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’re working to make miniature robots practical for real-world use in places that are difficult to reach,” said Wang from ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa’s . “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’s 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 ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½, while training students in robotics, materials science and biomedical engineering.

Wang also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at The Queen’s Medical Center and a cooperating faculty in ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa’s .

Related ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ News stories:

• Heart tech, mini medical robot breakthrough: ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers revealed that Waikīkī is facing a fundamental shift in flood hazards as sea levels rise—transitioning from a flooding that is driven primarily by rainfall to events increasingly dominated by tidal processes. The team identified two key pathways that will become more significant with sea-level rise, both of which will increase public exposure to sewage-contaminated waters. The study was published in .

“Our findings make clear that current flood management strategies for Waikīkī are incomplete,” said Kayla Yamamoto, climate modeling analyst at the in the ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa (SOEST). “Most planning focuses on surface damage and economic loss from storms, but largely ignores the contamination dimension. Our results show that contaminated flooding will become more frequent, more extensive, and eventually a daily occurrence rather than a storm-driven one. There are currently no effective management strategies in place to address this.”

Simulating future scenarios

The team used an open-source, physics-based flood model to simulate how multiple flood sources interact in Waikīkī. The team used an advanced flood model that, unlike previous models, integrates all sources of flooding—rain, tides, underground water behavior, and storm drains—to provide a single, complete view of the hazard

“What we found is that during extreme rainfall like we’ve been experiencing, high tides and elevated water levels in the Ala Wai can combine to create conditions where contaminated water flows back into low-lying streets and sidewalks,” said Shellie Habel, study co-author and coastal geologist with the Coastal Research Collaborative and . “As sea level rises, it will take less extreme rainfall and tides to cause similar flooding in the future.”

The two key pathways they identified were: storm drain backflow, where polluted water from the Ala Wai Canal is forced into streets and public spaces in Waikīkī through drainage systems, and groundwater emergence, which brings sewage and other contaminants from aging and leaking sewage infrastructure to the surface.

The model simulations show that storm drain backflow is projected to occur even when there is no rainfall:

• 1 foot of sea-level rise: Storm drain backflow occurs during extreme tides, even without rain.
• 2 feet of sea-level rise: Storm drain backflow occurs during moderate daily tidal conditions.
• 4 feet of sea-level rise: Groundwater emergence (bringing sewage to the surface) begins to occur without rain.

Researchers compared their model simulations against tide gauges, canal water level sensors, groundwater monitoring wells, and photographs of street-level flooding during three real recent storm events, including a major 50-year Kona storm in December 2021, a moderate storm in April 2023, and a five-year Kona storm in May 2024.

Implications for Waikīkī, beyond

The Ala Wai Canal is one of the most polluted waterways in Hawaiʻi, containing sewage, heavy metals and pathogens such as Vibrio and MRSA. Exposure to these waters is a documented risk, with MRSA infections linked to Hawaiʻi waters already contributing to an estimated 200 deaths per year in the state. Because Waikīkī is a primary economic engine where residents and visitors are in constant contact with coastal waters, the anticipated flooding represents a growing public health and environmental crisis.

Many coastal cities around the world rely on estuarine waterways to drain their stormwater, and face the same combination of aging infrastructure, rising seas and contaminated waters.

“Our modeling framework is transferable, and we hope this study serves as a wake-up call to modernize stormwater and wastewater infrastructure, integrate contamination risk into coastal flood planning, and build early warning systems before these thresholds are crossed,” Yamamoto said.

Danielle Bartz, a PhD candidate in at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has received a . Initially selected by the Zonta Club of Hilo for a $2,000 local award, Bartz advanced to the international competition, where she emerged as one of 16 recipients worldwide. This $10,000 award recognizes outstanding women in STEM, with honorees representing nine countries in this year’s cohort.

Bartz’s research leverages cutting-edge environmental DNA (eDNA) technologies combined with local ecological knowledge shared by the community to monitor marine biodiversity and assess critical habitats. She developed a novel, low-cost eDNA water filtration system, which has the potential to revolutionize marine biodiversity monitoring by making it more accessible and cost-effective, particularly in resource-limited settings. This project was supported by the Patents2Products Fellowship through the ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Office of Innovation and Commercialization.

“It’s an honor to be part of a global group of women working to advance STEM, and I am very thankful for the opportunities I’ve found through the Zonta Club,” Bartz said. “I’ve connected with this phenomenal network of women supporting women. My goal is to make marine research more accessible while working alongside local communities to protect culturally and ecologically important species.”

