2025YEAR-IN-REVIEW
MESSAGEFROMTHEDEAN
Alohakākou,
In2025,ourCollegeof Engineeringcontinued building strongfoundationswhilehelpingtolead university-wide effortstogrownewecosystemsinAdvanced ManufacturingandSpace ScienceandEngineering across ourstate.Wealsosawrecordfundraisingprogress inthe
Thestudentsconnectednearly50residents,focusingonexpandingaccessforchildren MolokaʻinativeandformerUHJuniorEngineersSummerSTEMExperience(JESSE)internmentoredbyAlling, describedtheprojectasawaytogivebacktohiscommunity.Fundedbya$2,000grantfromtheIEEEUH Mānoachapter,theinitiativeispartofabroadermicro-gridprojecttobringsolarandwindenergytothe island’shomesteads.Theprojectaimstounlocknewopportunitiesbyconnectingfamiliestoonlineresources andeducationaltools.Bothstudentsplanadditionalvisitstocontinueexpandinginfrastructureandimproving qualityoflifeonMolokaʻi.
UHENGINEERINGFACULTYCOLLABORATEWITHHAWAI
‘I
DOTTOBRAINSTORMSOLUTIONS
TheHawai‘iDepartmentofTransportation(HDOT)HarborsDivisioninvitedfacultyfromtheUniversityof Hawai‘iatMānoaCollegeofEngineeringtoabrainstormingworkshoptodiscusschallengesfacing harborfacilitiesandoperations. Nearly30facultyfromCiviland EnvironmentalEngineering,Electrical andComputerEngineering,andMechanicalEngineeringdepartmentsparticipated,offeringdiverse expertisetohelpidentifypotentialsolutions. TheworkshopwashostedbyHDOTHarborsDivision DeputyDirectorDreKalili,HarborsAdministratorDavisYogi,andtheirteam,whosharedkeyinsights intothestate’sharborinfrastructureneeds. ThiscollaborationexemplifiesUHMānoa’sabilitytoapply world-classengineeringexpertisetotheessentialindustriesthatpowerHawai‘i’seconomy.
AITRAFFICSAFETYPROJECTWINS$750KPRIZEFROMU.S.
TRANSPORTATIONDEPT.
TheUniversityofHawaiʻiatMānoareceiveda$750,000awardfromtheU.S.DepartmentofTransportation fordevelopinganadvancedAIsystemtoimproveintersectionsafety.LedbyProfessorGuohuiZhang,the systemusessensorfusion—combiningLiDAR,RGBandthermalcameras,andtrafficsignaldata—todetect andpredictpotentialcrashes,protectingvulnerableroadusers.Zhangsaid, “Thisawardhighlightsthe UniversityofHawaiʻi’scommitmenttoadvancingtransportationsafetythroughcutting-edgeinnovation.” Thetechnologyruns efficientlyonaffordablehardware,makingitscalablenationwide.Theprojectbuildson anearlier$100,000grantfortheconceptphase.Theinitiativeis acollaborationbetweenUH,HawaiʻiDOT, PacificInternationalCenterforHighTechnologyResearch,andNECCorporationof America.Theteam planstodevelopand testprototypesinreal-worldconditionstoreducetrafficinjuriesandfatalities.
UHMĀNOAPROGRAMSANDGLOBALRANKINGSHIGHLIGHT
COLLEGEOFENGINEERING’SIMPACT
TheUniversityofHawaiʻiatMānoacontinuestogainnationalandinternationalrecognitionforacademic excellence,withitsCollegeofEngineeringplayingakeyrole.Inthe2025U.S.News&WorldReportBest GraduateSchoolsrankings,UHMānoaplacedsevengraduateprogramsinthetop50nationally, including electricalengineeringatNo.90andcivilengineeringatNo.91.TheCollegeofEngineeringrankedNo.163 amongU.S.doctoralengineeringschools.Globally,TimesHigherEducationrankedUHMānoa’sengineering programsinthetop501–600outofover25,000institutions,placingitinthetop 2–4%worldwide.Provost MichaelBrunosaidtheserankings“reflectUHMānoa’sunwaveringdedicationtoacademicexcellenceand impactfulresearch.”TheCollege’srisereflectsitsunderstandingoftheevolvinglandscapeandabilityto navigateitsuccessfully.
