Latest news with #UniversityofHawaiʻi
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Wāhine in science program cut at UH Mānoa
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa program known for supporting career development activities for wāhine studying science and community outreach has been terminated following the loss of federal funding. Project lead and faculty member Barbara Bruno received a termination notice in April to immediately close the program funded by the National Science Foundation. Two-thirds of the almost $200,000 budget was forfeited. UH program that helps struggling ʻohana on federal chopping block '[The School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology] is Hawaiʻi's largest producer of geoscience graduates — alumni who go on to monitor volcanic hazards, predict extreme weather, conduct assessments of environmental impacts, ensure sustainable use of Hawaiʻi's freshwater resources and more,' Bruno said. She then went on to highlight the importance of supporting wāhine in their academic journeys. 'I think the biggest impact of this termination is the loss of professional development opportunities for women,' she said. 'STEM is hemorrhaging women — we need programs to keep them.'The program, the Catayst Awards for Science Advancement, allowed female students, researchers, staff and faculty to attend professional meetings, workshops and work in the field. 'We were also actively soliciting applications for the next round of CASA funding when we received the termination notice,' Bruno said. 'Ending this grant eliminates the support for future professional development opportunities and K-12 and community engagement.' Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez, alongside 15 other attorneys general, filed a lawsuit to stop illegal attempts to cut critical science programs on May 28. In the meantime, Bruno is actively searching for funding alternatives. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UH program that helps struggling ʻohana on federal chopping block
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa program aimed at helping struggling ʻohana and kūpuna is on the federal chopping block as the U.S. Congress looks at cutting its funding. UH's SNAP-Ed program, which is run by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, receives federal funding for its operations, which includes teaching ʻohana how to prepare healthy and affordable meals. Early morning vehicle collisions hospitalize two 'Our college has been working with local families and kūpuna through SNAP-Ed for more than 20 years,' SNAP-Ed Program Director Jean Butel said. 'Our SNAP-Ed program has become a trusted community partner that helps about 15,000 community members across Hawaiʻi every year. We meet people where they are: public schools, farmer's markets, senior care facilities and other community gathering places.' In addition to teaching people how to make healthy meals, the program also helps families budget for their groceries and even shows them how to grow their own produce. According to UH, 91% of participants in the program improved their diet, 83% learned how to budget better and 40% said they could afford more food for their ʻ for the SNAP-Ed program has been completely cut from the budget, which is currently being debated by the federal legislature, which puts local families at risk of losing a vital resource, UH said. 'We are grateful that Hawaiʻi's Congressional delegation fully supports SNAP-Ed,' said college Dean Parwinder Grewal. 'With our geographic isolation, high cost of living and ongoing food insecurity, full funding is essential for Congress to continue supporting Hawaiʻi's SNAP-Ed families and kūpuna.' Should the federal government approve of the cuts, the program will expire on Sept. 30, potentially further hurting already struggling locals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronomers Just Discovered The Biggest Explosions Since The Big Bang
A never-before-seen type of giant space explosion – the biggest bangs since the Big Bang – has been accidentally captured by the Gaia space telescope. From the hearts of distant galaxies, the mapping telescope recorded sudden, extreme increases in brightness – colossal flares of light that lingered far longer than any such flares had been known to previously. These blasts were calculated to release as much energy as 100 Suns would over the course of their combined lifetimes. Analysis of that light revealed something that was both new and familiar at the same time: stars being torn apart by black holes, but on a scale we hadn't observed before. Each star was a large one, at least three times as massive as the Sun; and each black hole was a supermassive beast lurking in the center of the star's host galaxy. Such events are usually known as tidal disruption events, or TDEs. Astrophysicists are calling these new ones 'extreme nuclear transients' – ENTs for short. "We've observed stars getting ripped apart as tidal disruption events for over a decade, but these ENTs are different beasts, reaching brightnesses nearly 10 times more than what we typically see," says astrophysicist Jason Hinkle of the University of Hawaiʻi's Institute for Astronomy (IfA). "Not only are ENTs far brighter than normal tidal disruption events, but they remain luminous for years, far surpassing the energy output of even the brightest known supernova explosions." The rather tame term 'tidal disruption' is used to