PhD Students
I am a PhD candidate in the Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences Department at UH Mānoa studying the formation of volcanic soils here in Hawai'i. My research looks at the evolution of soil from beginning to end, from fresh lava rock to highly weathered oxisols, using Hawai'i as a model system. This work has taken me all over the islands, from Hawai'i Island to Molokai, collecting samples from young to old and dry to wet soils. With these samples, I am building a matrix dataset which can help us look at the effects of climate, time and parent material on the pedogenesis of Hawai'i's soils and how they accumulate and deplete soil nutrients.
Based in Hilo on Hawai'i Island, I am working with Dr. Lincoln and other ICS lab members at the Komohana Research Extension Center where we are conducting various soil analyses, investigating the connection between traditional Hawaiian agriculture systems and the natural soil fertility of the land, and having pau hana volleyball matches when the work gets tough. Feel free to email me any time: thaensel@hawaii.edu. Aloha!
Congratulations Tommy! Tommy just graduated with his PhD in Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences in Spring 2025!
I am a PhD Candidate in Rehabilitation Sciences at The University of British Columbia, Canada. I have been working with Indigenous and local communities in the Indian Himalaya, Zimbabwe, and Japan, using art to revitalize their climate resilient and culturally important small grains cultivation. My current research involves understanding the meanings of the cultivation to the community members, including food security, and wellbeing for the people and the land. As an artist, I incorporate photography, drawings, and documentary films as part of my research. I look forward to exploring biocultural diversity with the lab!
MSc Students
Aloha! My name is Indrajit Kumara Samarasingha Gunasekara and I am native to Southern Sri Lanka. I come from an unbroken line of Indigenous connection (over 3,000 years) to the use, cultivation, and spiritual function of the coconut. I co-founded the Niu Now project where my love and knowledge for the niu activates and nourishes a cultural agroforestry movement dedicated to Heritage-Based Community Coconut Gene Banking of Hawaiian coconut diversity and to the growing of uluniu – coconut grove system – throughout Hawaiʻi to keep Hawaiian coconut genetic diversity alive and appreciated. I help to safeguard endangered niu varieties to activate cultural practices of food security, ecological conservation along with niu arts and knowledge to help Hawaiʻi recognize this vital and ancient ecological resource.
I hold a B.S in Education from BYUH, along with a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution from UH Mānoa. Recently I completed an MS in Tropical Plants and Soil Science from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa focusing on Indigenous Hawaiian coconut varieties.
Prior to coming to Hawaiʻi 20 years ago, I managed and directed International educational, business, peace-building, and donor-funded social development projects within multinational teams.
Currently, I serve as a Financial Aid Officer at UH West O‘ahu where I also co-direct the Uluniu Project, encouraging local food security practices through Indigenous farming systems and methods.
Feel free to reach out to me at indrajit@hawaii.edu. Mahalo!
Aloha mai! My name is Amber Needham. I come from Kalāwahine, Oʻahu and am a Tropical Plant and Soil Science graduate of 2016 (Bachelors) and 2019 (Masters). Following my degree completion, I worked for the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture as a Plant Quarantine Inspector both in Honolulu and Kailua Kona. I currently live in Hōlualoa, Hawaiʻi, with my husband and baby on the way.
During my time in the ICS lab, I worked on analyzing the nutritional content of different breadfruit varieties grown in different Hawaiian landscapes. I attempted to form relationships between environmental characteristics of growing sites and nutritional components, however in the end there were too many confounding factors to make clear connections. Regardless, the nutritional analysis of the fruits were still fascinating and I hope have become valuable information for the breadfruit and agricultural communities of Hawaiʻi today.
Max was a member of the ICS lab from 2017-2020, leading to a Master's degree in Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences. His research focuses on competitive underground interactions between plants in agricultural systems. "The ICS lab was the right place for my research because of our focus on Pacific island products and traditional agricultural methods. We used historical knowledge on pacific island plants, like breadfruit ('ulu) and māmaki, to inform our hypotheses on how these plants will interact in modern agricultural systems. As pacific island agricultural products are the key to a food secure Hawai'i, our work in this lab is integral to the sustainable intensification of local agriculture in the Pacific."
Blaire grew up in a small town on the East Coast, exploring the forests, streams, and beaches of New Jersey. Her love for the outdoors inspired her to earn a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from Stockton University in 2012 and a Master of Science in Natural Resource and Environmental Management at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 2018.
