EDITORIAL
UH has much to offer Asian neighbors

Ask anyone what the University of Hawai'i is particularly known for and he or she almost certainly will rattle off astronomy, ocean science and perhaps some fields of Asian studies.

And indeed, these are among the many fields where UH has a national and even international reputation.

But expertise at the university goes deeper than those top-of-the-mind areas. This was demonstrated in dramatic fashion recently with news that UH is sending a seven-person team to help Sri Lanka in its rebuilding effort following the devastating Dec. 26 tsunami.

The areas in which UH scientists and faculty will be offering help paints a picture of the depth and breadth of the expertise Hawai'i has to offer. They include coastal zone management, tourism and agriculture as an economic engine, disaster preparedness, tsunami early warning systems and even post-traumatic counseling.

While help is flowing in from around the world, the UH team may be particularly valued because the team members come from a similar island environment and multicultural society.

Commendably, the UH team is determined not to fly in and impose solutions or programs. Rather, the team will listen, understand what the people of Sri Lanka want and need and then offer its help.

That is, after all, the Island way.