Speaker: Dr. Li Tao, UHH Biology Department
Title: How Cells Divide: Unlocking the Secrets of Centralspindlin, a Key Molecular Machine in Cytokinesis
Abstract: Cell division is a fundamental process that ensures the accurate segregation of genetic material into daughter cells. Dysregulation of this process underlies numerous human diseases, including cancer. My research focuses on unraveling the molecular mechanisms driving cytokinesis, with a particular emphasis on the centralspindlin complex. Centralspindlin, composed of the kinesin-6 motor (Pav/kinesin-6) and a GTPase-activating protein (Tum/RacGAP), is essential for central spindle assembly, cleavage furrow formation, and the precise positioning of the cleavage plane. Using a combination of in vitro biochemistry and in vivo cell biology, we demonstrate that Tum/RacGAP enhances Pav/kinesin-6 motor activity, converting it into a robust, plus-end- directed motor. This synergy is critical for centralspindlin’s localization and function during cytokinesis. Furthermore, we show that centralspindlin directly transports the Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (RhoGEF) to microtubule plus-ends, facilitating localized RhoA activation and proper cleavage plane positioning. This work provides novel insights into the regulation of cell division and highlights centralspindlin’s pivotal contribution to the mechanics of cytokinesis.
Speaker: Dr. Nathanial Brown, Penn State University
Title: Letting go of deficit models of student success.
Abstract: When it comes to student success in college, or the lack thereof, it’s easy to identify deficits in our students. They should learn more in high school, party less in college, and so on. While these deficit models have some truth, we will challenge their validity and explore some logical consequences. Then we will critically analyze a few components of higher education with an intentional avoidance of deficit thinking. The talk will be interactive and accessible to everyone in higher education.
Speaker: Dr. Travis Mandel, UHH Computer Science Department
Title: Investigating Novel Human-in-the-Loop AI Research Challenges in Environmental and Climate Science
Abstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to help natural scientists in a variety of domains collect better data, make better use of their time, and better protect the biodiversity of unique places such as Hawaii. However, despite recent advances in the field, it is still quite challenging to develop robust, reliable, rigorously-evaluated solutions that help scientists with tasks that are difficult and time-consuming. There are many interesting research problems in this space - in this talk, I will highlight some of our ongoing projects, discussing our efforts to compare a number of different approaches to interpolation and uncertainty estimation to aid climate scientists, and to assist scientific annotators in an effective and personalized way. These research projects would not be possible with the assistance of many UH Hilo undergraduate students as well as local high school students.
Speaker: Dr. Anita Marshall, University of Florida
Title: Reimagining Field Science for More Accessible & Inclusive Educational Opportunities
Abstract: Field learning can be a highly beneficial component of earth science education, influencing academic success and feelings of belonging as a geoscientist. However, it can also be a significant barrier when accessibility and disability-specific needs are not met. Through stories from her own personal journey through the geosciences and practical tips and outcomes from The GeoSPACE Project (a hybrid accessible field course for geology and planetary science), this presentation will present the rationale and mechanisms for enabling inclusive learning communities in any setting (field, lab or classroom) and the impact of making science education accessible to all.
Speaker: Dr. Sebastien Vievard, College of Engineering UH Manoa
Title: Spectroscopy using a Photonic Lantern at the Subaru Telescope
Abstract: A Photonic Lantern (PL) is a novel device that efficiently converts a multi-mode fiber into several single-mode fibers. When coupled with an extreme adaptive optics (ExAO) system and a spectrograph, PLs enable high throughput spectroscopy at high angular resolution. The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) system of the Subaru Telescope recently acquired a PL that feeds a R~4,000 spectrograph optimized for the 600 to 760 nm wavelength range. We present here the integration of the PL on SCExAO, and study the device performance in terms of throughput, field of view, and spectral reconstruction. We also present the first on-sky demonstration of a Visible PL coupled with an ExAO system, showing a significant improvement of x12 in throughput compared to the use of a sole single-mode fiber. We also highlight the faithful reconstruction of spectral features of `Aua [Betelgeuse] and discuss how this work lays the foundation for future advancements in high-throughput photonic instrumentation for high-resolution imaging.
Speaker: Dr. Ellen Meiser, Sociology Department
Title: Making it, Success in the commercial kitchen
Abstract: The restaurant industry is one of the few places in America where workers from disadvantaged backgrounds can rise to positions of power and prestige. Yet with over four million cooks and food-preparation workers employed in America’s restaurants, not everyone makes it to the high-status position of chef. What factors determine who rises the ranks in this fiercely competitive pressure-cooker environment? This book talk explores how the career path of restaurant workers depends on their accumulation of cultural capital with a particular focus on embodied cultural capital– that which is translated through and within workers’ bodies.
