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 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.
May 22, 2013 | Education, Innovation
Baldwin High School Robotics Club members achieved their best season in six years, through hard work and community support, according to adviser Gary Suter. “We have a lot to improve on, but we learned that we can hold our own at the national level,” Suter said. As Hawaii’s representative to the FIRST Robotics Competition held in St. Louis, Mo., Baldwin was seeded 12th out of 100 teams in its pool, a spot that took them to the verge of competing at the highest national level.
Competitors in FIRST Robotics were given six weeks to design, build and program robots that weigh up to 120 pounds. The robots perform various tasks to earn points. In this year’s game, robots scored points for shooting Frisbees in or on various goals. They climbed rungs on a pyramid-shaped structure. Suter served as the adviser for Baldwin’s 22-member club. Eight students traveled to compete in the national contest. Senior Software Engineer Bob Brem of Boeing Company assisted with mentoring the students. Looking ahead to the 2014 contest, Suter said his students could use the expertise of a mechanical engineer as well.
Suter said he’s grateful to have Brem and Boeing, for their support, as well as Maui Economic Development Board, which helped make up a cash shortfall for team travel expenses. Family, friends and other individuals chipped in as well. “The community really stepped up for us. We could not have competed nationally without support,” Suter said. “MEDB made a huge difference.” MEDB provided more than $5,000 in support from the Ke Alahele Education Fund. Suter said the purpose of competing in robotics is to promote and advance high-technology skills. “The students get to apply science, math and engineering in robotics. It’s a real pressure cooker, but it’s also a very, very real world experience for them,” he said.
Apr 3, 2013 | Education, Innovation
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.
Jan 30, 2013 | Innovation
Maui Economic Development Board is providing a chance to chat with a successful entrepreneur at the next event of its ongoing Innovation Series. Karin Frost, an Upcountry resident and founder of ERGObaby carrier, has agreed to headline what’s billed as a not-to-be-missed conversation with her audience. The event is free and open to the public.
Born in Denver, Colorado, Frost attended La Université de la Sorbonne in Paris before graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Danish. Her dream of designing clothes led to her obtaining a master’s degree in design in 1988 from the University of Minnesota. Eventually, travels led Frost to live on Maui and design resort wear. Out of a personal need and with her design background, Frost created the ERGObaby carrier. She believed that her design offered ergonomic and psychological benefits to both parent and baby. Frost hand-sewed the first 50 carriers, but demand quickly exceeded her ability to make the product herself. In 2010, Frost agreed to sell her company to Compass Management Group. Business was built to up to $30 million in annual revenue and as many as 40 employees, 20 in the United States and 20 in Europe. After the sale, Frost continues to work as the chief design officer and serves as a board member.
| What |
A Conversation with Karin Frost |
| Where |
Iao Theater in Wailuku |
| When |
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Registration: 5:00 p.m.
Program: 5:30-7:30 p.m. |
| Cost |
FREE |
| RSVP |
To reserve a seat, call Cari Taylor, 875-2336, or email: cari@medb.org. |
Dec 26, 2012 | Community, Innovation
With Christmas presents unwrapped, Maui’s youth turned toward sharing the gifts they’d like to see unfold in their community in 2013.
On education:
“We should pay our teachers more, much more. Teachers are the key to the future for all of us,” said Duncan, 15, of Haiku. Demi, 18, of Wailuku seems to agree that teachers are key to improving education. “I would like to see better quality teachers get hired over quantity so that the money can be spent on keeping kids in school.” Lola, 16, of Kihei added, “I would like to see Maui widen the opportunities for students in a variety of interesting fields such as engineering, literature and the sciences. I don’t think there are enough AP (Advanced Placement) classes in my school compared to other schools on the Mainland.”
On cultural preservation:
Kaitlin, 17, of Upcountry, Maui remarked, “Makawao just got a new bus stop with cowboys on top. Little things like this are easy ways to show and emulate my hometown’s country culture.” Alisha, 17, of Paia, said the variety of cultures on island makes Maui a unique place to live and worth preserving. “To preserve this unique culture, the state and county should encourage and support organizations that promote the education of our island culture.” Lola felt that Hawaiiana courses help to bring cultural awareness. But the discussion needs to expand. “I feel as though Hawaii would benefit toward having educational conversations in the injustices from the past. We should be talking about how to reconcile the past while dealing with our present and moving forward as a community.”
On protecting the natural environment:
Duncan suggested, “Do everything we can to preserve the reefs before they die and plant more forests to help the watersheds.” Lola suggested government officials ensure easy access to beaches and the mountains. “I really enjoy our clean beaches and our safe hiking trails. We really need to keep it up.” Kaitlin said she’s been privileged to grow up on Maui and see “the beauties Mother Earth intended us to see. It is the duty of the Maui community to keep its ocean blue and its mountains green by limiting our pollution and using resources wisely.”
Happy New Year 2013!
