Posted on: Friday, September 27, 2002

UH group takes top project award

Advertiser Staff

A University of Hawai'i group has won a national award for helping the government of Rongelap atoll plan the resettlement of the island after years of forced evacuation while radiation cleanup was completed.

The College of Business Administration's Pacific Business Center Program recently was awarded the 2002 Project of the Year Award from the National Association of Management and Technical Assistance Centers for a project that pulled together a wide spectrum of experts to help with resettlement.

Rongelap islanders were evacuated in 1985 to allow for the cleanup from nuclear testing on Bikini Atoll in the 1950s.

Resettlement is expected to begin next year.

The winning project entailed:

• A preliminary ecological assessment of the soil by UH botany department faculty and students.

• Designs for 10 different community buildings done by UH School of Architecture faculty and students.

• Feasibility studies for ecotourism conducted by graduate students and interns from UH, Harvard University and Hawai'i Pacific University, along with community surveys of the desires of the people being resettled.

• A comprehensive economic development strategy done by PBCP in conjunction with graduate students from the College of Business Administration and faculty from the U.H. Center for Pacific Islands Studies.