Category Archives: Alumni

winnielau.min

Alumnae update

It is time for a quick update on some graduates.

MA program

  • Malihe Alikhani is now an Assistant Professor at University of Pittsburgh where she among other things advises a team of doctoral students that is one of 10 finalists in Amazon’s second Alexa Prize TaskBot Challenge.
  • Corrisa Heyes is now a PhD Candidate at UHM in Mechanical Engineering, and has been awarded the Department of Defense Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation Scholarship.
Press release from the SMART Scholarship program

This award provides students with full tuition for up to five years, mentorship, summer internships, a stipend and full-time employment with the Department of Defense after graduation. This unique opportunity offers students hands-on experience at one of over 200 innovative laboratories across the Army, Navy, Air Force and larger Department of Defense.
During summer internships, SMART scholars work directly with an experienced mentor, gaining valuable technical skills. After graduation Heyes will work at Naval Surface Warfare Center – Carderock Division in West Bethesda, MD.

Heyes is currently studying Mechanical Engineering, with a focus in Materials Science. Heyes said, “Sponsorship as a SMART scholar is the opportunity of a lifetime to leverage my education and experience with colleagues and mentors who work on the cutting edge of advancement in my field” about the award.
The Department of Defense is committed to developing the Nation’s STEM talent and is the largest employer of federal scientists and engineers with nearly 150,000 civilian STEM employees working across the Department. DoD STEM activities support this mission by providing authentic learning experiences through a variety of education and outreach initiatives, such as the SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program. For over a decade, SMART has trained a highly skilled STEM workforce that competes with the evolving trends of industry to support the next generation of science and technology for our nation.
For more information on the SMART Program or to learn how students can apply, please visit www.smartscholarship.org. The application is open annually from August through December.

Math major

Winnie Lau has been accepted to an REU (research experience undergraduates) in computational chemistry with Prof. Xiaosong Li at University of Washington.

Aloha Winnie!winnielau.min

tanaka-restaurant

Tina Wang (’14) sponsors new scholarship

Many of us remember Tina Wang who completed her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from our department in 2014.
Since then she has opened many restaurants across the state and country, under the business name Tanaka Ramen.
We are thrilled that in 2021, she sponsored a scholarship for mathematical excellence in the Math Department!

After opening her first restaurant, named Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya at the age of 27 in Chicago, Illinois, Tina expanded her company across the United States, quickly adding four additional locations in Texas, Georgia, and Illinois. But it was always Tina’s dream to return to and focus her business in Hawaii. In the last year, that dream became a reality and she successfully welcomed three locations on the island of Oahu, using innovative ideas to adapt and respond to rapidly changing conditions brought on by the global pandemic.

tina-wang

Throughout all this, Tina has always been committed to giving back to the community as well as her alma mater. Proceeds from the grand opening of each of her Hawaii restaurants were used to establish a scholarship fund for the math department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. One scholarship will be awarded each semester to help a deserving student cover the cost of their tuition, books, and other fees. By maintaining a stable, long-term vision as well as ties to the wider community, Tina defines what it means to be a responsible small business owner today.

Pictured above we see a 3-D rendering of one of her new restaurants, in Ala Moana shopping center / Pearlridge mall.

Former postdoc proposes new way to think about intelligence

From Inside Science:

Alexander Wissner-Gross, a physicist at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Cameron Freer, a mathematician at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, developed an equation that they say describes many intelligent or cognitive behaviors, such as upright walking and tool use.

The researchers suggest that intelligent behavior stems from the impulse to seize control of future events in the environment. This is the exact opposite of the classic science-fiction scenario in which computers or robots become intelligent, then set their sights on taking over the world.

The paper acknowledges work done while Freer was supported as a postdoc in our department during 2010-2011.
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