With one of the best locations in the world for astronomy in its backyard, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo launched its Space Sciences and Engineering Initiative a year ago to produce homegrown engineers and technicians.

And with a unique location for marine science also in its backyard, UH Hilo has plans to build new coral reef research facilities on the Kohala coastline to support UH Hilo’s already well-known undergraduate Marine Science Program.

UH Hilo also will offer a new online pathway to break educational barriers for working Hawaiʻi residents with an Extended, Online Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree program that begins in January.

This is all part of UH Hilo’s “Renew, Improve, Modernize” vision to upgrade its facilities and programs to better serve students, faculty and the wider community with the help of state funding and a six-year plan.

On Monday, state Sen. Lorraine Inouye announced that Gov. Josh Green released $15 million in Capital Improvement Program funds to finance the design and construction of facility improvements at UH Hilo.

“Investments like this strengthen our educational infrastructure and ensure our students have access to a modern, high-quality learning environment,” Inouye said in a statement.

The state Board of Regents already has approved “Renew, Improve, Modernize” budget requests of $29.6 million for 2026 and $22.6 million for 2027 for UH Hilo, but only the $15 million was appropriated for 2026. And, the University of Hawaiʻi System as a whole did not receive much funding for 2027.

“We will be pursuing ‘Renew, Improve, Modernize’ funding through the supplemental budget process for the fiscal year 2027,” UH Hilo vice chancellor Kalei Rapoza said. “We are grateful for the appropriations we have received and hope additional funding will allow us to continue to address these projects on campus.”

This table shows the Capital Improvement Project funding plans through 2029. (University of Hawaiʻi System)

There are also plans to create additional instructional capacity by improving the use and quality of its existing spaces. According to its six-year plan, UH Hilo will continue to modernize facilities and address maintenance needs.

For its new Space Sciences and Engineering Initiative, UH Hilo has invested significantly in the procurement of crucial engineering laboratory teaching materials and is currently developing a new “Maker Space” in the College of Natural and Health Sciences, coordinated by the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems.

“The Maker Space is intended to benefit students in the pre-engineering program, providing open access to equipment such as a laser cutter, computer numerical control machine, 3D printer, line plotter, and equipment designed for the design and testing of electrical and structural materials,” said Simon Kattenhorn, dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences. Kattenhorn.

The university now has 20 registered pre-engineering students, enrolled as physics majors. Half of these students began the program the fall of 2024 and another 10 arrived at UH Hilo this fall, mostly as new freshmen.

“This reflects tremendous success in the university’s efforts to get information about this new program out to local high school students,” Kattenhorn said.

The program is an interdisciplinary collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy and the Univeristy of Hawaiʻi Mānoa College of Engineering.

The goal is to expand Hawaiʻi’s technology sector and educate people qualified to work the 500 jobs at observatories on Maunakea and Maui’s Haleakalā that specialize in optics, software, data science, materials, mechanics, systems and cryogenics.

This new program provides students with valuable training in space engineering and instrument development through prerequisite engineering courses at the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy’s facility in Hilo, which can then be transferred to the College of Engineering at UH Mānoa.

With the new $15 million in state funds for fiscal year 2026, UH Hilo will address the following issues:

• Renovation and improvement for air conditioning systems in classroom buildings;

• Renovation and improvement of an agricultural facility for modern instruction;

• Design for renovation and upgrades to student housing;

• Design for replacement of built-up roofing at ʻImiloa Astronomy Center.

“Addressing deferred maintenance early proactively allows repairs to be completed efficiently, preventing relatively simple issues from escalating and avoiding higher costs and impacts to operations,” Rapoza said. “By prioritizing maintenance investment now in critical areas, operations are safeguarded against disruptive outages, minimizing downtime and protecting critical assets.”

The planned Puakō Marine Education and Research Center will provide research and study opportunities for understanding Hawaiʻi’s marine ecosystem by allowing for multi-day research and teaching and providing storage for boats, diving and research equipment currently in storage at UH Hilo.

“The Puakō Marine Center would provide an internationally recognized facility for training and support available to UH students and researchers, local island educators and numerous federal, state and out-of-state university students and researchers,” Rapoza said. “Puakō is an ideal location to support a wide range of coastal and marine research activities for faculty and students throughout the UH System.”

The facility would complement UH Hilo’s large undergraduate Marine Science Program and is an ideal location given the unique Kona-Kohala coastal resources and the need for additional higher education opportunities in West Hawaiʻi.

“Our students and faculty already do substantial work with West Hawaiʻi reefs and this facility would help to showcase our efforts and promote our programs,” Rapoza said. “We also recognize that buy-in from the local community will be vital to our success.”

According to the six-year plan, current access to the Puakō coral reefs is currently severely limited due to the lack of laboratories and housing on the west side. UH Hilo also does not have pressurized chamber to prevent decompression sickness for students diving.

Rapoza said the facility would be completed in phases, starting with building a pavilion for outdoor training and a boat building for boat storage, an indoor classroom and project staging.

Phase 2 would include a dormitory, an academic center with offices, classrooms and laboratories, and faculty and caretaker housing.

Once the full funding of $8.5 million for Phase 1 is received, which is expected to be in the fiscal year of 2027, the timeline for building design, permitting and construction is approximately 3 to 4 years.

The UH Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy’s new Extended, Online Doctor of Pharmacy degree program is mostly online with some immersion and laboratory experiences. It will give working adults and caregivers of loved ones more accessibility in pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

“This is a much-needed resource for our island state, which will allow aspiring pharmacists to continue living and working in their communities while pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree,” said Dr. Rae Matsumoto, dean of the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy.

To learn more about the online, Doctor of Pharmacy program coming next January, visit the UH Hilo website.