Posted at 1:32 a.m., Friday, July 27, 2007
New marine science degree to be offered at UH Hilo
News Release
The Board of Regents approved the provisional status for a bachelor of science degree in marine science at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo yesterday. The new degree, to be implemented in Fall 2008, will provide undergraduate students interested in pursuing graduate studies a more comprehensive background in the natural sciences than the existing bachelor of arts degree in marine science, including upper-level required courses in the focal areas of marine biology, marine ecology and oceanography."Our new BS degree in marine science is a perfect fit for UH Hilo," UH Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng said. "We have always been blessed with the perfect location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and with our new Marine Science Building, we now have first-rate facilities to match our prime location and our dedicated and talented faculty."
As part of the plan, the existing BA degree, which has served well for a wide diversity of students interested primarily in the applied aspects of marine science, will be restructured to offer a multidisciplinary array of elective options with a balance of the traditional sciences and advanced courses in related disciplines so that a student may tailor their degree plan for a variety of career options.
In other action, the Board of Regents voted to accept a total of $671,000 in gifts to the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo. The donors have been granted naming approvals of various facilities at the center in recognition of their commitments. The gifts include:
Also approved were the appointments of John Cross and Lisa Hadway to the Mauna Kea Management Board. Their appointments are effective Oct. 1, 2007, through Aug. 31, 2011.
Cross is the land manager for the Edmund C. Olson Trust II, a land trust that oversees more than 13,000 acres in the Hilo, Puna and Ka'u districts. He has more than 16 years of land management experience on the Big Island, including serving as president of Mauna Kea Agribusiness and vice president for real estate for C. Brewer & Company. Cross also owns and operates a 13-acre farm in Hakalau located on the slopes of Mauna Kea.
Hadway is the manager for the Natural Area Reserves Program for the Hawai'i Island Branch of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, where she has worked for nearly seven years. One of the areas she oversees is the Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Area Reserve, which adjoins UH's Mauna Kea Science Reserve. Hadway has more than 10 years of experience and is knowledgeable about natural resource management, issues and concerns, particularly on the Island of Hawai'i.