Speaker: Lichen Forster and Kamalani Poepoe, Geology Department
Title: Geochemistry of Kīlauea’s summit eruptions after 2018
Abstract: UH Hilo and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory have worked together to analyze the lava chemistry of the six summit and two rift zone eruptions that have taken place at Kīlauea since 2018. That work depends on olivine crystals (the green mineral in Hawaiian lavas), which can provide information on where the magma they formed in existed and how it moved underground, before it could be observed during an eruption. I will discuss the geochemical findings from the 2020-2021, 2021-2022, and January to March 2023 eruption, with special focus on the lab work I did to understand the lattermost eruption.
Speaker: Kamalani Poepoe, Geology Department
Title: Understanding Olivine from Kīlauea’s June 2023 Eruption
Abstract: This project was conducted through the Ka’ao Pathway as part of the Pacific Island Program for Exploring Science, which incorporates indigenous frameworks with leadership and scientific research. We focus on Kīlauea volcano on the island of Hawai`i, which has near-continuous volcanic activity and is the dominant foundation of our Hua, the catalyst and desire to explore. We study olivine, a green mineral that is abundant in Hawaiian basaltic magma, because it can reveal how, when and where magma moves inside of Kīlauea’s complex plumbing system. Volcanic material from an eruption in June 2023 was crushed, sieved and picked for olivine, which were mounted and polished for electron microprobe analysis. 147 olivine crystals at 0.5-1.0 mm in size reveal that there are two populations in this eruption. The majority of these crystals (92%) are chemically homogeneous (not zoned). The remaining 8% are chemically zoned, with compositional variations between the crystal core and rim. These preliminary results suggest that these crystals came from two populations of magma storage, one shallower and cooler and one deeper and hotter. Fo88 cores/Fo82 rims tells us that these crystals would have evolved in the Halema’uma’u reservoir and erupted as new material in the June 2023 eruption. Fo87 core/Fo77 rims tell us that these crystals began growing in the Halema’uma’u reservoir and were transported to lava lake prior to the June 2023 eruption. Conducting research in Kīlauea’s sacred space, we set good intentions to connect and ground ourselves to help understand volcanic events to provide data and safety transparency to the local and scientific community.
Speaker: Dr. Chester Dabalos, UHH Chemistry Department
Title: On the mechanism of glyphosate’s ozonation
Abstract: Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is one of the commonly used herbicides in residential areas. This compound is a probable human carcinogen and its decomposition to safer compounds is sought. One of the agents for its degradation is ozone, a known disinfectant. The reaction between Roundup and ozone, in alkaline conditions, was studied by a variety of spectroscopic techniques. Initially, this herbicide is cleaved into aminomethylphosphonic acid, AMPA and glycine via an imine intermediate. Investigating the pH conditions, a permethylated nitrogen derivative and 13C/15N labelled glyphosate analogues support our proposed mechanism. Finally, AMPA and glycine undergo a similar mechanistic route and are converted into non-toxic inorganic products.
Speaker: Dr. Steve Doo, UHH Marine Science Department
Title: Towards developing an integrative understanding of marine conservation in Hawaiʻi Island.
Abstract: Human impacts on coral reefs are becoming increasingly evident due to the interacting effects of local and global stressors. These stressors contribute to active degradation of reefs worldwide. In this colloquium, I highlight the need for a broad research and education portfolio on coral reefs to understand the extend of human impacts. I present examples of how student researchers at UH Hilo are contributing to our understanding of how Hawaiʻi Island reefs will be impacted. These projects include developing low-cost water quality indicators through foraminiferal assemblages, understanding the metabolic impacts of microplastic pollution on corals, testing for acclimatization potential in corals to thermal stress from leeward vs. windward Hawaiʻi Island, and optimizing rubble stabilization rates of crustose coralline algae (CCAs) for coral restoration efforts. These efforts provide a holistic framework that encompasses monitoring reef status to understanding the mechanisms for resistance to environmental stressors, paving the way for new avenues of future conservation efforts in Hawaiʻi Island.
Speaker: Dr. Nicole Drakos, UHH Physics and Astronomy Department
Title: A Web of Dark Matter
Abstract: What is the universe made of? Surprisingly, everything we can see—stars, planets, gas, and dust—accounts for less than 15% of the matter. About 85% is something we can’t see at all: dark matter. We know it’s there because of its gravitational pull, but we still don’t know what it is. One of the best ways to study dark matter is by looking at how it shapes the cosmic web—the vast network of galaxies and dark matter that fills the universe. In this talk, I’ll explore how clues from computer simulations of cosmic structure formation can help constrain dark matter models.