A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa faculty member has earned international recognition for research that advances understanding in a key area of modern mathematics.

Department Chair and Associate Professor Malik Younsi received the 2026 Frontiers of Science Award from the International Congress of Basic Science (ICBS). The honor recognizes major breakthroughs in mathematics, physics and engineering.

Younsi was recognized for a research paper co-authored with Dimitrios Ntalampekos on conformal maps, a topic in complex analysis that studies how shapes in the plane can be transformed while preserving angles. In simple terms, it looks at how you can stretch or reshape something—such as a map or a piece of rubber—without changing the way angles and corners fit together, similar to how digital maps adjust views while keeping locations accurate.

“Mathematics is often about finding hidden structure in things that seem complicated at first,” Younsi said. “This recognition highlights the value of staying curious and patient, and I hope it encourages students to see that even abstract ideas can lead to meaningful discoveries.”

The 55-page paper, published in Inventiones Mathematicae, looks at when flat shapes can be transformed into ones bounded by circles and points, building on a long-standing question called the Koebe uniformization conjecture. The research helps describe when there is essentially just one possible way to do transformation, giving a clearer understanding of how these shapes work.

The Frontiers of Science Award, launched in 2023, recognizes recent papers with lasting impact after a competitive global review process. Younsi鈥檚 work was selected by an international panel of experts for its contribution to complex analysis. He will be honored at the 2026 ICBS meeting in Beijing on August 9, where leading scientists from around the world will gather to present and discuss new discoveries.

The Department of Mathematics is housed in 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa鈥檚 .

University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel provided updates to the 糖心Vlog官方 Board of Regents on state legislative measures on tuition and fee reserves during her monthly report at the board鈥檚 April 16 meeting at Kapiʻolani Community College.

Hensel noted that the Legislature continues to consider proposals related to tuition and fee reserve balances and that the university is developing reinvestment plans to strengthen advising and student support services and expand statewide online learning opportunities. She added that the university is having productive conversations with legislators and recognizes the challenges they face in balancing many urgent needs for Hawaiʻi鈥檚 people this year.

Her report also highlighted record breaking systemwide participation in 糖心Vlog官方 Giving Day, which generated more than $1.3 million from more than 1,580 gifts across the 10 campuses.

Hensel concluded by congratulating the No. 6 ranked 糖心Vlog官方 惭腻苍辞补 women鈥檚 water polo team on advancing to its third consecutive NCAA national championship tournament appearance after .

• Legislative update: tuition and fee reserves ()
• 糖心Vlog官方 Giving Day breaks record ()
• Rainbow Wahine water polo ()

The University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 conference schedule for the fall 2026 season was announced by the Mountain West. This marks the Rainbow Wahine鈥檚 first season as a Mountain West member.

Five home series headline 糖心Vlog官方 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 schedule. The Rainbow Wahine will play a two-match series with each of the nine other teams in its debut season in the league.

The 驶Bows will open the Mountain West season hosting New Mexico September 25–26 at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, and alternate road and home series over the next five weeks. The Rainbow Wahine will wrap up the home schedule with a four-match homestand against Nevada, November 6–7, and Air Force, November 13–14. 糖心Vlog官方 惭腻苍辞补 will face UTEP in its final game of the regular season before heading to Las Vegas for the Mountain West Volleyball Championship set for November 24–25.

2026 Mountain West Schedule

• September 25 鈥� New Mexico, Bankoh Arena
• September 26 鈥� New Mexico, Bankoh Arena
• October 2 鈥� at Grand Canyon
• October 3 鈥� at Grand Canyon
• October 9 鈥� San Jose State, Bankoh Arena
• October 10 鈥� San Jose State, Bankoh Arena
• October 16 鈥� at Wyoming
• October 17 鈥� at Wyoming
• October 23 鈥� UNLV, Bankoh Arena
• October 24 鈥� UNLV, Bankoh Arena
• October 30 鈥� at UC Davis
• October 31 鈥� at UC Davis
• November 6 鈥� Nevada, Bankoh Arena
• November 7 鈥� Nevada, Bankoh Arena
• November 13 鈥� Air Force, Bankoh Arena
• November 14 鈥� Air Force, Bankoh Arena
• November 18 鈥� at UTEP
• November 19 鈥� at UTEP
• November 24–25, Mountain West Championship 鈥� Las Vegas, Nevada

Head coach Robyn Ah Mow enters her 10th year leading the program with a roster that features four returning starters who each earned All-Big West honorable mentions last season, including setter Adrianna Arquette, libero Victoria Leyva, outside hitter Chaʻlei Reid and middle blocker Mililana Sylvester. The 驶Bows have signed six newcomers for the 2026 season, including transfer pin hitters Ma毛li Cormier and Panna Ratkai, who enrolled at 糖心Vlog官方 惭腻苍辞补 for the spring semester.

All women鈥檚 volleyball conference matches will be available live on the .

Fans interested in purchasing season tickets can place a deposit for early seat selection by visiting . More information regarding public sale dates for season and individual game tickets, and the Rainbow Wahine鈥檚 nonconference schedule will be announced at a later date.

See 糖心Vlog官方 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 full Mountain West schedule at .

