Jul 16, 2014 | Education
In reflecting on how young people are encouraged to tell stories in Akaku’s Youth Broadband Education and Awareness Mentoring program, Akaku Education Director Kat Tracy pointed to the Apple computer company founder and visionary Steve Jobs. Jobs “envisioned putting the tools to create stories on devices that we carry with us, in essence, to democratize the media,” she said. “Pew Reports indicate that up to 89 percent of the public own smart devices with video capability, outnumbering ownership of desktop computers. That is how we are encouraged to use the technology to tell stories, by owning it. But, owning it alone won’t be enough, we need training on how to effectively, and responsibly, use those tools.”
Tracy said STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) “embraces technology, and in video what sits between your idea or message is technology. It is the bridge you must cross to share your story.” Akaku’s youth education and mentoring program received a grant from the Maui Economic Development Board’s Ke Alahele Education Fund. “MEDB demonstrates a true intention of supporting STEM education and training for Maui Nui youth through support of numerous innovative initiatives. I feel like we stand among giants! This support also enables us to be good community partners, as well as create new ones.”
Tracy said the grant was instrumental in allowing Akaku to expand its mobile journalism program, Project YBEAM, to Molokai through purchase of additional equipment and support for curriculum training of its part-time Molokai educational coordinator. “Seeing the launch projects there and the enthusiasm from the youth and public there really solidifies that this expansion will be well served,” she said. Tracy said Akaku’s students continue to speak about learning how to interview people for stories and how that builds their self-confidence. MEDB established the Ke Alahele Education Fund to power up STEM Education in Maui County. This year’s Ke Alahele Education Dinner and Auction will be held Aug. 23 at the Grand Wailea Resort. For more information, call 875-2300, or visit www.medb.org
Jul 9, 2014 | Education
HNu Photonics is reinforcing its growing reputation as a leading high technology company in Hawaii. Recently, the Maui-based company was selected by the Biotech International Organization for its “Buzz of BIO” Award for “Technologies of Tomorrow.” HNu received 1,921 online votes en route to winning the award for its cutting-edge technology designed for use aboard the International Space Station, according to Dan O’Connell, the CEO of HNu Photonics. O’Connell said the “Buzz of BIO” award is a testament to the tremendous support his company receives from Maui’s business and technology community.
“This award is a demonstration of Hawaii’s commitment to community and partnership,” he said. “This award is a win for all of us, and we hope to bring attention to Hawaii.” In 2013, the HNu-nanoPOINT Division exhibited its patented microfluidic system in the state-supported Hawaii Pavilion at the BIO conference in Chicago. Executives from the Center for Advancement of Science in Space “were overwhelmed by the capabilities of our technology and discussions ensued,” he said. “CASIS is NASA’s sole manager of the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory. The mission of CASIS is to maximize use of this unparalleled platform for innovation, which can benefit all humankind and inspire a new generation to look to the stars.”
HNu-nanoPOINT was eventually selected to deliver two fully space-ready microfluidic systems to NASA – one for deployment aboard the International Space Station and the other for astronaut training, he said. Designed with stem-cell studies in mind, the microfluidics system is “a multipurpose in-vivo platform, where cell maintenance and reagent delivery are automated and cells imaged with varying time-course options viewed remotely through a wireless connection at the researchers’ convenience.” Calling it a “laboratory-on-a-chip platform,” O’Connell said it “incorporates the size and durability characteristics that make it ideal for space-based deployments such as onboard the International Space Station. Its miniaturized and automated sub-components … are uniquely designed for space-based applications and are capable of many other biological analyses in microgravity conditions in addition to stem cell research.” HNu has a long-standing relationship with MEDB, covering a broad spectrum of entrepreneurial ventures and renewable energy projects. Most recently, Hnu is responsible for the design and installation of another photovoltaic system at MEDB’s center.
Jul 2, 2014 | Education
Driven by her love for math and desire to give back to the community, 17-year-old Jasmine Doan founded the Maui Math Circle. She completed the first year of the project with the support of Maui Economic Development Board’s Women in Technology Project; her school, Seabury Hall; and the new Puu Kukui Elementary School in Wailuku, where the community service program is held. It works like this: Middle and high school students like Doan and her peers get together once a month to teach advanced math concepts and problem solving skills to 3rd, 4th- and 5th-graders during after-school hours. There are as many as 15 volunteers matched up with 50 to 75 younger students.
