Enhancing innovation and adaptation
Over its 100+ year history, CTAHR has supported Hawaiʻi agriculture in navigating through continuous change and evolution.
The upheaval of the last two years has challenged faculty to provide timely research-based information, not only for students, but also to the broader community of agricultural stakeholders who were forced to adapt and transform business models to survive and thrive. The “enhancing innovation and adaptation” session will highlight some of CTAHR’s most recent and innovative research and projects. Find the Hawaii Agriculture Conference website here.
Conference Speakers
Ania Wieczorek, PhD
Panelist; Interim Dean of CTAHR
Dr. Ania Wieczorek is currently serving as both the Interim Dean of Research and Extension, as well as the Interim Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Professor Wieczorek’s work in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa has two areas of focus, administering science education to the public and working in her Molecular Ecology Lab. Dr. Ania Wieczorek provides science outreach education, specifically focusing on the role of agriculture in daily life, to a wide range of people in the community. Her most notable outreach component is the GENE-ius Day Program. Her Molecular Ecology Lab concentrates on conservation and the management of invasive species through the application of DNA technology.
Theodore Radovich, PhD
Panelist; Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in Tropical Plants and Soil Sciences; Principle Investigator of the Sustainable and Organic Farming Systems
Dr. Ted Radovich is a Professor and Specialist in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM). Born and raised in Waimanalo, Ted graduated from Kailua H.S. where he was an active member of Future Farmers of America (FFA). He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from UHM, and his Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Ted leads the Waimanalo Learning Center at the UHM Waimanalo Research Station, featuring 4 acres of certified organic land and an aquaponics facility. He co-coordinates the Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program at UHM and is principal investigator of the Sustainable and Organic Farming Systems Laboratory. The primary focus of his lab’s research are the links between ecological farming practices, yield, and crop quality. Ted also teaches multiple classes, including Herbs, Spices and Flavorings, Organic Food Crop Production, and Vegetable Crop production. Ted lives in Waimanalo with his wife and four children.
Nicholas Sinclair
Panelist; Ph.D. Student in Molecular Bioscience and Bioengineering
Nick Sinclair is currently a PhD student in the Molecular Biosciences and Biological Engineering (MBBE) Department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM). Currently working at the Bingham Laboratory, his research project is analyzing sugars that are present in local fruits and fermentations. Through this endeavor he developed an interest in the brewing industry and with the help of a few classmates is in the process of starting a locally sourced brewery that is heavily invested in converting waste materials into value added products. He believes that using CTAHR research and resources can help convert scientists into great business people that will help to keep money in Hawaii. In addition, he also has experience in the fields of Biochemistry and Aquaculture through earlier projects regarding the cultivation and analysis of venomous cone snails. His eventual goals are to contribute to fermentation research and teach the world how to have fun with science.
Kylie Tavares
Panelist; Jr. Extension Agent
Jensen Uyeda
Panelist; Assistant Extension Agent
Shannon Sand
Panelist; Assistant Extension Agent
Shannon Sand is an Extension Agent for Agricultural Finance in the state of Hawaii. She specializes in areas related to agricultural economics and risk management including strategic planning, business and financial planning, estate and transition planning, marketing and more. Shannon works with producers and industries throughout the state.
Chynna Chun
Panelist; Undergraduate Student in Tropical Agriculture and the Environment
Chynna is in her fourth year as an undergraduate student in Tropical Agriculture & the Environment (TAE), she has expanded her knowledge and service capacities at state, college, and national levels! Chynna recently served as the Co-State Hawaii Future Farmers of America (FFA) Coordinator, Funding Committee Chair, a member of a youth based aloha ‘āina club at UHM, and a state staff member at the National FFA Organization. In her free time, Chynna loves to go to aloha ‘āina workdays and conservation sites around Oahu island to mālama sacred spaces, do invasive weed removal, transplant native species, and connect to people and places.
Arby Barone
Moderator; Ph.D. Student in Communication and Information Sciences
Arby Barone is from the island of Oʻahu and was raised in the ahupuaʻa of Mokulēʻia in the moku of Waialua. Growing up on the North Shore, Arby spent a lot of time running around her father’s plant nursery and “helping” him with his landscape installations (as much help as you can be at 6 years old). Her mother manages one of the largest commercial plant nurseries in Hawai’i and Arby has been a seasonal worker there since she was 16. As the child of two horticulturalists, Arby has always had an interest in and love for plants and agriculture, which has been fostered by her time in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR).