UH Research News

Reading time: 2 minutes Wang holds an award plaque at the 2026 Hawaiʻi State Science and Engineering Fair. For her research on fungi that can degrade plastic and sunscreen, Vera Wang, a senior at Kaiser High School, won in multiple categories at the 2026 Hawaiʻi State Science & Engineering Fair for her research conducted in […]

Reading time: 3 minutes The University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO) has released the Hawaiʻi Housing Factbook 2026, the fourth edition of its annual report offering detailed analysis of the state’s housing market. The report finds that Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis remains severe, despite modest improvements in affordability driven by flat home prices, rising incomes

Reading time: 2 minutes (Photo credit: Omar Lopez/Unsplash) A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa project focused on identifying early brain-based markers in infants exposed to methamphetamine before birth has been awarded a $50,000 grant from Ola HAWAIʻI through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The research represents a critical step toward improving how children at

Reading time: 2 minutes From left, Mehdi Tarrit Mirakhorli (UH), Ryan Field (Bank of Hawaii), Adam Palmer (First Hawaiian Bank), Melvin Quemado (UH) and Brook Conner (Formerly at Morgan Stanley) (Photo credit: Anthony Peruma) The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa brought together cybersecurity experts, researchers and industry leaders on April 29 for the Indo-Pacific Cybersecurity

Reading time: < 1 minute Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) children remain significantly overrepresented in the U.S. child welfare system. A study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health highlights how kinship care—placement with relatives—and culturally responsive placements can improve stability. Published in Child and Family

Reading time: 2 minutes Expanding Hawaiʻi’s Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit could help more parents stay in or reenter the workforce while partially offsetting its own cost through increased state tax revenue, according to a new report released May 1 by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO). The report examines proposals before

Reading time: 2 minutes (Photo courtesy: Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project) Hawaiʻi’s isolated and unique island ecosystem makes the state especially vulnerable to invasive species, which can cause major damage to the environment, agriculture and public health. That is why federal, state and private funders are turning to the University of Hawaiʻi for solutions. UH

Reading time: 2 minutes Heavy rainfall pours over a steep tropical landscape in Hawaiʻi. For decades, scientists have worked to improve predictions of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a climate powerhouse that can cause droughts, flooding, marine heatwaves and more around the world. Researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa published a study showing that

Reading time: 2 minutes ICS Assistant Professor Anthony Peruma presenting the paper “Practitioner Views on Mobile App Accessibility: Practices and Challenges” in the ICSE 2026 Research Track. Faculty from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) presented two peer-reviewed papers at the 48th IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics

Reading time: 2 minutes View of the rosette water sampler as it ascends to collect water. (Photo credit: HOT Program) Oceanographers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa discovered that microbial communities—from the sunlit surface to extreme depths—in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre exhibit robust seasonal cycles. The study provides new insight into how high