Dec 5, 2012 | Innovation
Appearing as a speaker at Maui Economic Development Board’s Innovation Series, University of Hawai‘i President M.R.C. Greenwood rallied local leaders to support investment in the HI2 Innovation Initiative. The initiative, according to Greenwood, will act as an economic fuel cell, generating new discoveries, creating thousands of jobs and putting more money into Hawaii’s economy, she said. Greenwood said the university’s research work already attracts $500 million to the state’s economy. And, she said, that means “jobs, lots of jobs, lots of well-paying jobs.”
However, Greenwood said research and development only makes up about 3 percent of Hawai‘i’s economy, which is dominated by spending in government, tourism, real estate and the military. To illustrate Hawai‘i’s potential for growth, she pointed to San Diego, which in the 1960s, “looked very much the way we do today,” with an economy based on the same sectors. But since then, San Diego, which is made up of seven counties, has pursued research and development aggressively, so today, makes up 14 percent of its economy. “They have clearly gotten their act together,” she said. If Hawai‘i were to pursue the same course, particularly if government were to join businesses and the community in supporting the university’s research and development work, then Hawai‘i could draw $750 million to $1 billion in research and development funding as well as start-up and spin-off companies, she said. “It needs to be a creature of the community,” she said, referring to HI2.
For Maui, the university is proceeding with development of the ATST solar telescope atop Haleakalā, which Greenwood said, would bring millions of dollars into the island’s economy as well as “generate a lot of new technology and a lot of new ideas.” The University of Hawai‘i is poised to be the first university in the country to have satellite launch capacity, she said. Greenwood pointed to development of clean energy, new agriculture and cancer research as areas of opportunity for the university.
MEDB’s Innovation Series is expected to host in 2013 Dr. Hank Wuh, surgeon and inventor; Karin Frost, a Maui resident and inventor of the Ergo Baby Carrier, which produces baby products; and video game designer and environmental philanthropist Henk Rogers.
Sep 5, 2012 | Innovation
Moloka‘i elementary, middle and high school students are on the cutting-edge of technology, thanks, in part, to teacher Kawika Gonzales and to grants from Maui Economic Development Board’s Ke Alahele Education Fund. For the past two years, Gonzales has been teaching the students computer-aided design in a weekly after-school program. Gonzales told supporters at this year’s annual Ke Alahele dinner: “Through your support this past year, we have upgraded our program of Google Sketchup to Google Sketchup Pro, not only for our island, but for students throughout the entire state.” He added, “Students are designing rooms, houses, objects, towns and even entire cities to scale!”
Gonzales said that this past summer he was able to teach a Google Sketchup class on Maui to middle and high school students from around Maui County. “Even as beginners, they were already making fully furnished homes and designing bridges,” he said. Gonzales said the Google program increases students’ engagement and makes learning exciting. “Learning about geometry, measurement and fractions becomes fun when we are able to work with programs such as those funded by this organization,” he said. “As an educator, it makes my job a lot easier when I have the right tools to expand our students’ learning.”
This year, the Ke Alahele Fund raised a record $338,046 at its annual dinner event held Aug. 18 at the Grand Wailea Resort. Gonzales said he would have not been able to teach technology without MEDB support. “I think my job is to give the students opportunities to use their gifts, their talents … I’m able to do that because of community support.” Having taught for 12 years, Gonzales said he has grown as an educator who started with producing and editing videos to developing the website for Kaunakakai Elementary School. He said he’s proud of how students on Moloka‘i are progressing. “They have a flair for it, a natural ability, a natural talent for technology.” For more information about MEDB and its Ke Alahele Fund, call 875-2300 or visit www.medb.org.
Feb 22, 2012 | Innovation
National Engineering Week is well on its way here on Maui where more than 75 students are immersed in a variety of opportunities to explore the field of engineering. This is the 11th year in which Maui Economic Development Board’s Women in Technology program has taken the lead in coordinating the weeklong event that runs through this Saturday. Partners include the Air Force Research Laboratory, Hawaii Society of Professional Engineers Maui Chapter, the County of Maui and local engineering firms. With fewer than 5 percent of Hawaii’s engineers being women, National Engineering Week is important as it exposes young girls to engineering as a career.
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day has more than 250 middle school students participating from Maui County. An engineering expo event will feature 40 students in hands-on activities that expose them to various engineering fields. Other activities include Maui Electric Co. hosting 12 girls on a tour of their central plant, a career shadowing with MECO engineers and an activity that shows them how to build their own circuit boards. In the County’s Wastewater Reclamation Division, 10 girls are poised to learn about civil engineering and the important role of a wastewater treatment plant. Iao Intermediate School student Christine says it all: “Going to an engineer’s worksite and seeing what a big role they have in our community inspired me to pursue engineering as a career.”
Engineering In the Middle competitions are also in the mix including Popsicle Bridge Building and Marshmallow Launcher contests. There are five participating schools — Lokelani Intermediate, Maui Waena Intermediate, Iao School, Kalama Intermediate and Molokai Middle School. Winners will go on to compete at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Jr. Engineering Expo in March. For information about the Women in Technology program, please visit www.womenintech.com or contact Mapu Quitazol at 875-2343 or at mapu@medb.org.
