Whitlow W.L. Au, chief scientist in the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, is the new president-elect of the Acoustical Society of America. Au studies how dolphins, whales and other marine mammals use sonar to communicate.

A member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Au received the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award—the third-highest national award for a Navy civilian employee, and the ASA's Silver Medal in Animal Bioacoustics in 1998.

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard has nominated Christine Heirakuji, who has severe hearing loss in both ears, for the Navy Outstanding Employee with a Disability Award. The Kakaako resident works in the Production Resource Training Organization, Code 900T, as administrator of the Automated Training Management System, a database program used to track and schedule training for nearly 4,700 shipyard employees.

Also at the shipyard, Richard Perriera, an electrical work leader, celebrated his 50th year of employment Oct. 20. Of the nearly 4,700-person work force, he has the most years of civilian service.

Perriera's grandfather was the first of several family members to work at the shipyard beginning in the 1920s.