Pictured: Hokama award winners Jessica Chen and Lance Nunes, receiving their award at JABSOM. Arnold Kameda Photo.
The late Yoshitsugi Hokama, PhD wanted to inspire learning among undergraduate science students long after he retired from teaching at the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) medical school in 2008. An endowment in his memory has made his wish come true. This year, two public school valedictorians, both current students at UH Mānoa, are the recipients of the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) Yoshitsugi Hokama Endowment.
Jessica Chen is a senior at UH Mānoa pursuing a BS degree in Molecular Cell Biology and a BA degree in Studio Art. Jessica is a graduate of Kalani High School where she was the valedictorian of her graduating class in 2014. Jessica’s research examines the genetic diversity of the bioluminescence protein luciferin-luciferase complex in the deep-sea bioluminescent copepod Pleuromamma xiphias. Her mentors are Dr. Megan Porter and graduate student, Tom Iwanicki, in the Department of Biology at UH Mānoa. This research will expand current research into bioluminescent proteins and their potential correlation with the opsin pathways utilized in light sensing organs in this species. Jessica hopes to pursue a MD and a PhD degree upon completing her undergraduate studies.
Click here to see more photos of the 2017 award event
Lance Nunes is a senior majoring in Molecular Biosciences and Biotechnology (MBBE) at UH Mānoa. Lance also was the valedictorian of his class at Farrington High School. Lance is interested in fetal macrosomia, a condition in which newborn babies are large for gestational age, putting them at risk for health complications, including metabolic syndrome. He is studying the role of the main glucose transporter in the developing fetus, Glut1, by determining glucose transport in vitro in trophoblast cells that receive an inducible plasmid containing this gene. Lance is mentored by Dr. Johann Urschitz in the Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology at JABSOM. After graduating with a BS in MBBE, Lance plans to pursue graduate studies that will prepare him for a research career in developmental biology, stem cell biology, or regenerative medicine.
