An inaugural evening event at the 23rd annual Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference, Women & Allies in Space Domain Awareness (SDA), was presented by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB). The featured speaker, Dr. Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, is Assistant Director for Space Policy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The goal was to empower the community of women and non-gender-specific SDA professionals and heighten the awareness of gender disparity within space-related careers. The technology industry has certainly diversified in recent years, but there is much more to be done before the space industry is completely inclusive.
“Only one in five space professionals identify as female or non-gender specific,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “This statistic has only minimally fluctuated in the last 30 years. Change often starts with community advocacy and amplification of the issue. The Women & Allies SDA celebration seeks to achieve this goal.”
Uzo-Okoro noted, “Space is a source of innovation and opportunity for all Americans and our international partners. It is thrilling that a women’s group in SDA and Space Sustainability gathered at the AMOS Conference. On December 1, 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration released its Space Priorities Framework at its inaugural National Space Council meeting which prioritizes U.S. benefits from space activities. We explained how our nation and all nations and people around the world benefit from space programs and missions.”
“We think about all the ways that space activities enable the U.S. and global economy,” Uzo-Okoro continued. “It provide us with data to enable everyday activities, weather prediction, preparedness, and response to natural disasters; track our space debris; and expand our international partnerships. Space sustainability affects all Americans, so equitable access and opportunity in the space sector is important. It is wonderful to see women leaders and future women leaders who enable and will continue to enable U.S. leadership in space science and technology around the world.”
Wilkins added, “MEDB is proud to offer this new event at the AMOS Conference. The promise of a shared experience and supportive career progression for previously underrepresented groups will be transformative for the space industry’s diverse future.”
Today, as we stand on the threshold of returning to the moon and exploring deep space, we need to ensure women and allies can contribute to making progress on both fronts.
Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO
One hundred and fifty middle school students and their STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) educators were welcomed by the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference on September 30 at the Wailea Beach Resort-Marriott. The conference and the Space Exploration Student Session, presented by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) thrilled attendees who got to meet astronaut Scott “Scooter” Altman and experience hands-on, space-related presentations by the AMOS exhibitors.
Altman, a retired United States Navy Captain and naval aviator, engineer, test pilot and former NASA astronaut, is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions. Before retiring from NASA, his final mission was servicing the Hubble Space Telescope. He is also known for his aerial acrobatics in the 1986 Top Gun movie with Tom Cruise.
“It is an honor to be here at AMOS,” Altman said. “I like to engage with students because it’s important that we connect with the next generation and get them interested in space-related issues. The students in this age group are our future. Maybe someone here today will be the first one on Mars.”
‘Iolani Kuoha, Vice-Principal of Molokai Middle School, noted, “To greet astronaut Altman, our students performed an oli lei presentation traditionally given to honor visitors. They enjoyed all of the different companies at AMOS, and the various careers they represent. They will go back to the classroom so inspired by all of today’s activities.”
Healohameleleināhōkū Merino, Moloka’i Middle School 8th grade, said, “The exhibits and experiments inspired me to learn more about the world and what I can do to improve it. I really enjoyed the flight simulator at Civil Air Patrol too!”
Kaimalie Stone, Molokai Middle School student, added, “Astronaut Altman showed us a video of his time in space and explained how dangerous space debris is for the Space Station and other satellites. At the SAIC STEM Project in the exhibit hall, we learned there is so much man-made debris floating around that can cause problems for astronauts, satellites, and other important pieces of equipment circling Earth. It made me realize my generation is also responsible for making space safe.”
From space, the earth is an incredible organism. I saw the edge of the horizon. The thin blue line, the atmosphere, holding everything that keeps us alive. It brought on feelings of stewardship, sustainability, and respect for the planet.
Scott Altman, U.S. Navy Capt., NASA Astronaut, retired
Hawaii residents contributed to key space-related discussions at the 5th annual EMER-GEN® Conference held at the Wailea Beach Resort-Marriott. The program, presented by the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) in a joint initiative of the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (AMOS) and the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), represents young professionals and university students (ages 18-35) who are enthusiastic about careers in space. SGAC, a global non-governmental organization partners with the United Nation and organizations from around the world to nurture the next generation of space leaders.
