University of Hawaii professor Christopher J. Bae is being awarded a $1.1 million grant to research East Asian human evolution during prehistory.

The grant comes from the Academy of Korean Studies in South Korea and is one of only six proposals worldwide funded by the academy’s Korean Studies Promotion Service division.

The University of Hawaii said last month the money will be used to conduct paleoanthropological research in Korea from 2011 to 2015. Bae said he will draw on data from different social and natural science fields to study the development of human evolution in the region.

Kaiser Permanente awarded a $20,000 grant to the Institute for Human Services to fund an edible urban gardening project — designed to improve the nutrition of 600 meals served daily at the shelter. The program will provide vocational skills training to shelter residents.