Dr. Albie Miles
Dr. Albie Miles, a UH West Oʻahu assistant professor of Sustainable Community Food Systems, has received a $151,576 grant from Kamehameha Schools to support faculty and course development in the areas of Indigenous Natural Resources Management, Traditional Food and Farming Systems of Hawaii and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
In addition, the grant provides funding to support the manager position for the UH West Oʻahu Student Organic Garden. The māla (garden) serves as an important cultural and ceremonial gather location for the campus and a key site for experiential and hands-on learning for over a thousand UHWO students, faculty and community members each year.
Miles heads the UH West Oʻahu Sustainable Community Food Systems program. Miles has previously received grants from Kamehameha Schools to help build the program, conduct research and conduct community engagement to advance sustainable community food systems in Hawaiʻi.
UH West Oʻahu’s Bachelor of Applied Science with a concentration in Sustainable Community Food Systems (BAS-SCFS) prepares students for jobs in the sustainable food and agriculture sector in Hawai‘i and beyond. The BAS-SCFS is a multi-disciplinary, experiential and applied education program about key ecological and social issues in food and agricultural systems. It incorporates problem-based and hands-on learning to develop food system professionals capable of solving real-world problems and transitioning Hawai‘i agriculture toward greater ecological sustainability and social equity. BAS-SCFS courses are offered in person at the UH West Oʻahu campus.
Kamehameha Schools is a private charitable education trust endowed by the will of Hawaiian princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. The educational trust’s mission is to improve the capability and well-being of Hawaiians through education. It operates K-12 campuses on Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island and at 30 preschool sites statewide.