Feb 27, 2019 | Innovation, Stemworks
The one-day Patsy T. Mink Summit at the MACC, hosted by Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) STEMworks™, was an inspiring and informative gathering for high school girls of all backgrounds to network with successful female leaders in the community. “We are partnering with MEDB STEMworks™ for a second year bringing the Girls Summit to Maui,” said Colleen McAlaney, Director of Patsy T. Mink Center for Business and Leadership, YMCA Oahu. “The program is based on building interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) career paths. Through workshops in Financial Literacy, Engineering Design Challenge, Mentoring, and Advocacy, the young women explored diverse careers, defined their personal ambitions, and learned what it will take to achieve them.”
“We are excited to partner with Mink Center to host this amazing event,” said Mapu Quitazol, MEDB Program Manager. “It is important for our young women to see and hear from professional women who are in leadership and technical roles. Girls are empowered when they practice creative thinking and decision making skills.”
Mentor Leah Belmonte, Maui Representative for Governor David Ige, said, “It was so refreshing to be able to speak with our youth in mentoring sessions and be a positive influence to help them prepare and succeed in the workplace.” Keynote speaker Deanna Garcia, Corporate Operations Manager/Maui Site Lead, Akimeka LLC, explained, “Starting as an MEDB intern, I had so many opportunities that taught me how to improve my leadership skills. Whatever you dream is possible. MEDB helps you succeed. They want you to ask questions and seek out what you want to achieve. Personally, I’m so grateful, I want to give back to the community.”
Isabelle Collier, Baldwin High School 11th grader, concluded, “The Girls Summit was definitely beneficial. We were all able to talk and learn from a variety of mentors who gave us short term advice as well as advice that will be beneficial to our future. Every second at the event we were learning something new. It was an experience that every girl should be able to use in her life.”
Patsy T. Mink, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii, advocated for numerous issues, programs, and projects, including empowerment of women. I want to do the same for our community.
Deanna Garcia, Corporate Operations Manager/Maui Site Lead, Akimeka LLC
Feb 20, 2019 | Innovation
Recently the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa welcomed the 29th Space Flight Mechanics Meeting to Ka’anapali. Hosted by the American Astronautical Society (AAS) and co-hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the five-day West Side meeting of approximately 350 participants from 15 countries met to discuss past, present, and future missions exploring the solar system.
Women figured prominently at the AAS Space Flight Mechanics Meeting. Former Maui resident Jill Seubert, Navigation Engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), has supported several Mars missions, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA’s Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport Mission (InSight), and the future Mars Science Mission 2020. These missions were designed to study the deep interior of Mars and look for evidence of habitable conditions in the ancient past. Seubert was introduced to the world of spacecraft navigation in her role as an astrodynamics researcher at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Kihei, a job that altered her own trajectory.
“Engaging women is critical to advancing our technological capabilities in today’s ever-evolving world,” said Seubert. “In developing cutting-edge technologies, diversifying teams is a great way to maximize outside-the-box thinking to bring forth novel ideas and better solutions.”
Yanping Guo, Mission Design and Navigation Manager, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), also believes women represent great potential in science and technology. “I designed the New Horizons mission trajectory to Pluto and then to Ultima Thule, the farthest object in the Solar System visited by a spacecraft. New Horizons flew by Pluto and sent back detailed images for the first time of the astonishing heart-shaped feature on Pluto’s surface!”
Guo also designed the trajectory for the Parker Solar Probe, enabling the NASA robotic spacecraft to get close to the outer corona of the Sun. The goals for the mission are to unlock the mysteries of the corona by tracing the flow of energy that heats and accelerates the solar corona and solar wind. Guo concluded, “It’s all STEM (science, technology, engineering mathematics), and women are steadily advancing to the forefront of 21st century workforce demands.”
It’s an exciting time for women in technology!
Jill Seubert, Navigation Engineer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Feb 13, 2019 | Education, Stemworks
The STEMworks™ Summer Internship, the flagship program of the Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Women in Technology Project (WIT), provides work-based learning opportunities that help build critical and creative thinking. The internship program prepares students for a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) career by providing real world opportunities to develop meaningful projects. STEMworks™ students are matched with a host company based on the company’s project needs, and the skills of the student.
Summer internships in 2019 will run from June 10 through July 18 and applicants must be STEMworks™ participating high school students. Students can apply from March 18, 2019 and until May 9. Students will be notified of their application status by May 17. For more information, go to http://stemworkshawaii.org/internships Last year, thirty-one high school students representing the most promising STEM talent across the state presented their innovative projects at the STEMworks™ Summer Internship Showcase, highlighting the experiences they had with their host company mentors.
Hadassa Ballarta, Maui High School, interning as a programmer at Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), said, “My project with AFRL consisted of scripting a planetarium presentation that incorporated the culture of Polynesian way-finding. In doing so, I was able to learn a new programming language and gain a better understanding of the stars above us and, overall, our universe.This internship has made me aware of new job possibilities and fields that I never knew existed!”
