Oct 9, 2013 | Environment
An animal lover, Jenny Mida volunteers at the Maui Humane Society. She walks dogs, bakes dog treats for fundraisers and helps educate the public about pet adoption and the importance of spaying and neutering dogs and cats. “My motivation for doing these things is that I love all animals, and I want to do whatever I can to improve their lives and well being,” said Mida, an educational assistant at King Kekaulike High School.
The Kula resident is married and has a son, and her extended family includes three dogs – Kalea, a French mastiff; Thor, a pitbull mix; and Bernardo, an Airedale terrier. Pets can be healthy and happy if they’re made part of the family, she said. “A life lived on a chain outside is a life of misery. Play with, walk and socialize your pet with people and animals when they are growing up so they are comfortable around everyone.” When she volunteers at the Puunene shelter, Mida takes her son with her. “I think it’s important for kids to learn to care for and love all creatures, so I bring Zander along,” she said. “This is probably my favorite thing to do because the dogs are so appreciative and it’s fun to play, snuggle and get to know each dog individually. I take pictures of the dogs during our walks that I post on Instagram and Facebook with info in hopes someone will see one (or two) and they just have to adopt.”
She urges all dog and cat owners to sterilize their pets to help stop the island’s population explosion of unwanted, feral animals. The Humane Society and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Maui offer discounted spays and neuters. “It just takes one call to set up an appointment,” she said. “Spays and neuters also can decrease unwanted behaviors and reduce the risk of certain cancers.” Armed with the mission to save the lives of unwanted pets, the Humane Society has been operating as an animal shelter since 1987. For more information, call 877-3680, ext. 14, or e-mail: volunteer@mauihumanesociety.org.
Oct 2, 2013 | Education, Innovation
Teachers seek new, innovative ways to stir curiosity in their students’ young minds. Soon, 5th-grade teacher Wendy Wells and 4th-grade teacher Carolyn Bush will have webcam/video access to a telescope on the Maui Research and Technology property via the Aloha Explorations Outreach Project. “We plan on using the telescope with our students for observation of the moon, sun and planets,” the teachers said. “We feel it will help promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and space explorations … It will be motivational for students as we know they will have a high interest and curiosity.”
The explorations project is a collaboration of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy and Maui Economic Development Board. The project will allow students on Maui to access the telescope via the Internet. The telescope gives K-12 teachers and college instructors real-time video-imagery of the moon and other celestial objects. Any teacher trained to use the telescope webcam may reserve a time slot, and then – while viewing the moon, for example, will have the ability to move the telescope at will to any desired location. Physical scientist Stacie Williams, who oversees community outreach activities for the Air Force Research Laboratory on Maui, said the telescope project has been in the works for two years now. Selected schools in Georgia and on Maui such as Kamalii Elementary where Bush and Wells teach will be the first to use the telescope. By fall 2014, the project hopes to offer telescope time to others on Maui as well as classrooms in Ohio and Oregon.
“I hope this telescope will get students engaged and think about what they can do in space and in science,” Williams said. “The way you connect students with science is to connect them with real world examples … This gives them a shot at being a real scientist and that’s exciting.” Bush said her students are excited about the opportunity. “Parents who’ve also heard about it are interested and glad for the opportunity for it to be used at our school,” she said.
Sep 25, 2013 | Community, Events
Unwilling to let a tradition die, former 4-H Club leaders Mae Omuro and Lydia Furomoto agreed to co-chair the Hobbies & Crafts Exhibit at this year’s Maui County Fair. “We always thought it was part of the fair. People have come to expect it,” Furomoto said. Once called the Homemaking Exhibit, Hobbies & Crafts provides residents in kindergarten through adulthood a chance to show off their creativity and share their craft making skills with fair goers. “We have talented people on Maui, all they need to do is find the time to show it,” Omuro said.
