The Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium awarded undergraduate fellowships in the Spring 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:

• Gay Leong, a senior in Mechanical Engineering will work with Dr. Mehrdad Nejhad of the Department of Mechanical Engineering on "Fabrication and Testing of an Active Strut for Space Structures." Gay's work will include the testing of voltage-displacement responses of miniature active struts designed by former Space Grant Fellows.

• Mike Kobayakawa, also a senior in Mechanical Engineering, will work on "Optical Sensor Based Intelligent Control for Space Robotic Systems." Mike's objective is to determine the factors influencing the accuracy, reliability, and utility of laser triangulation devices which he will then integrate with an intelligent control system designed by a former Space Grant Fellow. Mike's mentor is Dr. Junku Yuh of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

• David Matsuda, a junior in Anthropology will be using Landsat imagery to study the best preserved dryland agricultural field system in Kohala, Hawaii and to relate agricultural expansion to environmental and social factors. David's research project, called "Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and the Archaeology of Kohala, Hawai'i Island" is being conducted under mentor Dr. Michael Graves of the Department of Anthropology.

• Susan Krueger a sophomore in Science Education, and Natalie Clark-Maggitt, a sophomore in Science and Human Behavior, will develop astronomy projects using the Leeward Community College Observatory and the Internet to link students for collaborative astronomy activities. Their project, called "Development of Observatory Projects for Elementary Schools Utilizing Collaboration Efforts with Undergraduate College Students," is being conducted under the guidance of mentor Dr. Fritz Osell of the Astronomy Department.
• Candis Cooper a sophomore in Science Education, and freshman Shaun Shiraishi will be working with mentor Dr. Kakaala Mohanan of the Astronomy Dpeartment on a "Photometric Study of the Comet Hale-Bopp using CCD Camera." Candis and Shaun will collect data on the comet's brightness, rotational period, and nucleus. Color filters used with the CCD camera will allow further study of the ion and dust tail properties of the comet.
• Patty Mata and Roy Smith, both freshmen in Computer Science, will be observing and measuring eruptions in accreting binary star systems at the Leeward Community College Observatory. Working with mentor, Dr. Kahaala Mohanan of the Astronomy Department, Patty and Roy's project, called "Eruptive Star Photometery for Research and Education," will be coordinated with observing schedules of undergraduate astronomy courses to provide those students with hands-on research experience.
• Melinda McKinney, a sophomore in Physics and Nathan Mariels, a sophomore in Electrical Engineering, will be working on an "Evaluation of Nickel-titanium Based, Shape-changing Alloys for Use in Robotics Design for Space Application." Under the guidance of mentor Dr. Tim Burns of the Physics and Engineering Department, Melinda and Nathan will evaluate the use of actuators made of nickel-titanium based, shape-changing alloys in light-weight robotic arms for use in space.

• Brian Africano, a freshman in Liberal Arts, will be working on the "Maui Space Surveillance Project" under the guidance of Dr. John Pye of the Physical Sciences Department. Brian will use several different telescopes to find, track, image, and catalog objects in space including satellites, Earth-crossing asteroids, and orbiting space debris.

The Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium awarded undergraduate traineeships in the Spring of 1997 to students at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. The awards provided laboratory training and practical experience in any space-related field of science, engineering or math. Trainees received a stipend of $750 per semester.

University of Hawai`i at Manoa:

• Keith Hamasaki, a senior in Physics, will study processes in particle physics and receive training in computer analysis and simulation. Under the guidance of mentor Dr. Fred Harris of the Department of Physics, High Energy Physics Group, Keith will study the decay of psi prime particles using data collected by the Beijing Electron Spectrometer (BES) experiment.

• April Gumayagay, a sophomore, will be working with mentor Dr. Luke Flynn of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology's Planetary Geosciences group for training in remote sensing. April will learn about the uses and mission operations of the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal and Reflectance Radiometer (ASTER) for studying active volcanic eruptions.

The Hawai`i Space Grant Consortium awarded graduate fellowships to students at the University of Hawai'i, Manoa for 1996-97. 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:

• James Lee, Master's degree student in Electrical Engineering, is researching "Actuator and Sensor Placement for Robust Control of Flexible Structures." James' theoretical H_ analyses will help determine the optimal methods for suppressing unwanted oscillations or vibrations of large flexible structures in space. His mentor is Dr. Vassilis Syrmos of the Department of Electrical Engineering.

• Michael Sawyer, PhD student in Physical Oceanography, is continuing his research on the interactions between atmospheric and oceanic dynamics. His research project, called "Forcing and Dynamics of the North Equatorial Front," is being conducted under mentor Dr. Pierre Flament of the Department of Oceanography. Michael's analyses of in situ measurements and remote sensing data, from SIR-C and ERS-1 scatterometer, will lead to a better understanding of the small-scale structure and dynamics of surface temperature fronts in the equatorial Pacific region.