During Blaire’s graduate studies, she worked as a Research Assistant in the Indigenous Cropping Systems Lab on a number of projects concerned with the agronomy of breadfruit (A. altilis), or ‘ulu. The work she enjoyed most entailed interviewing breadfruit farmers around the state in order to gather data on the farmers’ practices, tree care methods, and tree health. Blaire also launched a citizen science project, the ‘Ulu Phenology Project,” tasking volunteers and community members with collecting and submitting data on the fruiting and flowering of breadfruit trees in their backyards and public natural spaces. Working closely with farmers, community members and volunteers on these projects, Blaire came to understand how social equity is tied to the conservation of nature, and the two are stronger together, especially in small developing communities. Blaire now works with the Hawai‘i Marine Program at The Nature Conservancy as an Assistant Marine Coordinator.
Kristen Jamieson
I was a CTAHR Junior Extension Agent who served as the GET (Grow Eat Think) Local: Waianae Farm-to-School Coordinator. I am passionate about creating a sustainable and equitable food system that connects youth and communities to thriving local farms.
My study interests lie in the effects of varying soil moisture regimes on soil nutrient dynamics, crop production in rain-fed agricultural systems, and how climate change plays a part in these. The rainfed systems on Hawai’i Island present me with the opportunity to evaluate, as my thesis research, scenarios of plant-available nitrogen and ‘uala (sweet potato) production under indigenous soil moisture conservation practices in dryland field systems of Puanui, Kohala. I am also helping the lab compile climatic data collected from automatic weather stations in the Puanui field system to determine growth patterns of ‘uala across the ahupua’a using a crop simulation model. Other than this, an extra hand is always needed in the 'ulu variety trials and establishment/maintaining of agroforestry plots on Oahu.
Being part of the ICS lab gave me a deeper appreciation for myself as an indigenous Papua New Guinean, as it not only incorporates scientific knowledge in understanding and developing similar indigenous crops and cropping systems for modern-day food security, but also the cultural, social and economical obligations of which still play an important part in Pacific communities.
I am an organic macadamia nut and 'ulu farmer from Hawai'i Island pursuing a Master's in Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences. With an undergraduate degree in Economics and background in farming, I have developed research interests focusing on production practices in Hawai'i orchard cropping systems that can be environmentally and economically sustainable. Specifically, I am pursuing research on integrating cover crops into orchard management to study the potential disease mitigation and nutrition benefits.
WSARE grant https://projects.sare.org/sare_project/fw21-381/
Andrew received his MSc in the Spring of 2024! Hoʻomaikaʻi iā Andrew and good luck with your future endeavors! Mahalo for your work!
B.S. Environmental Soil Sciences; MSc, Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, UHM
Humble greetings, kākou! I am an aspiring farmer, interested in exploring the ways our Hawaiian ancestors cultivated foods and managed for natural resource abundance, otherwise known as ʻāina momona. For my masterʻs thesis, I explored the nutritional requirements of a traditional staple crop, breadfruit, or ʻulu in Hawaiian. ʻUlu has long represented abundance in the Hawaiian culture, as the historical accounts of this tree parallels with stories of famine. ʻUlu has become my greatest mentor and teacher throughout my academic journey, teaching me the values of reciprocity, lōkahi (balancing mind, body, and spirit), and abundance already present in our ecosystems. My mission is to inspire others in perceiving the abundance present within themselves and in their surrounding environment, which was realized through my experience with the ICS lab. I live by the ʻōlelo noʻeau, “ma ka hana ka ʻike” (in doing, one learns), because the reciprocal relationship we develop with the land is a reflection of ourselves and our true nature and spirit.
MSc, Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, UHM
My work examined carbon sequestration in breadfruit, with my thesis being published in the journal Sustainbility, titled Determining Allometry and Carbon Sequestration Potential of Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) as a Climate-Smart Staple in Hawai‘i.
MPSS Students
Hi! I’m Hailey, and I’m a Master’s student in CTAHR’s Indigenous Cropping Lab! My past work has been in tissue culture as well as with citizen science and activist communities in California. I’ll be combining those experiences to look at ‘Ulu tissue culture methods and how they can be performed and utilized by everyday farmers. Within the ICL, I put my writing skills to work writing grants for the lab
Outside of the academic sphere, I love working with my hands, and learning as many traditional handicrafts as I can. Contact me at haileyaw@hawaii.edu if you want to talk ‘Ulu, tissue culture, or niche hand skills.