PERCENT,NO-FEELOANS
TheUHCollegeofEngineeringlaunchedtheHawaiʻiRenewableLearningFund,azero-interestloanprogram supportinglow-incomeengineeringstudents.Backedbya$2.5millionrevolvingfundfromtheHaroldKL CastleFoundationandotherdonors,thisSocialFinance–designedpay-it-forwardinitiativeletsstudentsdefer repaymentuntilearning$50,000.Ifgraduatesarehiredbyparticipatingengineeringfirms,thoseemployers payofftheloans,easingfinancialburdensandencouraginglocalemployment.AlexHarris,vicepresidentat theHaroldKLCastleFoundation,notedtheprogram’sconnectiontoHawaiʻi’sculturalvalue of“kokua,”saying, “Thereisalongtraditionherethatwhenonepersonsucceeds,everyoneisliftedup.”Thismodelalleviates financialbarriersandsupportscriticalindustriesindefense,construction,andtourism.Asaproofofconcept, theprogramhelpstheCollegeinfulfillingitscommitmenttoeducationalaccess,economicdevelopment,and communityupliftment.Learnmoreatsocialfinance.org/work/hawaii-renewable-learning-fund.
UHSTUDENTAPPLIES
SKILLSTOW.M.KECK
OBSERVATORY
UHmechanicalengineeringstudentKaʻalaDeitchhasbeenturningclassroomskillsintoreal-worldimpact attheW.M.KeckObservatory,wherehehelpedredesignacriticalplatformontheKeckIItelescopeto improvesafetyandprotectsensitiveequipment.AgraduateofKeKulaʻONāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu,Deitch broughtastrongsenseofplacetotheprojectafterjoiningKeckthroughtheAkamaiWorkforceInitiativein 2023,whichconnectslocalstudentstoSTEMinternshipsacrossHawaiʻi.Withnoexistingmodelstorely on,hecreatedanewplatformthatredirectsweightawayfromfragilecablingbeneaththetelescope’s rotatingstructure.Nowinhisfinalundergraduatesemesterconductingthermalsystemsresearchthrough UHMānoa’sSpaceScienceandEngineeringInitiative,KaʻalaplanstoentertheCollege’smechanical engineeringmaster’sprogram,andcontinuetoserveasabridgebetweenscienceandthecommunity.
PINEAPPLEPOWERHOUSE:STUDENTS’
TECHWINSINTERNATIONALAWARD
HIGH-FLYINGFARM
UHundergraduatestudentsfrom“TeamʻĀina,”madeupofCollegeofEngineeringandCollegeofNatural Sciencesstudents,wontheinternationalFarmRoboticsChallenge 2025’sExcellenceinProductivity(Air) award,earninga$10,000prizefortheirAI-poweredrobotanddronesystemdesignedtocountandsize pineapplesatDolePlantation.Competingagainst34teamsworldwide,theteam’sinnovativesolution addressesHawaiʻi’suniqueagriculturalchallengesandlaborshortagesbycombiningaerialdronesurveys withground-basedroboticimaging.LeadorganizerRonaLeiDuldulaoemphasizedtheimportanceof supportinglocalfarmersthroughtechnology.FacultyadvisorsfromUH’sCollegeof Engineering,Natural Sciences,andTropicalAgricultureguided theproject,highlightingitspotentialtoscaleforothercrops.This achievementshowsUHEngineering’sabilitytodriveagriculturalinnovationthatisbothrootedinHawaiʻi andgloballysignificant.
rigorousacademiccourseworkwithhands oninternshipsandresearchopportunities,givingstudentspractical experienceinsemiconductordesign,fabrication,andtesting.Bycloselyintegrating workforcetrainingwith cutting-edgeresearchandindustrypartnerships,UHispreparingstudentstoexcelinthiscriticalandrapidly evolvingfield.Thisinitiativeaddressesthenationalshortageofskilledmicroelectronicsengineersand demonstratesUH’seffortstoprepareforHawaiʻi’seconomicandtechnologicalfuture.