describe what gravitational forces do to an object that gets too close to a black hole. At a certain point, the power of the external gravitational field surpasses the gravity holding an object together, and it comes apart in a wild scream of light before at least partially falling into the great unknown beyond the black hole's event horizon. There are telescopes trained on the sky to catch these screams, applying a wide field of view to take in as much of the sky as possible, waiting for those unpredictable flares that denote the death throes of an unlucky star. Astronomers have managed to observe a good number of TDEs, and know roughly how they should play out. There's a sudden brightening in a distant galaxy, with a light curve that rises to a rapid peak before gradually fading over the course of weeks to months. Astronomers can then analyze that light to determine properties such as the relative masses of the objects involved. Gaia was a space telescope whose mission was to map the Milky Way in three dimensions. It spent a great deal of time staring at the sky to capture precise parallax measurements of the stars in the Milky Way. On occasion, however, it managed to exceed its mission parameters. When combing through Gaia data, Hinkle and his colleagues found two strange events: Gaia16aaw, a flare recorded in 2016; and Gaia18cdj, which the telescope caught in 2018. Both events bore a strong similarity to an event recorded by the Zwicky Transient Facility in 2020. Because that event was so insanely powerful, and because it was given the designation ZTF20abrbeie, astronomers nicknamed it "Scary Barbie". Hinkle and his team determined that Gaia16aaw and Gaia18cdj are the same kind of event as Scary Barbie, and set about trying to figure out what caused them. They ruled out supernova explosions – the events were at least twice as powerful as any other known transients, and supernovae have an upper brightness limit. A supernova, the team explained, typically releases as much light as the Sun will in its entire, 10-billion-year lifespan. The output of an ENT, however, is comparable to the lifetime output of 100 Suns all rolled together. Rather, the properties of the ENT events, the researchers found, were consistent with TDEs – just massively scaled up. That includes how much energy is expended, and the shape of the light curve as the event brightens and fades. ENTs are incredibly rare – the team calculated that they are around 10 million times less frequent than supernovae – but they represent a fascinating piece of the black hole puzzle. Supermassive black holes are millions to billions of times the mass of the Sun, and we don't have a clear idea of how they grow. ENTs represent one mechanism whereby these giant objects can pack on mass. "ENTs provide a valuable new tool for studying massive black holes in distant galaxies. Because they're so bright, we can see them across vast cosmic distances – and in astronomy, looking far away means looking back in time," says astrophysicist Benjamin Shappee of IfA. "By observing these prolonged flares, we gain insights into black hole growth during a key era known as cosmic noon, when the universe was half its current age [and] when galaxies were happening places – forming stars and feeding their supermassive black holes 10 times more vigorously than they do today." The research has been published in Science Advances. Titan's Atmosphere 'Wobbles Like a Gyroscope' – And No One Knows Why A 'Crazy Idea' About Pluto Was Just Confirmed in a Scientific First A Giant Mouth Has Opened on The Sun And Even It Looks Surprised
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Hawaiʻi's highest paid college majors, jobs for recent graduates
HONOLULU (KHON2) — For students at the University of Hawaiʻi, choosing a major often starts with interest. But things like long-term earnings vary widely across fields. Some of the most popular majors lead to strong job prospects, while others rank amongst the lowest paying nationwide. did a comparison of UH's most popular majors with data on the highest and lowest earning degrees and careers. Exploratory/Pre-Business. Kinesiology (Health & Exercise Science). Psychology. Biology. Computer Science. Exploratory (Undecided). Marine Biology. Mechanical Engineering. Pre-Engineering. Pre-Nursing. Chemical Engineering. Computer Engineering. Aerospace Engineering. Electrical Engineering. Mechanical Engineering. Computer Science. Finance. Industrial Engineering. General Engineering. Miscellaneous Engineering. Surgery. Psychiatry. Physician/Specialist. Oral Medicine. Nurse Anesthetist. Computer Network Architect. IT Manager. Pharmacist. Petroleum Engineer. Nurse Practitioner. Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHON's morning podcast, every morning at 8 Liberal Arts. Performing Arts. Theology and Religion. Leisure and Hospitality. General Social Sciences. History. Miscellaneous Biological Sciences. Fine Arts. Treatment Therapy. Nutrition Sciences. Computer science: Its popularity is ranked #5 for UH students; and it's ranked #6 for national income income rank: #6 highest paying major. Amongst the careers available to computer science majors are IT manager, which ranks at #7, and network architects, which comes in at #6, for highest paying careers for recent college graduates. This major is both popular and high earning. Students interested in tech will find strong job prospects in Hawaiʻi and beyond. Mechanical engineering: This degree's popularity is ranked #8 for UH students. Its national income rank comes in at #5 for highest paying university major. This major also offers avenues to access careers in general and industrial engineering. Mechanical engineering is in demand and leads to some of the highest starting salaries nationwide. UH students choosing this are on a strong financial path. Pre-nursing and pore-medical tracks (biology, pre-nursing, kinesiology): Biology comes in at #4, Kkinesiology at #2 and pre-nursing #10 for most popular majors at UH. These degree paths also offer career opportunities for nurse anesthetist, which ranks at #5, Nurse Practitioner at #10 and Surgeon at #1 for highest paying careers for recent college graduates. While undergraduate degrees in these fields may not pay much alone, they are common steppingstones to some of the top-earning health care careers that often require further education or advanced degrees. Exploratory/pre-business: This degree's popularity ranks at #1 for UH students, and it offers access to jobs in finance which rank at #7 amongst highest paying majors Business is a practical choice, but future earnings depend on specialization. Finance, accounting or information systems offer better salary outcomes than general business. Psychology: It comes in at #3 for most popular majors at UH; however, in order to earn a great salary, one needs to pursue an advanced degree via medical school to become a psychiatrist, which ranks at #2 for highest paying jobs for recent college graduates. Psychology is a widely chosen major, but jobs with this degree alone tend to rank low in earnings. Advanced study is usually needed to increase income potential. Marine biology and biology These majors popularity at UH come in at #7 for Marine Biology and #4 for Biology. However, miscellaneous biological sciences rank #7 on the lowest-paying majors list. These majors are often chosen for passion and interest in Hawaiʻi's environment, but they tend to lead to lower-paying roles unless followed by graduate research or professional school. Overlap between popularity and high pay is limited. Only two of UH's top 10 majors –computer science and mechanical engineering — appear on national lists of highest paying degrees. Health care careers offer long-term payoff but require years of additional education. Majors like biology, kinesiology and pre-nursing are popular because they lead toward top jobs like nurse anesthetist and physician. Several popular majors rank low in national income data. Psychology, biology and marine biology are common at UH but fall within fields that typically report lower starting salaries without advanced degrees. Business and engineering fields show the strongest earnings potential. Students entering finance, computer science and engineering disciplines are best positioned to enter high-paying careers directly after graduation and have the potential for long-term income growth throughout one's career. At UH, many students choose majors based on interests, familiarity or pre-professional goals. But when compared with national income data, only a few of those popular majors rank high in terms of post-graduation pay. You can click to learn more about the UH school system. You can click and to read more about the nationally ranked highest and lowest paid majors and jobs for recent graduates. Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHON's morning podcast, every morning at 8 Students who are exploring their path need to weigh both personal interest and future earnings. This is especially if they plan to enter the job market after a bachelor's degree. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
44% shortfall in Hawaiʻi deepens crisis
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Every May, National Speech-Language-Hearing Month shines a spotlight on the importance of communication. At the University of Hawaiʻi's John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), faculty and students in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) are doing more than just raising awareness. They are actively reshaping access to speech, language and hearing care across the state. 'They're awesome:' How JABSOM helps Hawaii's keiki get ready for school 'We're the only graduate program in Hawaiʻi that's accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association,' said Pauline Mashima, PhD, Graduate Program Chair, JABSOM Communication Sciences and Disorders. 'Our mission is to prepare future speech-language pathologists, or SLPs, to transform and improve the quality of life for people of all ages with speech, language, hearing, cognitive communication, and swallowing disorders.' And that mission is urgent here in Hawaiʻi. 'Our program plays a vital role in addressing a severe workforce crisis in Hawaiʻi, with a reported 44% shortfall of speech-language pathologists to serve the needs of our local population,' Dr. Mashima said. 'This shortage is expected to increase because the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the demand for SLPs in our state will rise 24% between 2020 and 2030.' 'There's a huge need for speech-language pathologists across all settings, especially in the Department of Education,' said Kayla Kawamura, MS, Clinical Instructor. 