Four years of robotics lessons have turned Maui High School senior Cheska Liwag into a wanna-be engineer armed with lifelong skills. “It was a good experience,” Liwag said after returning from the FIRST Robotics regional contest in Long Beach, California. FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology.” Maui High had the best record of the three Hawaii teams competing during spring break 2013. The team known as #2443 Blue Thunder won 11 matches and reached the semifinals in a contest featuring 65 high school teams, including two others from Hawaii.
The robotics team spent six weeks prior to the competition building a 2-1/2-foot robot mostly from metal and completing it just hours before the regional contest opened. “I was kind of surprised. I didn’t think we were going to do as well,” she said. Liwag joined the Maui High robotics club as a freshman and worked to become a leader on this year’s design team and then a captain guiding the drivers of the robot designed to throw frisbees and climb a 90-inch-high pyramid at a 68-degree angle. ““Being on the robotics team, I learned a lot of life skills like teamwork and communication, skills that we’ll use even outside of school,” Liwag said.
Cheska Liwag
Liwag said she sees herself after graduation enrolling at the University of Hawaii Maui College and then transferring to UH Manoa to earn a bachelor’s in engineering. She said the 30-member robotics club this year has been a family away from home. “It gave me this safety of another family and people I could talk to anytime about anything,” she said. The Maui High robotics team sought public support to pay for its project and travel expenses for the 10 members traveling to the regional competion. Maui Economic Development Board awarded its robotics team a $5,000 grant from the Ke Alahele Education Fund.
Maui and its dormant volcano, Haleakala, is providing a unique vantage point for scientists and astronomers to study and monitor all kinds of situations in space. That work is explained in a newly-released, short film called “Maui in Space.” Produced by Maui Economic Development Board, the video, according to physical scientist Dr. Stacie Williams of the Air Force Research Laboratory, shows a collaboration by MEDB, the Air Force and the University of Hawaii Institute of Astronomy. “Our society revolves around using space…The video shows Maui’s global contribution to space situational awareness,” Williams said. “It’s an educational video that shows the importance of the work being done here.”
MEDB, with support from the County of Maui, produced the film as an introduction to astronomy on-island and the Department of Defense’s efforts in work and research around space situational awareness. “I think MEDB did a nice job,” said Williams, who appears in the video along with other Air Force Lab officials and researchers with UH’s Institute of Astronomy. The video provides information on high-tech instruments such as the 3.6-meter, Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS) telescope and how it’s used at the Maui Space Surveillance Site atop Haleakala.
Williams said the film will help her to carry out the Air Force’s commitment to Maui and the community as she uses it to educate teachers and inspire students in grades K-12 to explore the field of math and science. “What I want to do is show it to students so that they can see you don’t have to leave Maui to work in high-tech careers. There are jobs here,” she said. “I think it’s very important to show children that science can be engaging and very interesting and this video does that.” Williams said the film could also help orient island newcomers and new employees in the technology field on Maui. “I think it’s a nice introduction for them to know what’s going on here,” she said.
After 20-plus years in the business, geotechnical engineer Theresa Nunan has fulfilled a lifelong goal to become independent and establish her own company. Now she’s sharing her passion for engineering with young people, hoping they’ll get past the stereotype that “engineers are nerds.”
A mother of two sons, one of whom is studying aerospace engineering in college, Nunan said: “Engineers are often creative people.” To do their jobs, they must be innovative and thrive in a variety of skills including project leadership, effective communication with people and sound financial management of time and resources. “Engineering can be a very exciting and innovative field,” she said. “There are a lot of aspects to it.”
National Engineers Week is set this year for Feb. 17-23. As part of the celebration, Maui Economic Development Board’s Women in Technology Project will present “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” on Feb. 21. The event is open to 7th- and 8th-graders with applications due Feb. 13 to bristol@medb.org. Host organizations include Maui Electric Co. and the County of Maui Wastewater Reclamation Division in Kihei. For more information, contact Mapu at mapu@medb.org. Nunan has previously served as a career-shadowing mentor and a coordinator of Engineers Week events featuring math contests for middle school students. “To expose kids at an early age to what they can do with their math and science skills, I think is great,” Nunan said. “I would have loved to have what they have today when I was going to school.”
She said the field of engineering is vast, with options ranging from aerospace to environmental and geotechnical engineering, a branch of civil engineering that specializes in soil and rock foundation. Nunan, a native of Maine, settled on Maui after 22 years of work in her home state. She said she chose geotechnical engineering because it takes her both indoors and outdoors. “I love it because of the balance of field work and office work and lab. I get it all,” she said.
Chelsea Fernandez, veteran and owner of the Maui-based assistive technology company, FernanTECH.
The “Women of Power Stand Down” event is being held for women who have served in the U.S. military. “Stand Down” is a military term to describe a safe position off of the combat zone where weary soldiers can retreat to rest, re-boot and re-energize. Likewise, Women of Power Maui Stand Down will ignite positive change for women service members through the stories and lessons learned of other women.
