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OHA lauded for land conversation

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs received a 2008 Conservation Innovation Award from the Hawaii Conservation Alliance for its role in protecting lands worth tens of millions of dollars over the past five years.

University of Hawaii planetary scientist Klaus Keil was reappointed as one of 23 members of the Space Studies Board of the National Academy of Sciences.

The Hawaii Institute for Geophysics and Planetology scientist and former interim dean of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology has received international recognition for his work.

His research has contributed to the knowledge of the early history of the solar system and origin and evolution of meteorites, asteroids and terrestrial plants. Both an asteroid and an extraterrestrial mineral have been named for him.

Donna Haytko-Paoa, a professor and coordinator of the Molokai Education Center, was given the 2008 Willard Wilson Award for Distinguished Service to the University of Hawaii. An employee of Maui Community College for 24 years, she was instrumental in acquiring a permanent site for the center, which opened in 1999.

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