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鈥檚 cohort.

Bartz鈥檚 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 糖心Vlog官方 Office of Innovation and Commercialization.

“It鈥檚 an honor to be part of a global group of women working to advance STEM, and I am very thankful for the opportunities I鈥檝e found through the Zonta Club,” Bartz said. “I鈥檝e 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 first formal recognition as a vital shark habitat by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

• Related 糖心Vlog官方 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 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa‘s and the .

This week鈥檚 糖心Vlog官方 News Image of the Week is from 糖心Vlog官方 惭腻苍辞补.

Aloha Bash is on Friday! Students from all 糖心Vlog官方 campuses are welcome, so featuring Grant Nakasone for more info! (No students were harmed in the making of this video.)

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A big mahalo to everyone who has sent in their images! If selected, they will be posted throughout the semester, so check back to see the amazing work, research and experiences of the 糖心Vlog官方 ʻohana!

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At the University of Hawaiʻi, Giving Day is a 24-hour fundraising event to support our 糖心Vlog官方 students and embrace the rich diversity and expansive reach of our university system.

At the (JABSOM), where more than 90% of students are awarded some form of scholarship, donors make a great impact in their journeys in medicine. For first-year medical student Emma Pinnow, that journey started with the ʻImi Hoʻ艒la Post Baccalaureate Program.

Read more 糖心Vlog官方 Giving Day stories

Ahead of a Giving Day appearance on Hawaiʻi News Now, JABSOM sat down with Pinnow.

Q: How did ʻImi Hoʻ艒la put you on a path to medicine?

I come from a family deeply rooted in Hawaiʻi鈥檚 public school system, so while education was always the priority, medicine was a brand-new endeavor for me. My dream was always to stay home, to be near family and learn to provide care specifically tailored to our people here in Hawaiʻi. ʻImi Hoʻ艒la, which means “those who seek to heal” in ʻ艑濒别濒辞 Hawaiʻi, was the bridge to that dream. It鈥檚 a rigorous 12-month journey, and completing it provided me with automatic admission to JABSOM. But more than just a seat in the class, it gave me the foundational competence and the unshakeable support system I needed.

I didn鈥檛 just gain knowledge, I gained a cohort, mentors and a community that believed in my potential when I was just starting out. What truly changed the trajectory for me was the generosity of our donors. I was fully prepared to take on a massive financial burden to pursue this path, but because of their support, my experience was tuition-free. This didn鈥檛 just save money, it gave me the gift of time and focus. Instead of juggling my studies with a job, I can dedicate 100% of my energy to the rigors of medical school. It only takes one group of people to believe in you to open a door. For me, that door was ʻImi Hoʻ艒la. It allowed me to show my potential and has put me on a path to serve the community that raised me.

Q: What are your goals in medicine?

I鈥檓 currently a little more than halfway through my first year, and honestly, it鈥檚 been very exciting. Every week I鈥檓 exposed to a new specialty or a different organ system, and I鈥檓 making it my goal to learn as much as I can and to lean into every opportunity to the fullest extent. While I haven’t settled on a specific specialty yet, I have settled on the where and the who. No matter what field I choose, I am committed to serving the people of Hawaiʻi. This is my home, and I truly can鈥檛 imagine being anywhere else.

Being Native Hawaiian, I am especially aware of the health disparities our community faces, particularly with cardiometabolic disease. One of my primary goals in medicine is to directly address these inequities. I want to take the education we receive here at JABSOM, which emphasizes culturally-competent care, and apply it in a way that resonates with our local population. Ultimately, my goal is to bridge the gap between high-level medical science and the unique cultural needs of our islands. Giving back to the community that raised me is my way of honoring where I come from.

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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 奥补颈办ī办ī鈥檚 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.

Twenty-nine University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 student-athletes were named to the 2025–26 Winter Academic All-Conference Team by the Big West Conference, recognizing excellence in both athletics and academics.

The winter honors span men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball and swimming and diving, with women鈥檚 swimming and diving leading the way with 12 selections, followed by men鈥檚 swimming and diving with eight. Women鈥檚 basketball added five honorees, while men鈥檚 basketball had four.

To qualify, student-athletes must maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA, complete one full academic year at their institution and compete in at least half of their team鈥檚 contests.

The Big West awards Academic All-Conference honors across fall, winter and spring seasons, highlighting student-athletes who excel in the classroom while competing at a high level.

Read more at .

University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 standouts Jamie McGaughey and Taryn Irimata swept Big West Conference weekly honors, earning Field Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, after a dominant series against Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners, April 10–11.

McGaughey powered the Rainbow Wahine鈥檚 offense, batting .667 with two home runs, two doubles and nine RBI across the three-game sweep. She opened the weekend with a two-run home run and later delivered a three-run double in a 10鈥�8 game one win.

Irimata was equally dominant, throwing back-to-back complete-game shutouts. She posted a 0.00 ERA over 10 innings, allowing just four hits while holding opponents to a .118 batting average.

The weekly honor marks the first of McGaughey鈥檚 career and the third this season for Irimata, who continues to anchor a 糖心Vlog官方 pitching staff that has claimed half of the conference鈥檚 weekly awards so far this year.

Read more at .