2015 UH Hilo awards and recognition

Special honors were the order of the day as the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo held its 2015 Awards and Recognition Celebration on Thursday, May 14.

Honored with the Award for Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities was Dr. Sue Jarvi, professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and director, Pre-Pharm Program, for her work on rat lungworm disease, including basic and applied research as well as community advocacy and education.

Kaleonui Hui, lecturer, Physics, and John Coney, education specialist, Physics and Astronomy, received the Koichi and Taniyo Taniguchi Award for Excellence and Innovation. Hui and Coney were recognized for upgrading the physics freshmen labs, which included implementation of several new experiments, three major technical contributions, production of almost 50 videos for laboratory instruction and a major upgrade of lab manuals.

The Professional Staff Award was presented to Nadine Hara for her institutional support serving as the fiscal specialist for the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy. In addition to preparing, managing and implementing the College’s budget, Hara serves as senior administrator to support staff members with grant projects, University funds and Foundation accounts.

Davelyn Cruz, interim secretary, Social Sciences Division, whose duties include accounting, course entry, and logistical scheduling for the Division, was named the Outstanding University Support Employee.

Lastly, Kristen Laguana, a laboratory assistant responsible for maintaining equipment and proper operation of the astronomy lab, received the Student Employee of the Year Award.

The event also recognized retiring/retired employees and those receiving various years of service awards.