo is 糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 research magazine from the .

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. 糖心Vlog官方 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 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa, including three undergraduates who transferred from a 糖心Vlog官方 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 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa can adapt for the next cohort, expected to expand in 2026.

“Working in 糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 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.”

糖心Vlog官方 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, 糖心Vlog官方 leaders plan to scale the program to reach more students in future years.