A College of Social Sciences faculty member who embodies the principles and practices of integrating social, economics and environmental sustainability into university courses is the first recipient of the Collegeʻs Sustainability Teaching Award.
Subhashni Raj, an assistant professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP), began her career in microbiology, studying the impact of sea surface temperatures on coral health in Fiji. But her academic interest gradually pivoted to regional development, specifically the principles of integrated water resources management in Pacific Island countries.
“I am honored by this recognition – knowing that my students, colleagues and the College see the value and innovation in the pedagogy that I deploy in my courses to connect sustainability principles in real-world experiences,” said Raj, who was hired at UH Mānoa in 2022. “In our rapidly changing environment, it is critical to integrate sustainability in our classes, and center equity and justice in this work.”
Tanya Dreizin, a PhD student in DURP, nominated Raj for the CSS award. “Professor Raj is deeply committed to helping students engage with and understand the myriad of sustainability issues globally,” wrote Dreizin, “along with how communities are working across scale to address issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental injustice.”
Raj is a former Fulbright Scholar. In 2023, she was one of 11 winners of the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research’s (FFARʻs) New Innovator Awards. The honor is bestowed on early-career scientists supporting research in one of FFAR’s research priority areas. Her research analyzed how the COVID pandemic affected and disrupted food supply chains in Hawaiʻi and Fiji.
Raj earned her PhD in and master’s from the University of Buffalo in New York.
“The College of Social Sciences offers the largest number of Sustainability-related courses at UH Mānoa, so we are excited to announce the inaugural winner of the Sustainability Teaching Award, ” said Aya H. Kimura, CSS senior sustainability advisor. “The goal is to promote teaching excellence in important ecosystem issues that are facing the world today, and uplifting the leaders in teaching sustainability issues like Dr. Raj.”
