Dr. James Gaines, Principal Investigator
Dr. James Gaines is the Interim Vice President for Research at the University of Hawaii. In that capacity he serves as the chief research policy advisor to the president, responsible for developing and coordinating system-wide research policies and procedures and management of research-related administrative support services. Gaines has taught and conducted research at Centre de Recherches Nucleaires (France), Linkoping University (Sweden), MIT, Harvard and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. He has done consulting work at Livermore and Brookhaven National Laboratory. An expert in condensed matter physics, Dr. Gaines has published more than 120 refereed articles and three editions of the study guide that accompanies a major textbook on introductory physics. Dr. Gaines holds a PhD degree in physics from Washington University, where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honorary society, and a BS from Berea College.
Dr. David Lassner, co-Principal Investigator
Dr. David Lassner is the Chief Information Officer for the University of Hawaii System. In that capacity he is responsible for academic computing, administrative information systems, telecommunications, networking and distributed learning support for Hawaii's statewide system of public higher education. Dr. Lassner also servers as Principle Investigator for the Maui High Performance Computing Center and plays active leadership roles on the Boards of a variety of local, national and international technology related organizations including Hawaii's High Technology Development Corporation, Internet2 and the Pacific Telecommunications Council. Dr. Lassner holds a PhD in Communications & Information Sciences from the University of Hawaii and MS and AB degrees in Computer Science and Economics respectively from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he graduated from summa cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
About the University of Hawaii
In 2006, the University of Hawaii (UH) became the managing partner of PDC. Established in 1907 and full accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the University of Hawaii is the state's sole public system of higher education. The UH System provides over 300 undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and community service programs through its 10 campuses and at educational, training, and research centers on six islands across the state. UH enrolls more than 50,000 credit students from Hawaii, the U.S. mainland, and around the world.
UH is Hawaii's leading engine for economic growth and diversification, stimulating the local economy with jobs, research and skilled workers. UH leverages Hawaii's position between east and west, in the middle of the Pacific, to create opportunities for international leadership and influence. Asia/Pacific expertise permeates the university's activities on all campuses. The University of Hawaii at Manoa is one of the nation's top 25 public research universities.
For more information, visit www.hawaii.edu.