51²è¹Ý

The 51²è¹Ý System

Who We Are

Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research

Research Medal Award Winner

Ruth Gates, headshot

Ruth D. Gates
Marine Biology

Ruth Gates is a researcher with the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.

Gates capitalizes on the combination of close proximity to living coral reefs and world-class research infrastructure to address questions on how corals and reefs function. Her work crosses spatial scales and molecules to ecosystems—it employs tools from the fields of molecular, cell and computational biology, biochemistry, physiology and ecology. Her goal is to build human, biological and educational capacity to slow and stop declines in reef integrity, and to improve the prognosis for coral reefs in the face of intensifying impacts from climate change and human use.

She mentors postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and undergraduates, and works with a diversity of national and international collaborators that encompass biologists, engineers, writers and artists.

The Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research is awarded by the in recognition of scholarly contributions that expand the boundaries of knowledge and enrich the lives of students and the community.

Please contact your Campus Chancellor's Office for more information on the application process.

Current Winners
Go to for stories on the latest honorees.

1965-2015 Honorees
2012–2015 | 2011–2007 | 2006–2002 | 2001–1965

2015

Karen Meech, headshot
Karen Meech
Astronomy
Axel Timmermann, headshot
Axel Timmermann
Oceanography

2014

Ruth Gates, headshot
Ruth Gates
Marine Biology
Andrew Howard, headshot
Andrew Howard
Astronomy
Nick Kaiser, headshot
Nick Kaiser
Astronomy

2013

Magdy Iskander, headshot
Magdy Iskander
Electrical Engineering
Bin Wang, headshot
Bin Wang
Meteorology

2012

Roger Ames, headshot
Roger Ames
Philosophy
Christopher Bae, headshot
Christopher Bae
Anthropology
Aaron Ohta, headshot
Aaron Ohta
Electrical Engineering