UH Mānoa anthropologist receives California Academy of Sciences’ highest honor

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The California Academy of Sciences (CAS) has bestowed its highest honor, the Fellows Medal, to Anthropology Professor Patrick V. Kirch of the College of Social Sciences (CSS) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. This award recognizes Kirch's contributions to the natural sciences by illuminating the "evolution of complex societies, preindustrial agricultural systems, and the dynamic interactions between human populations and their ecosystems."

"I am deeply honored to receive the Fellows Medal from the California Academy of Sciences because it underscores the critical importance of island studies in understanding global human-environmental dynamics," said Kirch. "I am proud to work alongside colleagues and communities, and contribute to the scientific dialogue from our unique island perspective."

Kirch utilizes islands as "model systems" for understanding cultural evolution and the complex relationships between people and their environment. His decades of archaeological and extensive ethnographic fieldwork span the Hawaiian Islands, Mussau Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Futuna, the Cook Islands, Society Islands and Mangareva Islands.

Kirch has published 25 books and monographs and more than 300 articles and chapters on the results of his research. He has been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. Kirch is also a Living Treasure of Hawaiʻi, an honor bestowed in 2022 by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaiʻi.

"The Fellows Medal is a pinnacle achievement, and Professor Kirch's recognition reflects the caliber of scholarship the College of Social Sciences is proud to champion," said CSS Dean Denise Eby Konan. "His pioneering research as an archeologist and anthropologist across the Pacific, including his extensive fieldwork in Hawaiʻi, Fiji, Tonga and French Polynesia, has provided critical insights into Polynesian settlement, cultural evolution and ecological adaptation. This recognition underscores the global impact of his work."

Kirch received the Fellows Medal at the CAS annual meeting in October. The Academy Fellows is a governing body of more than 500 distinguished scientists and leaders recognized for their significant achievements in scientific research, education and communication. The medal is presented to prominent scientists who have made outstanding contributions to their specific scientific fields and exemplifies the power of "weaving science, education and collaboration to have a positive impact for the planet and people."