The event is free for all women veterans living on Maui, Moloka‘i or Lana‘i. Special travel scholarships are available for women veterans who live on Moloka‘i or Lana‘i. The cost to non-military is $25. It’s the first time a Women of Power Stand Down event has been held in Maui County and the half day event kicks off a weekend of activities to celebrate Veterans Day. Focus is on sharing key strategies to help women vets find rewarding jobs or to get promoted. A special interactive session on networking skills will be followed by a Tech Talk Story panel and the opportunity to meet others with similar experiences and interests.
Event partners are theStrategist, a leader in healthcare design and innovation, Women in Technology, a project of MEDB, FernanTECH, a veteran-owned, Maui-based assistive technology company, and the Maui Business & Professional Women’s organization. Feedback from women veterans who attended the Women of Power Stand Down in Honolulu in July 2012 described the event as very informative, motivating and inspirational for women vets. One participant commented, “I was totally enamored by all the guest speakers and their trials and tribulations to be successful in their chosen vocations. They inspire me to keep striving for my goals and never give up.”
What: “Women of Power Stand Down” event When: Friday November 9th, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Where: MEDB’s Malcolm Training Center, 1305 N. Holopono Street
in the Research & Tech Park, Kihei Cost: Free to all female veterans, with travel scholarships for Molokai and Lanai RSVP:womenofpowermaui2012.eventbrite.com or call 808.875.2341
Filmmakers Destin Cretton (left) and Shan Liljestrand (right)
Two filmmakers with Maui ties will have their work showcased this month at the 2012 Hawai‘i International Film Festival on Oahu. The event, featuring more than 150 films from 40 different countries, is set for Oct. 11-21 at Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Theatres & IMAX and the Hawai‘i Theatre. The festival bills itself as a premier international film event with two mandates: “to be a festival of record for emerging films from Asia and the Pacfiic, and to present the top festival films from around the world.” For more information, go to www.hiff.org.
Entries of interest include features by 33-year-old filmmaker and teacher Destin Cretton and 22-year-old cinematographer Shan Liljestrand. Both men grew up on Maui, were educated in schools here and now make Los Angeles their home. They also share a passion for filmmaking. “I love working in an art form that requires so much collaboration with other people,” said Cretton, whose festival film title is “I Am Not a Hipster.” It’s about a young singer-songwriter in San Diego who is learning to deal with the loss of his mother. There are five live music performances in the film, which all interact with the story and elaborate the characters. Liljestrand’s first entry at the Hawaii Film Festival is called “‘Ape,” the name of a plant used by Native Hawaiians as a test to determine if someone was real or a spirit. The subject in the film is Daniel, a young man who suffers from mental illness and travels to Hana in a form of self-therapy, but once there, reality fades further away. “Making this film was a great education as I am constantly learning to make movies,” Liljestrand said.
Asked to give advice to young people interested in filmmaking, Cretton said, “Just find a story that is close to you and figure out a way to tell it. Maui locals are natural masters of the craft so if that’s what you’re interested in, just go for it.” Liljestrand added, “It all boils down to telling a story, so write, draw, take photographs, whatever you can do to tell a story.”
Voters have an opportunity on Nov. 6 to elect a woman to replace retiring Hawaii U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka. The race for the U.S. Senate seat features Democratic Congresswoman Mazie Hirono and former Republican Gov. Linda Lingle. Hirono is giving up her seat as the Hawai‘i 2nd Congressional District representative in the U.S. House of Representatives while Lingle is seeking to get back into political office two years after completing two terms as governor of Hawai‘i. The candidates have jointly agreed to participate in four statewide televised debates in October. These particular forums provide a chance for viewers to see the candidates together on one stage discussing their stance on the islands’ most critical issues and what they would do to address them if elected.
The four Hirono-Lingle debates are scheduled for:
October 8, 7 p.m., on KHON, sponsored by AARP.
October 16, 8 p.m. on KITV, sponsored by Civil Beat.
October 18, 8 p.m., on PBS Hawaii.
October 22, 8 p.m., on Hawaii News Now, sponsored by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Deadline to register to vote in the 2012 General Election is October 8!
Register online at hawaii.gov/elections/voters/registration.htm
or
contact the County of Maui – Office of the County Clerk at
(808) 270-7749
Hundreds of scientists, astronomers, engineers and a new generation of space leaders are gathering on Maui this week for the 13th Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference. Mike Maberry is among six representatives from the University of Hawai‘i Institute for Astronomy who will be attending the 2012 event at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa. “The AMOS Conference is the only annual world class space related technical conference held here in Hawai‘i,” said Maberry, assistant director for UH’s Institute for Astronomy. “It provides a great opportunity to network, to exchange ideas, and to get updates on advances in areas of technical interest.”
A program of the Maui Economic Development Board, the AMOS Conference is billed as the premier technical conference in the nation devoted to space surveillance. The mission of MEDB, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, involves taking innovative actions that strengthen existing industry and diversifying new opportunities. Maberry said the IfA has been participating in the conference since its inception. He said he attends to represent the IfA for networking opportunities “that may lead to collaborations for dual use technology development.” Scientists from the IfA have written several technical papers ‒ this year being no exception ‒ to share with others attending the conference.