Omuro said she hopes to get at least 100 items entered into the Hobbies & Crafts Exhibit. The 2012 event drew 98 exhibitors with 331 items in categories such as handmade clothing, and fabric, holiday and novelty crafts. Ribbons for 1st through 3rd place and honorable mention will be given. In addition, one item for each category will be selected for Best of Section. “We’re really hoping more people will participate,” Furomoto said. Entries will be accepted beginning Oct. 2 between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. at the War Memorial Gym. Items must be picked up between 8:30 and 9 p.m. on Oct. 6. The Horticulture Exhibit is also seeking entries to display including fruits and vegetables. Fair goers will have a chance to guess the weight of the largest grown pumpkins brought to the exhibit. “A lot of people participate for the sheer enjoyment of watching things grow,” said Horticulture Co-Chair Mae Nakahata. “The key here is you experience what a farmer experiences,” she said. The exhibit will also include educational demonstrations on exotic and tropical fruits. Items may be dropped off at 4 p.m. Oct. 2 or between 7 and 10 a.m. Oct. 3 at the gym.
The 91st Maui County Fair takes place Oct. 3-6 at the War Memorial Complex in Wailuku. Details are available at mauifair.com, or by calling the County Fair office at 242-2721. University of Hawaii Maui College Chancellor Clyde Sakamoto was selected as the honorary fair director for his contributions to the community.
Sep 18, 2013 | Innovation
The opportunity to meet new students, learn about Maui and participate in community service projects are all part of the experience of a Youth Alliance member. “It’s so much fun,” said Baldwin High School sophomore Chelsea Kau, who’s returning for another year. “I was able to meet a wide range of people and learn a lot about small businesses and how they impact Maui.” Kau said she learned the value of social media to businesses looking to promote themselves. “It was cool to see how owners and managers try to keep their businesses going,” she said.
Tyler DiGiulio, a Youth Alliance graduate now working for an air conditioning and refrigeration sales company, said the best memory he has from the experience is learning about different facets of the community. “I would say Youth Alliance is a great opportunity and a good way to learn about the Maui community,” DiGiulio said. In his three years with the group, he’s been on a range of field trips from a local farm that grows organic plants to the Maui Food Bank which provides food for the island’s homeless and hungry. DiGiulio said the Youth Alliance experience helped him to become more comfortable in speaking to people he’s meeting for the first time. “In the beginning, I was a quiet guy. By my third year, my confidence built up and I started trying to get others to talk.”
Coordinated by Maui Economic Development Board, Youth Alliance is accepting new members in grades 9 through 12. The group expects to meet once a month during the new school year to explore different facets of Maui including cultural, business and civic sectors. Applications are due September 27. Call Willow Krause at 875-2300, or go to: https://www.focusmauinui.com/YA/apply/apply.cfm.
Sep 11, 2013 | Environment, Events, Small Business
Physical scientist Stacie Williams thrives on learning the latest developments in her field at the annual Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance (AMOS) Technologies Conference presented by Maui Economic Development Board. She especially enjoys a conference feature that offers a day of hands-on science activities for youngsters. “Their engagement is our motivation,” said Williams, a program manager who oversees educational outreach projects for the Air Force Research Laboratory. The lab is actively participating in this week’s AMOS conference at the Wailea Beach Marriott. An international assembly of space situational awareness experts has gathered for events that provide technical interchange on a variety of space-related technologies. In addition to technical sessions, participants are attending a special Space Policy Forum to hear current issues and trends in national and international policies that have impacts on their work.
For Williams, one of the highlights of the conference is welcoming hundreds of Maui youngsters to the conference venue. The students are given an opportunity to learn about space situational awareness topics by engaging in varied activities from viewing celestial bodies through a telescope to maneuvering hand-held spectrometers to determine characteristics of objects in space. The Air Force Research Laboratory’s partners with MEDB in association with the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, the Maui High Performance Center, Pacific Defense Solutions, and the Boeing Company for the student day activities. “Every year our student activities get more complex and more engaging,” said Williams, who has helped to coordinate the activities for the last four years. “Everybody has embraced this and I think we just get better every year.”
Williams said she’s received overwhelming, positive feedback from scientists and other space situational awareness experts about including students at AMOS. “Bringing in the youth education element provides a wonderful synergy, a rare opportunity that more technical conferences should exploit since we are losing leadership in scientists and engineers to the rest of the world,” a senior project engineer wrote. Williams hopes that the student activities will inspire some of them to consider a career in science and technology. “We really need to get more young people interested.”
