Serving Maui and the people of Hawaii since 2014, Maui Search and Rescue (MSAR) is an all- volunteer organization dedicated to providing expert search and rescue assistance, plus community outreach education. They respond to calls from police and fire departments; however, in situations where these groups have not been activated yet, family members and loved ones may contact MSAR directly. As a nonprofit, MSAR does not charge for their services. They train and search in all types of weather and terrain, day and night, assisting and supporting in times of need.
“If you believe a family member or loved one may be lost or missing please do not hesitate to call us as well as other county organizations,” said Jen Regan, MSAR Vice President. “In many situations when somebody has disappeared, there is a time period when loved ones are not certain whether they are lost or missing. In that case, one does not need to wait to call MSAR. The sooner a phone call is made the better. In some situations, police or fire departments are unable to respond, or require a waiting period, but MSAR can usually respond directly and immediately even in those kind of circumstances.”
MSAR searches for all kinds of people in all kinds of situations including missing hikers, children, Alzheimer’s patients, mentally ill, suicide victims, body recoveries, and evidence searches. They are prepared to do a lot more than just find missing hikers. They have come together as highly trained and concerned citizens whose knowledge of emergency systems you can depend on. They often face real life-and-death issues for the benefit of the community.
“Search and Rescue is not a single discipline,” Regan explained. “We provide monthly search trainings for our volunteers to keep them safe in the field, and there is also special training for our K-9 rescue dogs. We want the community to know about us. Families should not have to scramble to find our information at the worst time of their lives. Our volunteer work is from the heart. We put in hundreds of hours and are here to help.”
Sometimes those in our community find themselves in unfortunate situations. There are lives being saved on a daily basis and that is important to those on both ends of the rescue.
Maui resident Dr. T.S. Kelso was honored with an award from the Space Data Association (SDA) at the 22nd Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference, for his outstanding contributions to space flight safety. AMOS, presented by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), is the premier technical conference in the nation devoted to space situational awareness (SSA); keeping track of objects in orbit.
“We are honored that Dr. Kelso received his award at the AMOS Conference,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “The award will be presented annually to recognize vital contributions and applications to enable flight safety.”
Kelso is an internationally recognized leader in the field of SSA and has driven technical improvements to further ensure that the SDA stays on the cutting edge of satellite safety performance. The award was presented by Major General DeAnna M. Burt, Commander, Combined Force Space Component Command, United States Space Command. Burt said, “I am pleased to present the T.S. Kelso Award for Space Safety to its first recipient, T.S. Kelso. He has diligently worked to promote safe operational practices for all stakeholders.”
Kelso pointed out “My main job has been screening satellites for operators from many nations. We track these satellites to identify close approaches with other satellites and debris in space. Currently, we track over 23,000 objects larger than 10cm. The real challenge is filtering through the hundreds of close approaches we see each day, so that the operators can move the satellite in time to avoid a collision. All the safety considerations of air and sea travel now pertain to space travel at a vastly enhanced level because the costs and risks are even higher. The event of spacecraft colliding is serious to our global economy and security.”
Kelso is also the founder of the CelesTrak website, the world’s first private source for orbital element sets, related software, and educational materials. The site supports everyone from professionals operating satellites in orbit, to faculty, students, and other researchers investigating the space environment, to individuals who just want to go out to see the space station pass over.
I am a big supporter of MEDB’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) programs. In past years, I led teacher workshops at AMOS and hosted a star party to introduce attendees to the wonders of the Maui sky.
Dr. T.S. Kelso, Space Data Association T.S. Kelso Award Winner
Ramsay Taum, a speaker at numerous Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) events, talks about the importance of integrating Native Hawaiian cultural values in every aspect of our lives, including business and educational programs. Mentored and trained by respected kupuna (elders), Taum’s extensive background and experience in business, government and community service makes him a valuable asset in both public and private sectors. In 2013, he received the Distinguished Peacemaker Award in recognition of his long career advocating the spirit of aloha in Hawaii and around the world.
A Kamehameha Schools graduate, Taum attended the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, and earned a B.S. degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He is the founder and president of Life Enhancement Institute of the Pacific, and Director of External Relations & Community Partnerships at the University of Hawaii School of Travel Industry Management.
At a recent MEDB event, Taum discussed the importance of Hawaii’s sense of place: knowing where you are from, who you are, and where you are going. Using a lōkahi (unity) analogy, Lessons from the Reef, he described how each part of the reef works in harmony. “Often when we discuss diversity, the purpose is really to come together, in unity,” Taum explained. “Aloha is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence, working in harmony.”