Doan describes the project as a math enrichment, not a tutoring session. “It’s supposed to be for students who really want to learn more about advanced math. We try to make it fun and encourage the students to be creative in how they approach math,” she said. Doan has long enjoyed math, having finished Advanced Placement Calculus in the 6th grade. She hopes to work either as a computer science engineer or an entrepreneur, like her parents, Jason and Shirley Doan of Kahului. “I just love math. I think a lot of people don’t see that math is such a creative process,” she said. “I like how it’s kind of like a puzzle.”
Heading into her senior year, Doan serves as a competitor and coach for middle and high school-aged students in a variety of math competitions. As captain of her school’s math team, Doan spearheaded a win in state competition this past May. Maui Math Circle is on summer break and will return in September when Doan will serve on an advisory board with the goal of continuing the project even after she leaves the island for college.
For more information, visit: https://www.sites.google.com/site/mauimathcircle808/home or https://www.facebook.com/MauiMathCircle
Jun 25, 2014 | Community, Environment, Sustainability
A new brewery is nearing completion in Kihei. Owned and operated by husband and wife, Garrett and Melanie Marrero, Maui Brewing Co.’s newest venture represents a response to their business’ growing demand. The Marreros founded their company almost 10 years ago and today operate a seven-barrel brewpub in Kahana and a 25-barrel production brewery and canning facility in Lahaina. Come this fall, Maui Brewing Co. will close its Lahaina brewery and open a new 42,000-square-foot facility in Kihei on 5.3 acres in the Maui Research & Technology Park, right next to Maui Economic Development Board’s offices.
“Our business is very multi-faceted,” Garrett Marrero said. “What we have shown and demonstrated is that you can be a successful manufacturing business in Hawaii,” Marrero said. The company’s BrewPub in Lahaina will remain open and together with the new brewery in Kihei, Maui Brewing Co.’s staff will grow from 59 employees today to approximately 140 when the brewery and a new Kihei brewpub opens. “When you manufacture a product truly local, our entire community succeeds,” he said. Aside from the brewery, the Kihei location will also house a distillery, a tasting room and eventually a BrewPub. “People want to support local. They want to support something that’s authentic to the islands,” Morrero said as he explained Maui Brewing Co.’s success. Maui Brewing Co. beers are sold in 11 states and four countries.
Maui Brewing Co. describes itself as a “truly Hawaiian brewery.” The company has been recognized as Hawaii’s No. 1 craft beer producer since 2005. Beers are packaged in eco-friendly materials with cans manufactured on Oahu and designed by local Maui artists. The cans, according to Maui Brewing Co., have the added bonus of better protecting the beer from both light and oxygen damage which can compromise the taste. A unique, recyclable plastic carrying device is used to hold the cans. The spent grain from beer production is donated to local ranchers for cattle feed and composting.
Jun 18, 2014 | Environment, Sustainability
Baldwin High School student Chelsea Kau got up close and personal with marine life on a recent Maui Youth Alliance excursion to visit the Waihee Beach Park with Department of Land and Natural Resources staff and learn about ocean safety. The best part of the visit “was when I got to cut a hole in a fish to feel for the cavity in its belly, and then suture the fish,” the 15-year-old Wailuku resident said.
Kau said she gained an appreciation of the impact humans are having on the ocean and its sea life. Overfishing may be one of the biggest problems contributing to fewer fish in the ocean, she said. “But, it’s also because of these other land factors such as sewage pumps and humans stepping on the coral reefs, etcetera. But the only thing that can be controlled right now, is the overfishing.” Kau, who has participated in the Youth Alliance for two years, advocated for diving and fishing for subsistence only. “That’s the way it should be, because you don’t need 10 or 15 fish for a family of three or four,” she said. “Take what you need.” After visiting marine resource officials, Kau said she believes shark attacks are “more than likely” caused by debris that has floated to the Hawaiian Islands from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan on March 11, 2011.
Kau said she believes ocean safety is a challenge: “It’s ‘something you can’t control’ as ‘Mother Nature is unpredictable.’ But because we have lifeguards and all of the land emergency services, they’re saving the lives of people who don’t know our currents and tides,” she said. Youth Alliance members attend monthly events during the school year to explore and gain a greater understanding of key components in the Maui community. The Maui Economic Development Board coordinates the group’s gatherings.
