College mourns the loss a beloved professor

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of one of our beloved professors, Dr. Horst Brandes. Dr. Brandes was a friend and mentor to many, and respected by all. He was an outstanding faculty member and colleague in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) over the past 23 years, and was well liked and respected by students, staff, and faculty. Dr. Brandes will be remembered for his love for Hawai’i and his midday runs down to the Ala Wai.

CEE department chair Ian Robinson remembers Dr. Brandes’ contributions to Hawai’i: “I remember our survey of damage just days after the Kiholo Bay earthquake on Hawai’i Island in 2006. Dr. Brandes’ understanding of earth dam behavior was critical to that survey and to his subsequent expert witness work after the Kaloko Dam failure on Kaua’i. I personally connected with Horst as my go-to ‘soils engineer.’ He was an integral part of the CEE faculty at UH and will be sorely missed.”

Dean Brennon Morioka was equally fond of Dr. Brandes, “He served on my dissertation committee in the late 90’s when he first started here at UH, so you could say he played a significant role in getting me to where I am today. He was never shy about sharing his opinion, but he was very much a team player with the college and the university’s best interests in mind. He loved this place and our students were the beneficiaries of his passion for teaching and learning.”