Tehya Purdy-Yamane, King Kekaulike High School, interning as a GIS specialist at the MEDB-Maui County Healthcare Partnership, said, “For my STEMworks™ Internship I worked with data from different Maui County medical facilities and compiled them into files that would later be uploaded and imported to a medical map as data points on ArcGIS. My mentor and I created a story map that is easy to operate and understand when someone is looking for a certain medical field, being anything from physical therapy to hospice.”
MEDB’s summer internships were enhanced with weekly professional speakers and training sessions as well as STEMworks™ “LIVE” webinars designed to inspire and build student’s professional skills.
Lalaine Pasion, WIT Project Manager
Feb 6, 2019 | Community
Maui County cancer patients and their families have a place of “Hope” on Oahu. The Clarence T.C. Ching Hope Lodge Hawaii, funded through the American Cancer Society (ACS), provides extended stay facilities to those involved in cancer treatments and their caregivers.
“At the 2018 ACS HopeFest event, all net proceeds benefited the Lodge, a free accommodation where guests can rest in their private rooms or connect with others who understand their struggle,” said Cathy Alsup, Executive Director, ACS Hawaii Pacific. “Since opening in 2016, the $12 million facility, built by ACS, has provided approximately 8,000 nights of free lodging to patients from Hawaii, Guam, and American Samoa.”
Tyson Miyake, HopeFest co-chair, explained, “A home away from home, Hope Lodge is more than just a roof over their heads. It’s a nurturing community that helps all Maui County patients access the care they need as well as a nurturing environment. Amenities include 20 private guest rooms with baths, common dining and kitchen areas, laundry facilities, and more. A stay at Hope Lodge eliminates many emotional and financial concerns, allowing patients to focus on getting well.”
Maui resident and ACS volunteer Sarah Shim added, “ACS imagines a world free from cancer! They’ve invested more than 4.6 billion dollars in cancer research since 1946, all to find more and better treatments, uncover factors that may cause cancer, and improve cancer patients’ quality of life. Whether conducting research or funding it, the goal remains the same: to free the world from the pain and suffering from cancer.”
Maui resident and guest at Hope Lodge Louise Corpuz concluded, “There are extraordinary people at Hope Lodge. I stayed there for one night before my operation. However, my son and daughter were guests for a week while I was in the hospital. I am thankful, grateful and blessed to have received the helpful family support from these wonderful people. It is so kind to help a family when one member is hospitalized. I send the Hope Lodge community many mahalo’s from Maui County.” Visit Hope Lodge Hawaii online for more information.
It’s hard on neighbor-island cancer patients who must travel to Oahu for treatment. The free lodging facility takes much stress off patients and their families.
Cathy Alsup, Executive Director, American Cancer Society Hawaii Pacific
Jan 30, 2019 | Community
The Nisei Veterans Memorial Center recently hosted a book-signing and talk by “The Go For Broke Spirit: Portraits of Courage” photographer Shane Sato. Over 18 years in the making, Sato’s coffee-table book is the second in a collection of poignant images of the Nisei (Japanese descent born in the United States) who fought for America in WWII. The 184-page, hardcover volume contains pictures of over 80 Japanese-American WWII veterans, and artistically captures, in a way not many have seen, the wide range of emotions Japanese-Americans felt after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The story of the Nisei is inspiring, and each portrait is accompanied by candid photos and a short story.
“It was a privilege to talk story with numerous Nisei veterans,” said Sato. “My hope is to share the lives of the Nisei with future generations, so their accomplishments and history are not forgotten. While they were most recognized for their achievements during wartime, they did not let WWII define their entire lives. Once home, the veterans continued to work for the betterment of the Maui community, establishing a legacy of civilian service.
In 2018, Nisei marked the 75th anniversary of the loyalty, courage and sacrifice of WWII’s 442nd and the 100th Infantry Battalion. The two units merged and formed a single infantry regiment. Together, they became the most decorated unit of its size and length of service in the history of the United States Army, demonstrating the importance of working together and depending on each other.
During his presentation, Sato discussed the creation of the book, his ties to the Nisei community, and stories shared by the veterans during the photography sessions. “Having Sansei and Nisei parents, one from Hawaii and the other from the U.S. mainland, has given me a unique perspective for my Japanese-American book series,” Sato said. “During WWII the Nisei soldiers inspired America and showed the world what it meant to ‘go for broke’. Then, they continued to lead in the community with the strength of their character and the integrity of their actions. Theirs is a triumphant story in American history!”
It is my turn to carry the torch by retelling the Nisei stories for the next generation to know about their heroes. My book inspires and energizes readers to begin their own journeys of discovery, to find the heroes within themselves.
Shane Sato, Author and Photographer