Bartz’s dissertation examines the disappearance of a culturally and ecologically significant shark species in Hawaiʻi. Her research, which confirmed a shark nursery habitat in Hilo Bay, contributed to the area’s first formal recognition as a vital shark habitat by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

• Related ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ News story: Shark nursery habitat research earns PhD candidate top international award, March 20, 2025

The Zonta Women in STEM Award uplifts innovation and celebrates the remarkable accomplishments of women between 18-35 years of age in STEM fields and acknowledges their groundbreaking research, pioneering discoveries, and/or exemplary contributions to advancing knowledge and innovation in a STEM field.

The Marine Biology Graduate Program is an interdisciplinary program co-administered by ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa‘s and the .

Visualizing a future where to survive rising tides has earned a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa research team the 2026 Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC) Best Journal Article Award.

The team leveraged scientific data, studies and community participation to create architectural renderings that visualize how °Â²¹¾±°ìī°ìī’s built environment can be modified to accommodate future flooding.

“By merging climate science with architectural design and integrating direct community feedback, we are creating forward-looking, actionable visions that will help coastal communities like Waikīkī successfully adapt to the growing realities of sea-level rise,” said Wendy Meguro, principal investigator and associate professor.

Selected for its “exceptional quality, methodological rigor, and relevance to the field,” was honored in April at the 2026 ARCC–EAAE International Conference at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia.

Engaging stakeholders

The research engaged more than 1,000 individuals, including residents, urban planners, government employees and local business owners. Presentations of these strategies have drawn hundreds of participants from recreation, hotel and restaurant industries. The findings are already being utilized by the City and County of Honolulu, the State of Hawaiʻi and the Honolulu Climate Change Commission to guide adaptation policies.

“This recognition underscores the immense value of community-driven design in climate resilience,” said research associate Josephine Briones. “Our process shows that when you actively listen to stakeholders and combine their local insights with rigorous scientific evidence, the resulting adaptation strategies become much more practical, impactful and relevant.”

Authored by Meguro, Briones, German “Gerry” Failano and Charles “Chip” Fletcher, the project represents a partnership between the , and . It was funded by Hawaiʻi Sea Grant, National Sea Grant and the Office of Naval Research.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has identified a large-scale tropical disturbance called the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) as a significant driver of the islands’ climate, including extreme events, such as the extraordinary rainfall Hawaiʻi experienced in March and April. This weather pattern travels eastward through the tropics every 30–60 days and, , significantly boosts rainfall during its active phases, particularly on windward slopes.

This research advances scientific knowledge of the processes that influence ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s climate and can help improve forecasts one to three months in advance.

“Understanding how the MJO affects ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s climate helps explain rainfall variability on timescales of weeks to months,” said Audrey Nash, lead author of the study and doctoral candidate in the in ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ ²Ñā²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s . “The MJO evolves slowly and can be monitored in real time. Understanding its influence can help scientists and forecasters better anticipate periods of heavy rainfall, drought conditions, and shifts in weather patterns across the islands.”

High-resolution data reveals the pattern

While the MJO was known to influence weather patterns across the tropics, its impact on Hawaiʻi had not previously been examined in detail at timescales of one to three months.

Nash and Giuseppe Torri, associate professor of atmospheric sciences, analyzed long-term, high-resolution atmospheric and rainfall datasets covering Hawaiʻi and the surrounding Pacific Ocean, including data from the Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal. By compositing rainfall, temperature and atmospheric variables across different phases of the MJO, they identified consistent patterns showing how the MJO modulates rainfall and climate conditions across the Hawaiian Islands.

“We expected a small impact, but it was surprising how consistently rainfall across the islands responds to active and suppressed phases of the MJO,” said Nash.

Active phases of the MJO are also associated with cooler temperatures, higher humidity and stronger northeasterly winds across the islands. The authors note that these patterns appear to be linked to large-scale atmospheric responses to the MJO, including slow moving Rossby waves in the central North Pacific and strengthening of the local Hadley Circulation, a major feature of global atmospheric movement that cools the tropics and warms the poles.

“Improving our understanding of rainfall variability is critical for water management, agriculture, and hazard preparedness,” said Nash. “This work reflects the University of ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s mission to study the unique environmental systems that shape life in the islands and to provide science that benefits local communities.”

, 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’s a great opportunity to train the next generation of engineers and create technologies that could one day make procedures safer and less invasive.”

Wang’s 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’s 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 ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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 ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa’s , The Queen’s 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’s Medical Center and a cooperating faculty in ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa’s .

The project highlights ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa’s 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.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Professor Emeritus of and pioneering marine microbiologist , was as a Fellow of the European Academy of Microbiology. The recognition celebrates outstanding scientific achievement and leadership in microbiology.

DeLong is considered a trailblazer in the field of metagenomics—the study of all genetic material from all organisms in a particular environment—whose research has transformed understanding of the ocean’s microbial life. His work advanced innovative gene cloning and sequencing, allowing scientists to study complex marine microbial communities and their role in the environment without the use of traditional microbial cultures.

