Support
On this page:
The Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center
Locker and Equipment Services
- To request a TCBES locker in Wentworth Building, please contact tcbessup@hawaii.edu.
- TCBES has equipment that you can borrow for free for your projects and presentations. Items available to rent can be found here. To request any TCBES equipment, please contact uhhtcbes@hawaii.edu and fill out our rental form.
Vehicle Support
The TCBES program has one 4wd vehicle available for use by students, staff, and faculty (you must have a UH or RCUH affiliation). The vehicle may only be rented for school or research-related purposes. For vehicle reservation or to return completed forms, please contact tcbescar@hawaii.edu.
If the TCBES vehicle is unavailable, the LOHE lab has two vehicles that can be occasionally rented out, the Toyota Tundra and the Dodge Ram. Please contact Ann Tanimoto-Johnson at annmt@hawaii.edu to ask about availability and procedures.
Rototiller Rental
UH Hilo has a rototiller available free of charge for UH projects.
Powermate rear tine rotary tiller can till soil 4-6 inches deep to prepare for planting or other work. User walks behind the tiller, steering it with the two handlebars; internal drive moves the tiller forward, user simply has to steer. Three depth settings allow user to set depth of tilling. Tiller runs on regular gasoline and comes with two metal ramps to assist in loading into a trailer or truck bed. Caution is required to keep all body parts away from tiller blades during use, loading and unloading, and while clearing debris from blades.
To request this equipment, please contact uhhtcbes@hawaii.edu
Support Labs
- Hilo Core Genomics Facility (HCGF)
- Analytical Laboratory
- Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization Labs (SDAV)
- Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center (PACRC)
Hilo Core Genomics Facility (HCGF)
The core genomics facility functions as a support lab, containing instruments for various molecular biological uses, including:
- AB 3500 Genetic Analyzer
- CEQ 8000 Genetic Analysis Systems
- Microarray
- PCR
- AB StepOne Plus Real-Time PCR
- Centrifuges
- electrophoresis systems
- NanoDrop spectrophotometer
- Revco freezers (for storage)
- Qubit 3.0 Fluorometer
- Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer
- E-gel electrophoresis system
- Ion Torrent Next-generation Sequencing including the Ion Chef system
Reference materials and analytical software are also available. The facility provides DNA sequencing, genotyping services such as SNP,AFLP,STR, NGS, and Real-Time PCR. The HCGF runs workshops and training sessions to introduce current molecular and biotechnological techniques to students, faculty, and researchers as well as elementary and high school teachers. Current workshops include DNA isolation, PCR basics, gel electrophoresis, microsatellite basics, DNA sequencing, Real-Time PCR basics, and molecular cloning. The HCGF gives researchers, educators, and students the opportunity to gain access to technological services and and technical training. The HCGF is currently collaborating with the following institutions: UH Hilo, UH Mānoa, Hawaiʻi Community College, USGS-Biological Resource Division, USDA, Hawaiʻi DLNR_ Division of Aquatic Resources, USNPS, Smithsonian Institute, UC-Berkeley, Humboldt State University, Auburn University, Stanford University, and Bishop Museum.
Analytical Laboratory
The laboratory’s mission is to support research at the University of Hawaiʻi, with a primary focus on water quality and ecological research. The facility provides analytical services for researchers throughout the University of Hawaiʻi system, as well as for investigators from federal, state, and country agencies in Hawaiʻi and other universities.
The services provided by the laboratory include:
- Nutrient analyses of water samples using a Lachat Quikchem 8500 (Lachat Hach Company)
- Total organic carbon and total nitrogen analysis of water samples by high-temperature combustion using a TOC/TN Analyzer ( Shimadzu TOC-V, TNM-1)
- Particulate carbon and nitrogen analyses of soils, sediments, plant materials, plankton and filters using high temperature combustion ( Costech Elemental Analyzer)
- Stable isotopic analyses of particulate carbon and nitrogen for soils, plant materials, plankton, filters, and animal tissue samples using an Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (Thermo-Finnegan Delta V IRMS)
- Elemental analysis of major and minor elements in water, plant materials, soils and sediments, and animal tissue using an ICP-OES Spectrometer (Varian Vista MPX)Nutrient analyses of KCl soil samples using an AutoAnalyzer (AAI, Pulse Instrumentation, Labtronics )
The UH Hilo Analytical Laboratory is utilized by: UH Hilo TCBES, UH Hilo Departments of Marine Science, Chemistry, Geology, Biology, Agriculture, and Aquaculture; UH Mānoa Departments of Oceanography, Geology, Botany, and College of Tropical Agriculture; USDA Forest Service; USGS- Biological Resources Discipline; National Park Service; State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health; Stanford University; UC-Berkeley; Oregon State University and UCLA.
Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization Labs (SDAV)
This facility is a cyber-geo-eco informatics center that provides resources to faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, federal and state agencies and faculty from other universities. The facility provides access to state-of-the-art Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment.
Field equipment available through SDAV includes:
- Differential GPS units
- Handheld GPS units
- Spectroradiometer
- Laser-locator binoculars
- Tablet PCs
Airborne digital imagery collectors and the Hawaiʻi IKONOS Consortium (HIC) for satellite imagery are available through partnerships with other campuses and agencies. The facility provides training that empowers faculty and students to use visualization, modeling, and supercomputer facilities. SDAL provides easy access to Hawaiʻi-based weather, climate, hydrologic, and soils data; mapping services including data collection, analysis, production, and training. Technical support in designing, implementing, and maintaining field sensor networks and associated communication systems is available. SDAV is currently used by faculty members at UH Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College, staff members, and graduate and undergraduate student researchers.
Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center (PACRC)
The Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center is a research and education facility, with a mission in supporting research and education in coastal studies, aquaculture, and marine projects.
The Pacific Aquaculture & Coastal Resources Center's mission is to advance long-term sustainable use and conservation of coastal areas worldwide through aquaculture and resource management. The Center promotes excellence and innovation in interdisciplinary scientific research, public policy initiatives, outreach activities, and education.
The PACRC provides:
- research space for students and faculty
- filtered sea water for experiments, projects, and classes
- Salt, brackish, or freshwater aquaculture systems
- a water quality laboratory
- a pathology laboratory
- quarantine facilities
- a freshwater fish hatchery
- a operation oyster hatchery
The Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center is located in Keaukaha, Hilo
Growth and holding facilities for aquatic projects are also available. Current projects include a student run oyster hatchery, studies on a variety of native Hawaiian fish, a Marine Science wave radar project, and water quality analyses of waters around Hilo, Hawaiʻi. The Pacific Aquaculture & Coastal Resources Center has an array of ongoing projects worldwide. The Center is currently involved with aquaculture and coastal resource management work in the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nicaragua, and Tanzania. Current partners include: UH SeaGrant, Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health, Paepae o Heeia Fishpond, Kualoa Ranch, and UH Mānoa.