Undergraduate Interns
Hailing from Puerto Rico, I spent two sucessive summers with the Indigenous Cropping Systems Laboratory, studying plant and soil science. In my second year I conducted an assessment of waikō - sugarcane juice from traditional sugarcane cultivars. See my storyboard of results here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ad8abe7daa3246f5ba063ab312b47155
Aloha kākou! ‘O Kahiau ko’u inoa. I am a graduate from Hawai‘i Community College where I studied Tropical Ecology and Ahupua‘a Management. While working at ICSL as a student technician, my focus was on maintaining our ‘ulu orchards and germplasms while also getting some experience in the lab analyzing soil samples. I continued as a Kupu hire and gained additional experience in using drones and spatial mapping tools for baseline analysis in agroforestry plots and biocultural restoration efforts with the Hawaiian Homeland Communities in East-Hawaiʻi.
Kohlby Soong did his senior thesis through UH Hilo with the Indigenous Cropping Systems Laboratory, where he focused on amassing a GIS database of agricultural archaeology. Starting with over 25,000 archaeological points provided by agreement through the State Historic Preservation Division, he whittled the database down to the relevant points representing agrarian infrastructure and classified several thousand points based on their archaeological descriptions. This geospatial database was used to explore the accuracy of geospatial models depicting traditional Hawaiian agriculture. He further worked with Dr. Lincoln to revise the thesis into a journal article that was published in the Journal of Archaeological Society, titled Assessing Spatial Models of Hawaiian Agroecological Extents.
Student Technicians
Aloha nui kākou! ‘O au nō ‘o Malia Benz-Marrs. He pua nō au hānai ‘ia ma Kahikinui ma ka mokupuni ‘o Maui. I am a Ka Haka ‘Ula o Ke’elikōlani graduate currently assisting with the propagation of various ‘ulu varieties at the Komohana Research Extension Center in Hilo. It has been fascinating to be able to see ‘ulu growth using different propagation methods. Every time I see roots, I think of how many people will be fed one day. “I ola ‘oukou, i ola mākou nei.”
I have always had my hands in a māla, with the intention of securing something for the future generations, even if it’s ‘ike, or knowledge, that I will pass on.
Aloha! I majored in Environmental science with a minor in Agriculture. During my time at the lab, I worked on the 'ulu germ-plasm plot at the Waiakea Research Station in Panaewa, Hawaiʻi county. I’m interested in helping with this project because 'ulu is one of the crops for helping Hawaiʻi agriculture become more sustainable.
I am a University of Hawaii undergrad alumni who worked with the ICS Lab as a research assistant. I was involved with the lab's breadfruit propagation and variety trials. I am interested in supporting and learning more about tropical agriculture, natural farming methods, and local food systems, therefore it's a privilege to help this team with data entry and various projects.
Paul Santiago was the longest standing technician with the ICS Lab, having started as a research assistant nearly three years ago! Having finished his undergraduate degree, he has continued to work at the lab as a Research Manager, overseeing our O'ahu-based research and maintaining a number of ongoing research projects.
Aloha! I am a former undergrad student studying Environmental Science and Agriculture. I had the pleasure of being involved with various projects including 'ulu variety field trials, 'ulu propagation, and soil sampling and analysis.
Aloha! I am a master’s student in the Geography and Environment Department at UH Mānoa. My research is focused on the direct seeding of native species and weed management as a restoration tool for lowland dry forests in Hawai‘i. Currently, I am working in the ICS helping to analyze soil samples.
My name is Finn Reil and I am a chemistry undergraduate at UH Hilo. I aspire to make therapeutics for diseases. In my free time I like to fish, lift and play with my cat Kimchee.
Aloha, my name is Lampton Kiilani Kamalii Jr. I am currently studying agriculture down at Hawaii Community College. For the ICS lab I am working on a ulu foliar spray project located in Papaikou. I also help with upkeep around the nursery at the Komohana research station. As well as outplanting, and lawn maintenance in our Waiakea germplasm. As for my interests, I'm just always excited to learn different propagation methods for indigenous crops, and how we can adapt with this changing climate.