Achievements honored

Advertiser Staff

Voyager joins Adventurers

The Adventurers' Club of Honolulu has awarded Nainoa Thompson honorary life membership in recognition of his explorations in the Pacific Ocean, his leadership and accomplishments as a master navigator and Polynesian voyager, and his continuing dedication to education and community service.

A plaque was awarded to him recently at the club's dinner meeting. The only other recipient of an honorary life membership is astronaut John Glenn, who accepted his award in 1962.

"In modern as in ancient times, a canoe voyage draws together the talents and skills of many elders, masters and scholars in areas of traditional learning and the sciences as well as craftspersons, artisans, community members and students," said Thompson. "When a canoe sails, it embodies the spirits and the hearts of those who contributed to it."

"Each voyage has been a tribute, not just to the achievements of modern voyagers, but to the ingenuity and courage of the ancient Polynesians, a testament to their success in the face of great adversity. The voyages have also connected modern peoples and promoted intercultural understanding and the sharing of ideas," Thompson said.

Papaya project leads to award

A local research team has received the 2002 Von Humboldt Foundation Award for Agriculture for its development of the ringspot-virus-resistant papaya.

The team includes:

• Dennis Gonsalves, University of Hawai'i graduate and director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo.
• Richard Manshardt, horticulturist in the University of Hawai'i's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
• Maureen Masuda Fitch, a University of Hawai'i graduate now with the USDA.
• Jerry Slightom of Pharmacia-Upjohn Co.

Representatives of the foundation presented them with the award during a ceremony in New York.

Gonsalves recently returned to Hawai'i after an absence of more than 25 years, most spent at Cornell University.

"It is somewhat unique that a group of scientists from different institutions and different expertise worked together early on to use a very new technology to develop and implement a timely solution for a severe agricultural problem in Hawai'i," said Gonsalves.

The papaya project was the culmination of more than two decades of research. It resulted in two disease-resistant varieties, Rainbow and SunUp, which were released to growers in 1998, giving the $45 million Hawai'i papaya industry a boost.

"We could not be more pleased that the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation has recognized the excellent work of Dennis Gonsalves and his colleagues. Not only have they helped the Hawai'i papaya industry, they have also demonstrated the tremendous potential for good in the use of agricultural biotechnology," said CTAHR dean Andrew Hashimoto. "Plant scientists worldwide know their work and regard it as a significant contribution to the economic viability of agriculture. I see this success as a model for how we work cooperatively to address challenging scientific questions that are relevant to Hawai'i.

The team has received a $15,000 award, a medallion and certificate.