Oct 1, 2014 | Community, Events
Focus Maui Nui returns to the Maui Fair to begin a community conversation about energy. Maui residents know first-hand how fast the energy landscape changes, and how complicated it is. We hope that a community conversation about energy will capture Maui’s core values and priorities, while providing valuable insights for decision-makers in the months to come.
We will be at the Fair distributing a short survey and an “Energy IQ” Quiz for all who visit the booth. Don’t miss it: You may be surprised by what you learn!
We will be at the usual place in front of the War Memorial Gym. Complete our survey and receive a gift as our thanks!
Sep 24, 2014 | Education, Stemworks
Pukalani Elementary School second-grade teacher Betty Brask found a great deal of inspiration and a renewed drive to teach science, technology, engineering and math while attending “Space in the Classroom” at the annual Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance (AMOS) technical conference. “It’s a fabulous opportunity,” she said. “Every teacher should attend. It will get you connected and so excited about STEM teaching.”
Among the program highlights was a “talk story” session with former NASA astronaut and International Space Station Commander Leroy Chiao, she said. “He gives you real life experiences that you can relate to. It was so inspiring,” Brask said. Sponsored by the Maui Economic Development Board, the four-day AMOS conference brought together scientists and experts in the fields of optics, imaging, space situational awareness, space weather and related specialties in astronomy to offer updates and assessments of current research. This year’s program for teachers focused on Earth science, Brask said, with attendees evaluating maps of the planet taken from space. Teachers from a variety of grade levels from across the island networked and engaged in activities including how to plot and track storms and how to categorize and assess damage.
Brask has been to at least three AMOS teacher workshops and has been an active participant in MEDB’s Women in Technology Project for more than a decade. Every time she returns from a workshop or training, Brask said she’s been able to incorporate new lessons into her classroom. This time around, Brask’s 2nd graders will be learning to track storms. “For kids, it’s going to be a blast. I’m sure of it,” she said. “Anytime you can get them doing hands-on learning with science, they’ll go crazy with it.” “Space in the Classroom,” co-sponsored by Space Foundation, consists of two main elements – one for students and the other for teachers. Three hundred Maui middle school students and nearly 30 island teachers took part in the full-day programs this year. The AMOS Conference is described as the premier technical conference in the nation devoted to space surveillance.
Sep 17, 2014 | Education, Stemworks
Da Kitchen part-owner Mariah Brown said her restaurant continues to thrive after partnering this summer on a STEMworks™ internship. “At first I just wasn’t sure about it,” Brown said. But since then, interns Renezel Lagran and Justin Jackson have proven to be “extremely helpful. They’re very talented and they’ve helped us to keep trendy and updated.”
The Women in Technology Project, a statewide workforce initiative at Maui Economic Development Board, placed about 30 students in a variety of six-week internships throughout the state. The STEMworks™ program provides students with access to high-tech tools, software training, project design, career exposure and internship opportunities to learn from mentors and gain the real-world job experience, knowledge and skills they’ll need when they join the 21st century workforce. The internship at Da Kitchen was unique in that the students worked for a restaurant, instead of a high-tech company. Still, they got a lot of practice with using high-tech technology in updating menus, logos, charity event posters and social media sites. “Da Kitchen is all about changing with the times. We like to work with the interns on keeping our look modern,” Brown said. “Our society and our business is very social media oriented,” Brown said. “We have to keep up with graphics, with Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.”
Lagran, a sophomore at Maui High School, called the STEMworks™ internship “one of the greatest experiences she’s ever had.” She said she helped to update restaurant menus, advertising pieces and business cards. As a result, Lagran said she’s built confidence in her work skills and has learned “that I’m able to do a lot of things if I put my mind to it.” She’s also discovered what she’d like to do after high school graduation. “I am determined to find myself a role in the marketing field whether it’s designing or even the mathematics aspect of it since I do like math.”
Sep 10, 2014 | Community, Sustainability
After planting trees in every state across the country, Joe Imhoff and Sara Tekula returned to their roots on Maui, giving life to a newborn son, and their fledgling nonprofit, Plant a Wish. The husband-and-wife team was first featured in Focus Maui Nui three years ago in the midst of a tree-planting mission. They identified tree caretakers in each of the states and helped to spearhead the planting of more than 1,000 native trees at dozens of community tree planting events.
Their plan to create a documentary about the tree-planting venture is still in post-production, in part because they had to turn their attention to the birth of a son, Henry Koa, in October 2012. In his first year of life, Henry accompanied his dad, Joe, in planting a tree on every day in 2013, mostly on Maui but in other places as well. “Even when we were on vacation and then attending a family wedding on the Mainland, Joe made certain they planted a tree somewhere every day,” Tekula said.
Today, Plant a Wish is taking root on Maui where Tekula and Imhoff have partnered in a variety of events and with other nonprofits to bring awareness to land stewardship, tree planting and restoration of native habitat. Plant a Wish is also teamed up with Tri-Isle Resource Conservation and Development, which serves as its fiscal sponsor. Tekula said much of her time is spent in tree dedications, an opportunity that residents take to plant trees in celebration of special events and/or people in their lives. Plant a Wish is also busy during the holiday season when Tekula and Imhoff sell native Christmas trees as a fundraiser and a chance to educate more people about tree planting. “We’re really glad we’re here on Maui and that our mission of tree restoration can keep going.” For more information, go to: plantawish.org
Sep 3, 2014 | Education, Innovation
AJ Ramelb’s tenacity and technological innovation gave disabled students an independence they don’t often experience. “I really wanted my students to be able to paint their own pictures, and AJ made that possible,” said Hillary Watt, a special education teacher at King Kekaulike High School. Watt and an audience of 600-plus applauded Ramelb, a 2014 Kekaulike graduate, following his selection for this year’s Daniel K. Inouye Innovation Award from Maui Economic Development Board. Ramelb, now enrolled as a freshman at the University of Hawaii Maui College, was chosen for the award established to commemorate the late Sen. Inouye’s legacy. The honor, presented at the recent Ke Alahele Education Fund Dinner, recognizes an exceptional student-led project that applies science, technology, engineering and math solutions to community improvement.
MEDB gave Ramelb $3,000 for college and a pledge to assist him in applying for a U.S. patent for a special paintbrush grip design. King Kekaulike will also receive $7,000 for its STEMworks™ lab. There last school year, Ramelb studied and created the paintbrush grip design for students with severe and multiple disabilities. “In a STEMworks™ lab, you have so many resources at your disposal,” Ramelb said. “I’m really grateful for my teacher, Emily Haines, and for STEM because it really opens up your mind and allows you to think about what you can do for your community.”
Ramelb created two different styles of grips, accommodating both inward and outward wrist turns of students with disabilities. They mainly use the grips for art paintbrushes, but recently used it to hold mini-maracas for music. “These kids are used to having things done for them, but these grips have given them the opportunity to do something on their own, to express themselves through movement and through art,” Watt said. She said she was impressed by Ramelb’s dedication and attention to testing the grips and adjusting the design so it could fit her students’ needs. “He really went above and beyond. I really appreciated it and couldn’t be more proud,” Watt said.
