The Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium awarded undergraduate fellowships in the Fall of 1997 to students at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa and Community Colleges. At Manoa, the awards were given for space-related research and provided a stipend of $1750 per semester to each recipient. At the Community Colleges, Fellows received stipends that depended on the scope of the projects.

University of Hawai'i at Manoa:

• Carl Lee, a senior in Mechanical Engineering, will continue work he began this summer on "Voltage Load-displacement Curve Evaluation of a Piezoelectric Active Strut for Space Structures." Working under mentor Dr. Mehrdad Ghasemi Nejhad of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carl's objective is to establish the voltage-load-displacement curve for three miniature active struts designed and fabricated by former Space Grant Fellows.

• Alan Tom, also a senior in Mechanical Engineering worked this summer with Dr. Melek Yalcintas of the Department of Mechanical Engineering on "Magnetorheological Material Based Adaptive Structures." Alan's work included the testing of vibration responses of magnetorheological (MR) materials at different levels of applied magnetic fields.

• Melinda McKinney, a junior majoring in Physics and Mathematics, completed a summer fellowship "Petrographic Analysis of Martian Meteorites" under mentors Rachel Friedman and Dr. Edward Scott, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) and the Department of Geology and Geophysics (GG). Melinda's new fellowship research focuses on a mathematical model-computer simulation of the fractal nature of lava flow margins which ultimately may be used to determine eruption rates of lava flows on Earth and other planets. Her work , titled "Are Lava Flows in a State of Self-Organized Criticality?" will be performed under the guidance of mentor Dr. G. Jeffrey Taylor of HIGP and GG.

• Casey Law, a junior in Physics, is research-ing the relative age of globular cluster M71 with respect to other thick disk clusters in our Galaxy in a project called, "Examining the Relative Ages of Thick Disk Globular Clusters." Working under the direction of his mentor, Dr. James Heasley of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Casey will use photometric data obtained at telescopes on Mauna Kea and Kitt Peak National Observatory in his efforts to better understand the evolution of the Milky Way.

• Jason Horiuchi, a senior in Electrical Engineering, studied "Grid Oscillators on Photonic-Bandgap Substrates" this summer under the guidance of mentor Dr. Wayne Shiroma of the Department of Electrical Engineering. Jason analyzed the performance of a specialized grid oscillator fabricated with photonic-bandgap structures. Power devices such as these may prove to be ideal for use in space communications in the millimeter-wave frequencies.

• David Matsuda, a senior in Anthropology, will continue his study of the relationship of agricultural expansion to environmental and social factors by focusing on the best preserved dryland agricultural field system in Kohala, Hawaii. David's research project, called "Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and the Archaeology of Kohala, Hawai'i Island" utilizes SIR-C , SPOT satellite images and GIS database. His work is being conducted under mentor Dr. Michael Graves of the Department of Anthropology.

• Kevin Miyashiro, a senior in Electrical Engineering is studying "A Quasi-optical Beam Steerer." Serving as mentor for this project is Dr. Wayne Shiroma of the Department of Electrical Engineering. Kevin's program and analyses will help in the quest for optimal accuracy, performance, and reliability of spaceborne remote sensing instruments.

• Mitchell Groth, a senior in Journalism, will evaluate educational methods in "Classroom Testing of Hands-on Space Science Resource Activities." Mitchell's work supports NASA's educational goals to "increase understanding and the broad application of science and technology" in addition to providing teachers with new activities that are consistent with national and state science education goals and standards. His work is being conducted under mentor Dr. Karen Meech of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

• Kristi Nishimura, a senior in Liberal Studies and Pre-Medicine, will work on an aspect of astronaut fitness by researching reaction time in individuals of various ages and skill levels. With mentor Dr. Max Vercruyssen from the Department of Medicine, Kristi will study "Fitness for Duty: Human Information Processing Limits and Vehicle Design Recommendations." This work will contribute to a better understanding of the most effective warning systems and displays (e.g., visual, audio, tactile) to employ on piloted spacecraft.

• David Ford, a junior in Geology, will conduct an evaluation of the accuracy of a modified method for estimating soil moisture in agricultural areas from satellite data. David will incorporate surface temperature, precipitation levels, and vegetation data with spaceborne remote sensing data. His work is being conducted under mentor Dr. Jene Michaud of the Department of Geology.

• Daniel Benfield, a sophomore in Computer Science, will design and construct a server using Linux for operation of the new, remotely operated telescope system at LCC. His project is being conducted under the guidance of mentor Dr. Fritz Osell of the Astronomy Department.
• Roy Smith, also a sophomore in Computer Science, will work under the guidance of mentor Dr. Fritz Osell to implement LCC Observatory projects with the Berkeley-based "Hands-on Universe" project.

The Hawai`i Space Grant Consortium awarded graduate fellowships to students at the University of Hawai'i, Manoa for 1997-98. The awards were given for space-related research and provided nine-month stipends and additional funds for travel and supplies to each recipient.

University of Hawai`i at Manoa:

• Julie Field, Master's degree student in Anthropology, is researching "A New Perspective on Warfare: Remote Sensing and GIS in Fiji." Julie will use digital image processing techniques on high-resolution, multispectral satellite images along with aerial photographs to build a database of topography, vegetation, and archaeological sites in the Sigatoka Valley of Viti Levu, Fiji. With this GIS database, she will analyze relationships between geography, human expansion, and inter-group aggression and competition. Her mentor is Dr. Terry Hunt of the Department of Anthropology.

• Kathleen Moore, PhD student in Physiology, is investigating the effects of sodium intake on bone morphometry, bone strength, and blood pressure. Her research project, called "The Effect of Dietary Salt in Genetically-Defined Unloading Model," is being conducted under mentor Dr. Martin Rayner of the Department of Physiology. Kathleen's laboratory analyses may ultimately lead to better understanding of the effects of salt intake on human bone fragility and, in turn, improved health for astronauts on long-duration space missions.