2025 Mānoa Awards honor faculty and student excellence, achievement
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa will honor the outstanding contributions of faculty, staff and students at the 2025 UH Mānoa Awards Ceremony. Three SOEST faculty members and an undergraduate student were selected to receive awards for their teaching and research efforts .
The annual event will be held April 28 at 3:30 p.m. in Kennedy Theatre. UH President Wendy Hensel, UH Mānoa Vice Provost for Academic Excellence Laura Lyons and Board of Regents Vice Chair Laurie Tochiki will recognize this year’s honorees for their outstanding accomplishments.
A live video stream of the event will be available for those unable to attend in-person.
Board of Regents Medal for Excellence in Research
Two SOEST faculty members were honored with the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research awarded by the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents in recognition of scholarly contributions that expand the boundaries of knowledge and enrich the lives of students and the community.
Sloan Coats, assistant professor of Earth Sciences and an affiliate of the International Pacific Research Center, joined UH Mānoa in November 2019 after holding postdoctoral and positions at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, as well as faculty roles at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His research combines advanced statistical techniques, climate models and both observed and paleoclimatic data to investigate climate variability and change across timescales. A key aspect of Coats’s work is its interdisciplinary nature, reflected in his contributions to diverse fields such as glaciology and seismology. In addition to his research, Coats is a passionate advocate for the broader research community at UH. He co-directs the NSF-funded Earth Sciences on Volcanic Islands Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, which provides undergraduate students with hands-on research experience in Earth sciences.
Matthieu Dubarry, associate researcher at Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute (HNEI), with more than 20 years of experience in renewable energy, he specializes in lithium-ion battery research. He joined HNEI in 2005 as a postdoctoral fellow, analyzing the usage data from a fleet of electric vehicles. He was appointed to the faculty in 2010, where he has focused on battery testing, modeling and simulation. Since 2014, Dubarry has led his own research group, supported by funding from both federal agencies and industry partners. He is recognized for pioneering data-driven techniques to non-destructively assess lithium-ion battery degradation. His work has produced a suite of software tools for predicting battery lifespan at both the cell and pack levels. His diagnostic model, ʻalawa—named for the Hawaiian word meaning “to diagnose with insight”—has earned global recognition and is used by universities and companies around the world.
Presidential Citation for Meritorious Teaching
Jennifer Small Griswold, professor of Atmospheric Sciences, was awarded the Presidential Citation for Meritorious Teaching, which recognizes UH Mānoa faculty members who have made significant contributions to teaching and student learning. Griswold centers curiosity, integrity, and collaboration in her teaching. Aware of the rapidly evolving scientific and technological landscape, she incorporates innovative techniques such as experiential learning, including phenomena-based scavenger hunts, and hands-on activities with big data. By incorporating programming languages like Python and MATLAB, she ensures students gain valuable skills that expand career opportunities and better position them to address pressing atmospheric and climate science challenges. Griswold has contributed to interdisciplinary teaching, creating a new Climate Science and Society undergraduate certificate program that bridges the gap between climate science and its applications in fields such as economics, policy, health and urban planning. As a first-generation college student, she has great empathy for her students, ensuring they feel seen and supported, whether in an introductory undergraduate course or a graduate seminar in meteorology.
Student Excellence in Research Award
Aláine Fiona Lee was honored with the Student Excellence in Research Award which is given by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Scholarship in recognition of outstanding scholarly research endeavors by students while they pursue a degree at the bachelor’s, masterʻs or doctoral level. Lee is a senior undergraduate majoring in astrophysics with a minor in human spaceflight in the College of Natural Sciences. She has worked as a research assistant throughout her degree at the UH Institute for Astronomy and the Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics and Planetology. Her research interests are driven by the challenges of NASA’s mission science environment, and she aspires to be a leader in this field. She has contributed to preparatory science for missions measuring gravitational waves and studying cosmic evolution through space interferometry. Currently, Lee is focused on simulating direct collapse black holes in early universe conditions at NASA Goddard’s Gravitational Astrophysics Laboratory. Before joining UH Mānoa in 2021, she spent several years involved in conservation, ecology and open ocean sailing. Her academic interests span astrophysics, astronomy, planetary science and human spaceflight. She began her research career at UH after receiving funding from the Hawaiʻi Space Grant Consortium. Her contributions include conference presentations, co-authored publications and involvement in developing a new minor in human spaceflight technology.
Read more here about the UH Mānoa Awards