Outstanding UH faculty awarded Regents' Medal for Excellence in Research

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Kymber-Lee S Char, (808) 956-9437
Public Information Officer, External Affairs and University Relations
Posted: Aug 23, 2010

Barbara Watson Andaya
Barbara Watson Andaya
Daniel Rubinoff
Daniel Rubinoff
Michael Shapiro
Michael Shapiro
HONOLULU – The University of Hawaiʻi has selected three faculty members as recipients of the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research. This award recognizes scholarly contributions that expand the boundaries of knowledge and enrich the lives of all in the community, nation and the world.
 
Barbara Watson Andaya is a professor of Asian studies and director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at UH Mānoa. Described as “one of Southeast Asia’s finest historians,” Andaya’s extensive list of books, articles and conference papers testifies to her unflagging energy, and her early writing has been adopted as a standard textbook on Southeast Asian history. The honors she has received affirm her international reputation. In recognition of her scholarly achievements, she was invited to the National University of Singapore as Raffles Professor in History in 2007, and she has been asked to present her work at many other universities and conferences, both national and international.
 
Daniel Rubinoff is an associate professor in the plant and environmental protections sciences department at UH Mānoa. Rubinoff uses DNA sequence and molecular systematic techniques to address pressing questions in agriculture and conservation that have a broad geographic relevance. His research is important in developing more effective and environmentally acceptable methods of pest control without endangering Hawai‘i’s fragile native ecosystem. He established the Rubinoff lab as one of the leading places for the study of native Hawaiian insect revolution and insect conservation in general. He has published extensively in the interdisciplinary field of conservation biology and is a recognized national expert.
 
Michael Shapiro is a political science professor at UH Mānoa. He enjoys a widespread influence in the field of political theory and international relations. His colleagues around the world regard his contributions as historically groundbreaking and cutting edge. Many would agree that his work shaped the disciplinary trajectories of critical analysis in international relations and political theory. In the last 12 years, Shapiro has completed six single-authored books and three co-edited anthologies, as well as numerous journal articles, all while chairing and participating on many PhD committees, editing the journal Theory and Event and co-editing a couple of book series. Over the years, generations of students and scholars have been inspired by his work.
 
These three individuals will be recognized for their achievements along with other UH award recipients at the annual Convocation ceremony to be held September 14, 2010, at 10 a.m. at Kennedy Theatre on the UH Mānoa campus. The ceremony is open to the public at no charge, and no reservations are needed. For more information on the awards ceremony, visit http://www.hawaii.edu/about/awards.