• The Queen's Medical Center recently honored its student and adult Kokua Po'okela Award volunteers of the year. They are: Tori Miyagi, a senior at Hawaii Baptist Academy; Suzanne Nakoa, a volunteer since February 2005.

• The Queen's Medical Center recently honored Morris Mitsunaga, M.D., and Whitney Limm, M.D., as 2008 Ke Kauka Po'okela Outstanding Physicians of the Year.

Mitsunaga is chief of orthopaedics at The Queen's Medical Center. Limm, a general and transplantation surgeon, is medical director of operating room and same-day surgery at Queen's.

Both physicians chose to donate their cash prizes: Mitsunaga to The Queen's Medical Center's Orthopaedic Research and Educational Fund, and Limm to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii.

• Ileen Wong of Waimanalo, is the recipient of the GEICO Public Service Award for Physical Rehabilitation. She is a board member and volunteer at the Manawale'a Riding Center, which serves children with special needs and is run by volunteers. Through therapeutic horseback riding, children can begin to walk, talk, and gain a sense of pride and self-confidence.

• Winners of the inaugural Honolulu Forever Young awards are: Dr. Satoru Izutsu, senior associate dean for administration, John A. Burns School of Medicine; Daniel Lau, chairman of the board/corporate secretary, Finance Factors, Ltd.; Mary Matayoshi, executive director, Volunteer Resource Center of Hawaii ; Tom Moffatt, owner, A Tom Moffatt Production; William Paty, trustee, Mark A. Robinson Trust; James W.Y. Wong, president, James Wong and Associates; Rose Nakamura, co-founder and administrator, Project Dana.

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded a Greater Research Opportunities fellowship to Kathy L. Seiber, a graduate student at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo.

The EPA's graduate fellowship program supports some of the nation's most promising masters and doctoral candidates in environmental studies.

The EPA is currently accepting applications for the 2009 Greater Research Opportunities undergraduate fellowship program, at: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/20092009_gro_undergrad.html.