The University of Hawai‘i Institute for Astronomy is the steward of two of the best astronomical and space surveillance observatory sites in the world, Haleakalā on Maui and Mauna Kea on the Big Island. Maberry said the AMOS conference helps keep him updated on the latest in space surveillance. This year’s keynote address will be given by General William L. Shelton of the Air Force Space Command, U.S. Air Force. Also, the conference will host up to 300 Maui middle school students for a session with Leroy Chiao, a former NASA astronaut and Space Foundation Special Advisor – Human Spaceflight. For more information, visit www.amostech.com.
Three months into the job and already Maui Electric Co. (MECO) President Sharon Suzuki has thrown her and her company’s support behind Science, Technology, Engineering and Math or STEM education projects. “Empowering our future leaders with strong skill sets in STEM-related disciplines is crucial to realizing our clean energy goals,” Suzuki said. “MECO strongly supports STEM-driven programs that engage and encourage Hawaii’s youth to achieve academic excellence.”
Suzuki’s remarks back MECO’s role as a principle sponsor at the upcoming Maui Economic Development Board Ke Alahele Education dinner. The event raises thousands of dollars to support MEDB’s STEM education initiatives. Suzuki said she and her staff merge science and technology, engineering and math to get their jobs done and provide the island its energy resources. “At the heart of our company is innovation in STEM applications that are foundational as we transition from oil to clean sources of energy,” Suzuki said. A graduate of Castle High School on Oahu, Suzuki is a certified energy manager with a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from California State University at Fullerton and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Japanese from the University of Michigan. Prior to becoming president, Suzuki served as MECO’s manager of renewable energy services and worked as its manager of customer service. At Hawaiian Electric Co., Suzuki was employed as the director of customer account services and manager of their energy efficiency program.
Hundreds of STEM supporters have already reserved seats at the annual Ke Alahele Education Fund dinner and auction on August 18 at the Grand Wailea Resort. Reception begins at 4:30 p.m. with dinner following at 6:30 p.m. For more information on the event, go to www.medb.org or call 875-2300. “The economic vitality of our Maui, Lana‘i and Moloka‘i communities determine the resiliency of our people. We believe in MEDB’s programs because they have proven results through young adults whose success is due in part to the opportunities provided by this organization,” Suzuki said.
Tom Norton inspires students intrigued by robots and colored plastic toy bricks to get them interested in the field of technology and creative learning. “You get ‘em hooked somehow,” said Norton, Lahaina Intermediate School’s technology coordinator. Norton exchanged his job as a math teacher a few years ago for his current role, taking charge of the campus’ technological needs and its teams of students competing in both robotics and the First Lego League competition. “It is something I enjoy,” he said. He said enrollment and interest in the elective technology class has increased from a dozen last year to about 17 students in just the first three days of this school year.
Norton said he’s received professional training and support through workshops sponsored by Maui Economic Development Board. Because of the MEDB training, Norton said he’s found confidence in his role as coach for the robotics and Lego League teams who have earned spots in state level competition. Norton has also been effective in providing technical assistance and guidance whenever his 6th, 7th and 8th graders find roadblocks in tasks such as building robots or competing with Lego pieces. “I think you’d have a greater dropout from the adults,” Norton said, had the technical support from MEDB been unavailable. He said Lahaina Intermediate also received money from MEDB to order the school’s first set of robotic equipment about five years ago, as well as funds to offset travel expenses for offisland competitions.
In his role as coach and teacher, Norton said he subscribes to the philosophy “to let the kids do the work.” He steps in whenever students need guidance or get stuck on a technical problem. “I give them a lot of leeway to succeed — and also make mistakes,” Norton said. He said while students gain a lot of skills in technology, they also learn how to work together and how to be creative on projects from designing contest T-shirts to outlining presentations for judges. “This is a perfect opportunity for them to explore.” Tickets for MEDB’s annual Ke Alahele Education Fund dinner are available by calling 875-2300 or go to: www.medb.org. The benefit dinner is set for August 18 at the Grand Wailea Resort.
Four years of robotics lessons have turned Maui High School senior Cheska Liwag into a wanna-be engineer armed with lifelong skills. “It was a good experience,” Liwag said after returning from the FIRST Robotics regional contest in Long Beach, California. FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology.” Maui High had the best record of the three Hawaii teams competing during spring break 2013. The team known as #2443 Blue Thunder won 11 matches and reached the semifinals in a contest featuring 65 high school teams, including two others from Hawaii.
Voters have an opportunity on Nov. 6 to elect a woman to replace retiring Hawaii U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka. The race for the U.S. Senate seat features Democratic Congresswoman Mazie Hirono and former Republican Gov. Linda Lingle. Hirono is giving up her seat as the Hawai‘i 2nd Congressional District representative in the U.S. House of Representatives while Lingle is seeking to get back into political office two years after completing two terms as governor of Hawai‘i. The candidates have jointly agreed to participate in four statewide televised debates in October. These particular forums provide a chance for viewers to see the candidates together on one stage discussing their stance on the islands’ most critical issues and what they would do to address them if elected.
