Nighttime makes urban heat waves deadly according to remote sensing research presented at the 2010 American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting in San Francisco by HIGP Assistant Researcher, Benedicte Dousset. The deaths of almost 5,000 people in Paris during the first two weeks of August 2003 spawned a raft of new studies on the subject of death-by-weather. "Exposure to high temperature during several nights, especially consecutive nights, can double the risk of death for the most vulnerable people...," Dr. Dousset told a news conference during the AGU meeting. Read more about it at Discovery News and NASA. View the AGU press conference "New Views of Urban Heat Islands."

HIGP Researcher Murli H. Manghnani has been named as a Fellow of the ~9,500-member American Ceramic Society (ACerS) in recognition of his outstanding contributions and productive scholarship in ceramic science and technology. Together with his students and collaborators, Dr. Manghnani's research work (incorporated in 200+ published papers) has a profound impact in high-pressure mineral physics, armor ceramics, silicate glasses, and melts. Only 20 Society Fellows are selected each year. Dr. Manghnani, standing on the right, received his award at the Honors and Awards Banquet during the 112th ACerS Annual Meeting. Congratulations.

HIGP Director Peter J. Mouginis-Mark has been appointed by the U.H. Mānoa Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education to lead campus research and initiatives in sustainability. "The faculty of UH Mānoa can lend their expertise to helping Hawai'i meet many of our crucial sustainability needs. Topmost of these needs are the preservation of our water resources and the transition to renewable energy. In many instances, these two topics intersect, and merge with the scientific and engineering challenges that residents of Hawai'i will face in sustaining our lifestyle and the environment," said Mouginis-Mark. "I am delighted to have this opportunity to contribute to addressing these sustainability needs and give back to the Hawai'i community some of the insights I've gained since coming to the Mānoa campus almost 30 years ago." See the U.H. press release.

The State of Hawai‘i Board of Education today presented Art Kimura and Rene Kimura (Hawai‘i Space Grant Consortium) with a special certificate of recognition for their leadership in, and enduring commitment to, space, robotics, and science education.

Twenty years ago, Art and Rene Kimura created Future Flight Hawai‘i, a space-themed educational program, while Art (former teacher and school administrator) was assigned to the Office of Space Industries, part of the Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. When that office was closed in 2002, the Hawai‘i Space Grant Consortium adopted Future Flight Hawaii as the centerpiece of its K-12 educational programs where it continues to grow and touch the lives of so many. With their ongoing affiliation with Hawai‘i Space Grant, the Kimuras have created a whole host of educational and public outreach activities that have reached an estimated 150,000 students, their parents, and teachers.

The Kimuras' work includes K-12 educational programs, science nights, courses for teachers, grants, and participation in local, national, and international engineering educational programs. (For a sampling of programs visit Future Flight Hawai‘i, Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Day, Astronaut Lacy Veach Day, Robotics in Hawai‘i.) Governor Linda Lingle, in her 2008 State of the State Address, called Art Kimura the father of Hawai‘i robotics.

Additional background on the Kimuras' work with Hawai‘i Space Grant can be found in the cover story from the 2008 issue of Nā Huaka‘i, the Hawai‘i Space Grant Consortium newsletter. Congratulations.

HIGP Graduate Student Christopher Hamilton officially completes his PhD this week (with PhD advisor Sarah Fagents) and his efforts have already gained much attention. Chris received an award for best VGP (Volcanology Geochemistry Petrology) student presentation at the Fall 2009 meeting of the American Geophysical Union for his poster "Explosive Lava-Water Interactions in Elysium Planitia, Mars: Constraints on the Formation of the Tartarus Colles Cone Groups." Chris has also been awarded a scholarship from the Hawaii Geographic Coordinating Council for "his extraordinary achievements in Geography and GIS, particularly in the field of geology and planetary geoscience." And Chris has accepted a new NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Congratulations.

Local Researchers Study Icelandic Volcano HIGP Associate Researcher Sarah Fagents comments on the current eruption of Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland and her work on modeling lava-water interactions in this Honolulu Star-Bulletin article from April, 18, 2010 written by Helen Altonn.

During a ceremony today at the state capitol in Honolulu, Hawai‘i Governor Linda Lingle and NASA's Ames Research Center Director S. Pete Worden signed a three-year non-reimbursable Space Act Agreement establishing a partnership for small satellite development, advanced aviation, space exploration, education, and science. The first annex of the Space Act Agreement provides for small satellite development with the Hawai‘i Space Flight Lab (HSFL) under the name of HawaiiSat. Pictured from left to right: Ted Liu (DBEDT), Rose Tseng (U. H. Hilo Chancellor), Jim Gaines (U. H. VP Research), Pete Worden (NASA Ames Director), Brian Taylor (Dean of SOEST), Luke Flynn (Director of HSFL and Hawai‘i Space Grant Consortium ), and Bob McLaren (Institute for Astronomy Associate Director). Also present were Gary Ostrander (U. H. Manoa VC Research), Peter Mouginis-Mark (Director of HIGP), Lloyd French (HSFL Missions Manager), and Leonard Gouveia (HSFL Business Manager). Read the press release from NASA, the press release from the Hawai‘i Governor's Office, and news articles in the Honolulu Star Bulletin and Honolulu Advertiser. Photo courtesy of Peter Mouginis-Mark.

The small-satellite programs at the University of Hawai‘i are featured in the March issue of Hawaii Business in an article written by Beverly Creamer. Two satellites are being built by University of Hawai‘i scientists and students, in cooperation with NASA, and will be launched from Kaua‘i. Luke Flynn, HIGP Specialist and Director of the Hawai‘i Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL) says, "While the small-satellite-building effort is based at UH Manoa, we are working with Kaua‘i Community College and Leeward Community College on satellite data reception and satellite command centers." Image courtesy of Jeremy Chan, HSFL Post-graduate Fellow.