ARCS awards support grad student research in ocean, earth, atmospheric and space sciences
Hawai‘i Hall on University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa campus
Nine doctoral students in multiple SOEST departments and lab groups were named 2026 Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Scholars of the Year at the ARCS Scholars Award Banquet on May 4.
The Honolulu Chapter presented 21 ARCS Scholar Awards to exceptional doctoral students in STEM fields at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and announced the two ARCS Scholar of the Year recipients at the annual Scholar Awards Banquet on May 4. The Scholars each receive $6,000 unrestricted grants to provide resources for professional travel, computer and research equipment and materials, publishing costs, and/or educational and personal expenses at the recipient’s discretion.
Read more about all the scholars on the ARCS Honolulu page.
Charles Addey
Charles Addey, a student in the Department of Oceanography with advisor Seth Bushinsky, was awarded the Ellen M. Koenig ARCS Award. With data from autonomous robot floats in the North Pacific, Charles uses computer modeling to understand how natural climate cycles and human activities influence the ocean’s ability to absorb CO2 (mitigating climate change) and O2 (supporting marine life).
Jordan K. Ando
Jordan K. Ando, a student in the Department of Earth Sciences with advisor Shuai Li, was awarded the Toby Lee ARCS Award. Jordan uses computer modeling to understand how constant bombardment of micrometeorites affects water ice in shaded craters on the moon. He also compares lunar data information about the younger ice on the relatively water-rich dwarf planet Ceres.
Harold K. Carlson
Harold K. Carlson, a student in the Department of Oceanography with advisor Jeffrey Drazen, was awarded the George and Mona Elmore ARCS Award. Harold analyzes video captured by submersibles and DNA extracted from tissue samples in the Smithsonian coral museum to study ecosystem functions of deep-sea coral and sponge habitats and how these ecosystem engineers support communities of fish and other animals.
Cameron J. Chuss
Cameron J. Chuss, a student in the Department of Atmospheric Science with advisor Yi-Leng Chen, was awarded the George and Mona Elmore ARCS Award. Cameron studies how daily patterns of wind and rain evolve over subtropical islands. He will combine MicroPulse DIAL laser observations of water vapor with computer modeling to better forecast the timing and intensity of short-term extreme rainfall in island communities.
Michael Angelo Fernandez
Michael Angelo Fernandez, a student in the Department of Botany with SOEST advisor Pacific Biosciences Research Center’s Nicole Hynson, was awarded the Isabella Aiona Abbott ARCS Award. Whether increasingly rare natives or introduced varieties, all orchids depend on mycorrhizal fungi in the environment to germinate and grow. Using DNA sequencing and germination trials, Michael studies symbiotic partnerships in the soil micro-biome to form a framework for broader biodiversity questions on other Pacific Islands.
Mackenzie L “Mack” Jahnke
Mackenzie L “Mack” Jahnke, a student in the Department of Zoology with SOEST advisor Pacific Biosciences Research Center’s Robert Richmond, was awarded the Sarah Ann Martin ARCS Award. Plastic microfragments cause physical and chemical harm to corals and their microbiomes. Mack is screening coral-associated microbes for their ability to consume and neutralize ubiquitious polyethylene terephthalate plastic esters with an eye to creating probiotic interventions.
Patrick J. Ng
Patrick J. Ng, a student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering with SOEST advisor Department of Ocean and Resources Engineering’s Michael Krieg, was awarded the Frederick M. Kresser ARCS Award. Acoustic waves, which allow GPS to pinpoint locations on land, donʻt function so well underwater. Patrick works on custom firmware to test theoretical control methods in real-world underwater vehicles and helps design underwater robotic systems, running trials at a permanent test site off Kaka‘ako.
Juliana G. Peckenpaugh
Juliana G. Peckenpaugh, a student in the Department of Earth Sciences with advisor Bin Chen, was awarded the Poorman Hoyt Stratford Foundation Award. Juliana recreates extreme mantle pressures and temperatures in the lab to study how brucite—a water-rich mineral in oceanic rocks—behaves as slabs sink into Earthʼs mantle, where release of water can trigger melting and volcanic formation. The results could help explain deep water transport, melting, earthquakes, and unusual seismic signals.
Samantha “Sam” Shedd
Samantha “Sam” Shedd, a student in the Marine Biology Graduate Program with advisor Rob Toonen, was awarded the ARCS Honolulu Chapter Award. Applying “seascape genetics” to the most extensive O‘ahu coral sampling project to date (640 samples collected from 194 sites over 120 days), Sam pairs DNA and genomic analysis of rice, prickly lace, and finger corals with nine environmental and human-caused factors to assess adaptive potential. She hopes to identify climate-resilient coral populations for conservation and restoration efforts.