The Biology and Biotechnology pages are my sincere effort to share instructional materials for the benefit of my students at Leeward Community College (LCC). LCC is one of the seven community colleges in the University of Hawaii system. 

This home page is always under construction but will be useful in the present form to all students taking Biol 101, Biol 171 or Biol 201 at LCC. 

Teaching philosophy

My teaching philosophy focuses on helping individuals learn by providing an appropriate environment for learning.  I feel that learning is ultimately a personal exercise in self enrichment.  

About me

 I joined the LCC as an Instructor of Biology in the Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MS) Division in August 2002.  Before coming to LCC, I was employed as an Assistant Researcher in the Department of Plant and Environment Protection Sciences (PEPS), College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR). I came to the University of Hawaii in 1991 with an East-West Center (EWC) Scholarship to pursue Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Physiology.  You can get more information about me by going to the About Me page.

Some Feedback and  Comments

"What I really liked about the course is the good basic knowledge it provided in all the areas covered.  Being able to take the quizzes up to five times each helped to retain the material and place emphasis on where I needed to study harder.  The book used was also helpful because it hi-lighted the majority of key terms which made it a little easier to study.  Having the power point slides of lectures available on the web site was also helpful in emphasizing key points that I could refer back to.  Labs were also fun and also helped to retain material, although I felt slightly rushed with some, being they were a little long. What I disliked was the pace of the course. Not having a background in Biology, it really took a lot of my ATP to keep up being exposed to so much complex material and new terms in a short period of time.  I experienced a few periods of burn out due to the constant challenge.  I think it paid off in the end because while Biology is not my major and I may not remember everything in great detail, what I will retain is realizing the complexity of life as a whole.  It is amazing how so many chemical processes takes place and the amount of work that can be accomplished in the many different cells.  I understand how new viruses emerge, the importance of maintaining plant and animal diversity especially with regard to natural selection, and the importance of protecting our ecosystems.  It's a lot harder to kill that bug knowing a little about how it evolved and how living things interact and compete with each other to sustain life! " --Beverly Heiser,  Biol 101(Spring 2003).

"What I enjoyed about your class was the PowerPoint presentations and using the blackboard as well for your lectures.  Using WebCT for quizzes, exams, and checking your grades online was very helpful.  The labs was useful and fun to do to."--LeeJacob Torda, Bil 101 (Spring 2003)

Contact Information

The best way to contact me is through email (kabi@hawaii.edu). Please see me during my regular office hours or call me to make an appointment if the regular office hours are inconvenient for you. You may also leave documents or mail to the Division of Mathematics and Natural Science at BS-106A.

Telephone: 808-455-0418 

        FAX: 808-455-0509

Postal address:  Division of Math and Natural Sciences

96-045 Ala Ike, Pearl City, HI 96782

Electronic mail: kabi@hawaii.edu