Excellent speakers and mentors joined the EMER-GEN event on September 7th with a series of pre-event webinars with a focus on fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among the cohort. The group met in-person on September 26-27 for the main program that featured sessions in Celestial Navigation, Space Traffic Management, Mentoring, Consensus Building and a Hack-A-Thon. Teams of participants were challenged to find innovative ways to apply space-based technologies.
“This year’s EMER-GEN program welcomed 47 young space professionals, half of whom call Hawaii home, and the rest were from all over, as far away as India,” said Annette Lynch, MEDB Program Manager. “Scholarships were available for Hawaii residents as the program looks to help build the Hawaii aerospace sector.”
Four young professionals on the planning committee helped the MEDB organizers shape the program. Two representatives nominated by SGAC, Rishin Aggarwal, Indian Space Research Organization, and Eniko Molnar, Satellite Applications Catapult (UK), were joined by 2021 alumnus Zachary Stein of The Boeing Company, a resident of Maui. A 2020 alumnus, Quentin Verspieren of the University of Tokyo, returned to the committee to provide his experience and knowledge of space policy and consensus building.
Hackathon Mentor Tom Kubancik, founder and Executive Vice President of Trusted Space, Inc., said, “EMER-GEN employs the creativity and vigor of our youth in advancing humanity through the peaceful uses of space. It is vital for the future generation to develop methods to operate spacecraft safely in the increasingly congested and contested space environment.”
Christianne Young, Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory, said, “I have been working on launching cube satellites at the University of Hawaii. EMER-GEN opened my eyes to the need for international policy and cooperation for space safety.”
Discussion topics ranged from effective multi-cultural communication and leadership qualities to international cooperation in space and the long-term sustainability of the space environment.
For more than two decades, Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) has worked with local industry partners to provide internships. Two years ago, STEMworks™ focused on the Agriculture sector to expand its work-based learning experiences for students and since then, with its partners, the program has delivered a highly successful Ag Business and Technology Internship program. This has consistently aligned the abilities and interests of Hawaii’s students with industry professionals throughout the islands. The experiences continue to provide invaluable work-based learning for STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) students not only to explore career pathways, but also to assess job opportunities. As a project-based, service-learning initiative, STEMworks is an innovative and hands-on STEM educational approach designed to produce critical thinkers and problem-solvers.
“With regard to the Ag Program, I think it is important for everyone to understand where food, clothing, and other everyday items come from and that they should thank a farmer or rancher,” said Britney James, STEMworks Program Specialist. “Without agriculture, our future is bleak, which only drives my passion to encourage keiki to consider the various Ag careers available to them. To keep Hawaii’s agricultural industries strong and sustainable, we need to engage our youth in experiential learning within Ag. Only then can we grow our future leaders. Along the way, interns work tirelessly on their professional and software skills.”
Kahenawai Hirata, Molokai High School, noted, “I am currently interning at Sust’āinable Molokai where I learned that we have to re-prioritize the meaning of ‘consumption’. We live on an island surrounded by ocean and import about 90 percent of our food and goods. We need to be self-sufficient. Understanding our island’s resources and how our environment is changing is important for our future needs. To become responsible and sustainable farmers of the land and sea, we, as the next generation, need to get involved!”
Ag Intern alumnus Drake Breitback, a recent Baldwin High School graduate, said, “I learned so much from my internship with Native Nursery. I worked a great deal with native plants and discovered how to take cuttings from plants, how to prune, propagate, and properly water them, how to correctly transplant them into bigger pots, and how to identify different native species. My future hope is to give back to the community in a helpful and sustainable way.”
Internships are available for fall, spring, and summer semesters with participating STEMworks schools. For more information, email britney@medb.org.
