Passport expiring in August and traveling to Armenia in July

She will need a new passport, so why not get it over with now?

I’d renew it.

@Sam, I agree. I'm just trying to determine how concerned she needs to be. I'm thinking maybe she should book a refundable airline ticket? I just read she cannot renew online within 8 weeks of travel. Most things are harder in Hawaii, and I'm not seeing a lot of Honolulu offices.

On the official state department website it says it can’t be within 6 weeks of travel to renew online not 8 weeks. It says it can’t be expedited online but I got mine in 13 days and there was a recent forum conversation about how quickly they’ve been taking to receive.

Refundable ticket to hedge your bet. I’d renew online today.

She doesn't have the six weeks. Now, the other problem is that I believe she has to surrender her current passport. She has another conference in a few weeks in California so she needs ID to fly. She doesn't drive, the passport is her only ID.

This is all new, the conferences, etc. Bad timing on the passport.

I'd renew it with expedited service. My bigger concern would be an unexpected travel snafu in one of the connecting airports and needing to have a longer validity passport in that location. There are dozens of passport acceptance facilities in Hawaii (usually post office) where she can send her application by priority mail. It's taking 2-3 weeks for expedited passports currently, if for some reason she doesn't get it quickly and is within 6 weeks of travel she can make an appointment in Honolulu to move it along.

I agree she should renew online ASAP and expedite it. Yes to refundable airfare.
How is booking/paying for the conference and hotel? If someone else, she should let them know about waiting on new passport. If she has to book her own hotel, she should pay for the "cancelation up to X days".

Now, the other problem is that I believe she has to surrender her
current passport. She has another conference in a few weeks in
California so she needs ID to fly. She doesn't drive, the passport is
her only ID.

This is unfortunate. Does Hawaii offer a driver equivalent ID? That's another expense of course but it would address the flying the short term situation.

And because I was curious, I got on the online passport application page and put in a random late July date to travel to Armenia. It let me proceed ahead with the application so maybe she should try that today and see if it works. If you apply online it does "expire" your passport but as she's not flying internationally I think she could still use the physical passport for ID. I'm not a lawyer or expert so that's a total guess on my part.

She doesn't have the six weeks online requires, and she needs ID to get to California. I think she has to leave 7/3 or 7/4 for Armenia

She has a passport office on her campus, hopefully she can get an appt very soon.

I'm priority mailing her birth certificate and hopefully she can get a Hawaii state ID. I'm remembering when I got my MN real ID that it wasn't easy to get all the necessary documents. I'm not sure she'd have what she needs, the guidelines for Hawaii don't seem very clear.

OP - She should be able to get a state issued ID (not driver's license) that is REAL ID compliant. I don't know how long it takes.
She will need her US passport or birth certificate (original or certified copy), proof of address, and SSN (original card or payroll/W2). If she can get an appt ASAP for the state ID, she could bring her passport as one of the documents.
Then apply expedite for new passport. Hopefully her university office can help expedite things for her.