reactordetectors,butmentorshipfromProfessorKazutoshiNajitaignitedherpassionforsemiconductors.That foundationpropelled herintoasuccessfulcareerinthesemiconductorindustry,includingrolesatMotorolaand BrooktreeCorporation,andculminatedinherfoundingWhiteMountainLabs.Dr.McCaffrey’sstoryhighlights theroleofUHEngineeringinnurturingtalentthatdrivesinnovationinhigh-techindustries.Nowretired,sheand herhusbandcontinuetosupportUHEngineeringthroughestateplanning,underscoringtheircommitmentto theCollege’slastingimpactonHawaiʻi’stechnologicalfuture.Heradvicetostudents—seekgreatmentors,be resilient,andstaycurious—resonatesasaguidingprincipleforfutureengineers.
Scholarship,whichsupportedhercompletionofherbachelor'sdegreeandtransitionintoUH'sBAM (bachelor'sandmaster's)program.NamedOutstandingGraduatingSenior inmechanicalengineering,Akins ledworkonastudent-builtsatelliteselectedforNASA'sCubeSatLaunchInitiativeandgainedinternational researchexperienceinSwitzerland,allwhilepursuinghergoalofbecomingapilotandastronaut.Akins emphasizestheimportanceofpersistenceandcollaborationinhersuccess,notingthateveryresearch projectsheworkedonreliedonstrongteamworktosolveproblemsandgeneratesolutions.
mimictheefficient,adaptablemovementsofaquaticanimalssuchasfish,jellyfish,andoctopuses.By studyingthebiomechanicsandfluiddynamicsofthesecreatures,Dr.Wang’sresearchhasledtothe developmentoftiny,magneticsoftrobotscapableofnavigatingcomplexenvironmentslikedelicate underwaterecosystemsandthehumanbody.Theseinnovationsholdpromisefortransformative applicationsinhealthcare,sustainability,andindustry.Dr.Wang’sworknotonlyadvancesrobotic technologybutalsofosterscollaborationbetweenengineersandbiologiststounlock nature’s engineeringsecrets.Bybridgingmultiplefields,UHEngineeringisprovidinginnovationsthataddress criticalchallengesacrosstheislandsandbeyond.
FORGINGTHEFUTURE:UH’SADVANCEDMANUFACTURING
INITIATIVE
Hawaiʻi’srelianceonimportsforover90%ofitsgoodsleavesthestatevulnerabletosupplychain disruptions,achallengetheUniversityofHawaiʻiisaddressingthroughastatewideAdvanced ManufacturingInitiative.LedbytheUHCollegeofEngineering,thiseffortfocuseson"point manufacturing—using3Dprinting,materialsscience,andprecisiondesigntoproducecriticalparts locallyforbothcivilianandmilitaryuse.ProfessorsTylerRay,JosephBrown,LloydHihara,andZachary Trimblearespearheadingtheseefforts,integratingcutting-edgeresearchtobuildaresilientindustrial base.ThismomentumfurtherextendsintotheCollegeofEngineering’snewSpaceSciencesand EngineeringInitiative,whichaimstoexpandHawaiʻi’shigh-techsectorwithanew $30–$40million instrumentdevelopmentcenteratUHHiloby2030.
UHalumnaKianaYamatreturnedtoheralmamaterthisyearasaprojectengineerforHenselPhelps,leading theconstructiontransformationofMcCarthyMallundertheMānoaMiniMasterPlan.ACollegeofEngineering graduateandMissHawaiʻiUSA2022,Yamatplayedakeyrole inmanagingcontracts,materials,andfinances forthemajorcampusupgrades,includingtheconstructionofa moderninterdisciplinarylearningfacilitythat willserveasthenewhomefortheCollegeofEducation.Herjourneyfrompresidentofthestudentchapter of theAmericanSocietyofCivilEngineerstomanagingamulti-milliondollarrenovationattheheartofcampus highlightsthedirectpipelinebetweentheCollege’sprofessionalpartnershipsandHawaiʻi’sinfrastructure projects.ByoverseeingthereplacementofSnyderHallandtherevitalizationofthemall,Yamatappliedher UHengineeringfoundationtobuildamore modern,accessiblecampusforfuturegenerationsofstudents.
Hau’oli Makahiki Hou!
(Happy New Year!)