'The shortage is over 40% in our state, which is crazy, especially on the outer islands.' That shortage doesn't just affect children in schools. Adults recovering from strokes, those with Parkinson's disease and kūpuna with hearing loss all need care, too. The work being done at JABSOM's clinic is a testament to how our educational system is working to fill in the cavern that exists between those with speech pathologies and those without them. 'We're a hidden gem right here in Kakaʻako,' said Brittany Evans, MS, CCC-SLP, Clinical Instructor. 'A lot of places have possibly like a six-month waiting list to get speech services. And with it being such high demand, we're here and ready to serve and take patients today.' And their work to bring these services everyone in Hawaiʻi, regardless of income, social or economic status or cultural background. 'A lot of the private clinics on island have very long waitlists,' added Kawamura. 'But we want the community to know our clinic is fully up and running. And we do have openings, and we're ready to serve you.' For speech pathologist, passion is a major driving force that directs their goals and initiatives. They believe that regardless of you are, your voice is needed to be heard. 'Speech-language pathologists, ultimately, what we believe is that every voice matters,' Kawamura said. 'We're all about building better communication, which lends itself to better connection. And that's all we want for our patients, is for them to feel better connected to their family members, to have meaningful relationships.'Making these services as personalized as possible is what is making this program successful. 'We really value individualized treatment,' Evans said. 'So, every patient that walks through our door is an individual; and we really want to honor their goals and why they're here.' She went on to explain further. 'So, for example, if a patient wants to work on overcoming some memory concerns to be able to go back to work or if a child wants to be able to say specific sounds to say their family members' names, we really want to take your input into consideration and make each program tailored,' Evans explained. And helping their patients set their goals and achieve those goals is one of the most rewarding parts of work. 'It's something that should be done across everywhere,' she added. 'Each person has their own goals, and if you're focusing on things that they want to work on, there's more chance of them improving.' Age doesn't matter when it comes to speech pathologies. You can be a toddler; you can be an elder. There are so many reasons speech pathologies occur. 'So, some of the common kiddos that come through our clinic have autism. They might be late talkers. We have kids who stutter,' Kawamura said. 'We also work with children who might not have the physical capability to speak. So, our job as speech-language pathologists is to find some kind of modality for them to communicate,' Kawamura explained. 'Oftentimes it might be with a picture board… or it might be an iPad device… to be like a voice for them.' Reading is one of the most important skills we learn in our modern society. And understanding how to read is directly impacted by speech pathologies. 'We're so fortunate to have secured a grant for our early literacy preschool program for children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old,' Kawamura said. 'We're working on things like pre-literacy skills, like, letter recognition [of] letter sounds, while also working on their speech and language goals.' 'Only 30% of the kindergartners demonstrated the skills for kindergarten entry,' Kawamura added. 'So, our hope with the early literacy program is to bridge that gap and get as many kids as possible prepared for kindergarten.' 'Our students are dedicated to serving our community,' Dr. Mashima said. 'For example, they volunteer here to conduct hearing screenings for athletes at the Hawaiʻi Special Olympics and participate in outreach events such as the annual Parkinson's Association Walk.' 'And we're deeply grateful for our community partners,' Dr. Mashima said. She cited the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation's Rosetta Fish Speech Therapy Fund, the Honolulu Stoma Club, the Daniel K. Akaka Family Foundation and the Hawaiʻi Departments of Education and Health. 'And, so, I always loved working with people, children and adults,' said Remy Kubota, JABSOM CSD Student. 'The opportunity to really just help people gain their voice and learn how to speak for themselves is such an amazing thing.' 'I chose this path because I really wanted to be able to help all different people and change their lives,' said Ellissa Wood, JABSOM CSD Student. If you or a loved one is having trouble with speech, hearing, memory or communication, the JABSOM Speech and Hearing Clinic is open and accepting new patients. Located on the sixth floor of the Gold Bond Building in Kakaʻako, the clinic serves everyone from keiki to kūpuna. 'We're actively responding to this crisis. We have licensed, certified faculty SLPs who provide direct services to patients,' Dr. Mashima said. 'They model and mentor person-centered, evidence-based care at the highest standards to educate and train students for careers as SLPs and our PhD faculty.' 'Ultimately, what we believe is that every voice matters,' Kawamura said. You can click to learn more about JABSOM's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHON's morning podcast, every morning at 8 And every May, National Speech-Language-Hearing Month is a powerful reminder that communication is a right, not a privilege. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