Taum added, “Aloha is a way of being, a way of behaving. Aloha is more than a greeting. It is the art and spirit of giving and receiving. It is to give and not expect anything in return, to receive and not forget to give back. It speaks of sustainability and reciprocity, rights and privileges, responsibilities and obligations. Our actions must express these ways of thinking with kindness and tenderness. Ha in the words aloha and mahalo is the breath that connects us all. Knowing that ha is the spirit of the air that we all share, we realize we are connected in the spirit of community among the people of Hawaii and the world. Thus, we give thanks for all our aloha blessings.”
Defining Hawaii as Ha (life-giving breath), wai (life-giving water), and i (supreme life-giver), connects us in the presence of divine breath where we are made whole in one community. When we agree to disagree, with aloha, we find that we are truly one people.
This summer, the University of Hawaii’s Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL) was awarded one of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief grants (GEER) to find innovative ways to teach in Hawaii. Since May 2020, thanks to a NASA Artemis Student Challenge Grant, the HSFL team has developed an educational version of a 1U (10cm on each edge) low-cost cubesat kit, including hardware, software, and educational materials to enable community college and undergraduates, with no formal aerospace program, to do aerospace research. The recent GEER Grant also allows HSFL to bring the kit to middle and high schools in Hawaii.
“Through this grant, our team will provide participating teachers a hardware kit and a basic electronics lab kit to test their spacecraft,” said Amber Imai-Hong, HSFL Avionics Engineer Outreach Specialist. “Educators will be required to participate in an online UH course, at no cost, to provide them with technical knowledge and assistance integrating the kit into their curriculum. As with many scholastic robotics and science fair competitions, HSFL will host a design challenge for the students where they can develop a mission concept around Earth observation, and test their ideas using the Artemis CubeSat kit. There will not be awards; however, we will host an online symposium in April 2022 where the students can present their mission concepts, including designs and modifications to the kit, testing procedures, and results, to engineers from around the state.”
These current projects were inspired by Hiapo, a 1U cubesat satellite built and launched by a group of Hawaii students and staff at the Hawaii Science and Technology Museum. When HSFL was approached in 2019 to build an affordable 1U cubesat, they jumped at the opportunity to reach out to community members. “We were able to train over 30 students at UH and an additional 20 students in grades 3-12,” said Imai-Hong. “The satellite launched on the Firefly Alpha on September 2, 2021, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California — it was an excellent training experience. The entire Hiapo team are already talking about the mission and design of our next satellite!”
We are reaching out to educators at public, private, and charter schools who may want to integrate this open-ended project-based learning into their classrooms. For more information, email outreach@hsfl.hawaii.edu.
Student Space Day went virtual at the 22nd Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (AMOS) with guest speaker NASA Astronaut United States Space Force Col. Michael Hopkins. Presented by the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) STEMworks™ Program, the popular event for Hawaii’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) students, drew over 350 youth in grades K-12. Streaming live from AMOS, teachers and students heard a video and talk about Hopkins’ time on the International Space Station (ISS).
Most recently, Hopkins served as Commander of the Crew-1 mission, SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle named Resilience, which landed on May 2, 2021. He also served as Flight Engineer on the ISS for Expedition 64. In his talk, he engaged students and made the material accessible with student friendly language using ‘Baby Yoda’ as a co-host. The presentation gave a glimpse into the day-to-day life of an astronaut who accumulated 168 days in space with five spacewalks.
“A wide-range of experiments across all scientific fields are being done on the space station,” Hopkins explained. “Scientists focus on research revolving around human health and physiology, agriculture and much more. Examples include: understanding how plants grow in microgravity; how technology can improve liquid movement in space; and how long spaceflight affects the human body. These experiments play a crucial role in planning for future deep space travel.”
Wendy Wells, Lihikai Elementary Science and Math Curriculum Support, said, “The students had many questions for Col. Hopkins such as why the return pods land in water and about weight in space. One student was particularly fascinated by the fact that they were growing plants in space. Another was asking about how long it took to build the rockets used to get to the ISS. Even if students are not inspired to go to space themselves, they could see all the connections to other professions and skills. It is life-changing for any child to feel that their interest or talent may have a use in something as fantastic as space. It motivates us as teachers to provide as many of those experiences as we can.”
I have worked with MEDB’s STEMworks for many years. I am so grateful for the extensive, relevant, and high-quality opportunities they provide.
Wendy Wells, Lihikai Elementary Science and Math Curriculum Support