“I was thrilled to hear the news about Ed’s election to the European Academy of Microbiology, a well-earned honor,” said David Karl, ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa oceanography professor,DeLong’s long-time colleague and co-director of both the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education and the . “Ed and other newly elected members represent the second golden age of microbiology, one centered on microbial oceanography and ecology.”

Scientific breakthroughs

Early in DeLong’s career, he used methodologies developed by his postdoctoral research advisor Norm Pace to identify microbes “in the wild.” Together they discovered two new lineages of a major microbial group called Archaea (previously not thought to live in seawater) were abundant everywhere—from in the Pacific Ocean to Antarctica, and from the sea surface to the seafloor.

Later, new methods that DeLong’s group adapted from the Human Genome project to study microbial ecology led to the discovery that most bacteria in the upper ocean can use sunlight to generate biochemical energy using proteins called opsins. This finding revealed a widespread, previously unknown solar energy-gathering mechanism in the ocean, with significant implications for the global carbon and energy cycles.

“To be recognized and honored by world-renowned microbiologists of the European Union was unexpected, and very humbling,” DeLong said. “I believe that scientific disciplines like microbiology should have no geographic or cultural boundaries—yet in today’s political landscape there are increasing challenges to free and open international collaborations. To me, this makes recognition by the European Academy of Microbiology all the more potent of an honor.”

.

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

ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa’s (JABSOM) also placed in the nation’s top tier (tier 1) for best medical schools for primary care, and ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ ±á¾±±ô´Ç’s ranked in a in the nation.

The highest ranked ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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.

“ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa’s strong showing in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings underscores our commitment to excellence in teaching, research and student success,” said ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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 ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ News stories on previous years’ 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 ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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’s 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’s 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’s 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’s 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’s 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’s best in at No. 90 (tied) and at No. 92 (tied).

College of Engineering

The ranked among the nation’s 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’s best in at No. 97 (tied), and at No. 115 (tied), and at No. 125 (tied).

College of Arts, Languages & Letters

ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa placed No. 106 (tied) among the nation’s best for fine arts programs.

Other rankings

ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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, ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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’s 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 @ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½M—a registered independent organization at ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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 ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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 @ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½M 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 ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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 ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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, ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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.

ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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 ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa placed 3rd. (Video courtesy: Calvin Ota)

Elijah Saloma and Michaella Villanueva dancing the International Quickstep in the Collegiate Team Match where ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ 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)

Among the finalists in a national NASA competition focused on advancing technologies for future space exploration is a student-led engineering team from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Hilo.

(Robotic Space Exploration) is one of 14 university teams selected for the 2026 . The challenge invites students to develop innovative concepts supporting sustained human activity on the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Powering lunar operations

The team’s proposal, (Power Energy Transfer Architecture for the Lunar), centers on building a scalable power management and distribution system for lunar operations. The concept integrates multiple energy sources and storage methods, including nuclear power and energy stored using lunar soil, to support long-term missions and lays the groundwork for future applications on Mars.

As a finalist, Project PETAL received a $7,000 award to support participation in the RASC-AL Forum, scheduled for June 1–4, in Cocoa Beach, Florida. During the forum, students will present their work to NASA engineers and industry professionals while refining their concepts through technical feedback. The top-performing teams will be recognized for technical merit, innovation and presentation excellence.

“Being part of this project has shown us what it takes to develop a concept that could be considered for future lunar and Mars missions,” said Nathan Chong, project manager of Project PETAL and ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa computer engineering freshman. “It’s been incredibly rewarding to collaborate across campuses and push ourselves to think at a much higher level.”

The project also aligns with broader ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ efforts supporting NASA’s Artemis missions, including a lunar rover instrument being developed at ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa that is slated to fly as part of the Artemis 5 mission. The work creates opportunities to connect student-led projects such as PETAL with real-world systems headed to the Moon.

Space science and engineering initiative

Project PETAL members are primarily from engineering and related STEM disciplines at ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa and ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Hilo. The interdisciplinary effort emphasizes hands-on design, systems integration and real-world problem-solving. Faculty advisors supporting the project include Matthew Siegler and Marvin Young from ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa, and Branden Allen from ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Hilo.

Project PETAL is part of , which aims to expand space technology development and hands-on student training. Launched in 2024, the initiative provides students with opportunities to work on advanced space systems while building Hawaiʻi’s capacity in aerospace engineering and instrumentation. It is a collaboration among ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa’s College of Engineering, the Institute for Astronomy and ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Hilo.

Team RoSE is one of more than 20 at ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Mānoa, which seek to foster long-term, in-depth, project-based learning to engage students and better prepare them for future careers.

More about Project PETAL