Maui Economic Development Board STEMworks™ partnered with Mahi Pono, a Maui-based farming company, to present the 2022 STEMworks Solutions Challenge. The STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)-related problem was open to all Hawaii high school and undergraduate college students to solve. It offered a $500 cash prize plus a summer internship with Mahi Pono, where the recipient will implement his or her winning solution, and through research and experiments, have the opportunity to improve their proposed design.
“As a company committed to a more sustainable and secure future for Maui, we know that getting the next generation involved is critical, and this is one way we are able to do that,” said Shan Tsutsui, Chief Operating Officer with Mahi Pono. “These are real-world challenges we deal with in local agriculture, so we are excited to see what our participating students come up with.”
This year’s challenge, to overcome the effects of wind on citrus trees, including tree damage, soil erosion and dust production, sought solutions for how to keep fruit trees upright with little or no windbreak, and how to mitigate dust clouds from lack of ground cover. The event kicked off with weekly professional development meetings with Mahi Pono experts. After being briefed on the goal of the project, students submitted their proposals via PowerPoint slides accompanied by a recorded video presentation.
First-place winner, Edwin Barrett from King Kekaulike High School explained his proposal. “My solution comes in two phases. The first phase is planting a cover crop of white clover because it is a very durable and effective way to stop the majority of dirt pollution. Also, it provides many benefits to the soil such as increasing nitrogen levels which were notably low according to the soil sample and prevents wind erosion, its main benefit. Additionally, it would encourage pollination of the plant and the citrus trees and offer a possible future business venture with Maui beekeepers. Secondly, my unique designs for a solar windbreak will keep trees upright, stop the blowing of dirt even further, and achieve a muti-purpose function by combining solar and wind technologies.”
My goal, to solve the problems of dust pollution and tree sustainability, was to also explore how modern technology can be implemented to have a positive impact on Maui’s farming and agricultural community. I am looking forward to my summer internship.
Each February, Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) STEMworks™ program offers the popular Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IGED), also called Girl Day. Held in conjunction with National Engineering Week, this year’s STEMworks event had 155 middle-school girls registered from around the state. Nationwide, throughout the week, organizations, partners, industry professionals, mentors, and teachers showed girls how to get involved in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields. The theme, to increase interest in engineering subjects, promote amazing engineering feats by women in our society, and encourage students to consider engineering careers, is vital for our future generation of women.
“Girl Day is our most favorite day of the year at MEDB because we get to see the future of STEM as the girls work on their creative innovations,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “IGED inspires them to think about solving problems to make our community a better place.”
STEMworks Director of Education and Workforce Development Katie Taladay added, “IGED is important to make sure girls feel supported as they explore different engineering areas and see how engineers change the world. We presented a 30-minute, industry-led lightning talk and Q&A session with six women engineers specializing in aerospace, agricultural, biochemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering to expose girls to the wide variety of careers in engineering.”
A STEMworks teacher at Kihei Charter School (KCS) noted, “Everyone had a wonderful time and ran into challenges that they were able to overcome with pride. They all left the event with huge smiles.” A KCS middle-school agricultural session participant reflected, “IGED was so interesting! We engineered a drip-irrigation system and explored the science of irrigation and the different ways that farmers put water to work, from flood-irrigation to spray-irrigation to computer-controlled farming.”
Taladay concluded, “It is important to provide and develop future leaders through community-based programs such as STEMworks that empower students to solve unpredictable, real-world problems. Designed to address planning for Hawaii’s future, IGED engages young women in events that add to their skill set and inspires them to choose a career in STEM.”
STEMworks provides role models from diverse engineering fields to encourage girls to learn engineering skills that exhibit the wide range of career paths they can choose from.
Katie Taladay, MEDB Director of Education and Workforce Development, STEMworks
Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) is once again partnering with the Women Business Enterprise Council (WBEC) to present the third webinar in the Women in Business Seminar Series. In celebration of Women’s History Month, the virtual March 16 presentation will feature business owners that have taken the step to get certified as a women-owned, minority-owned, or veteran-owned small business.
“The event will present business owners speaking about how the certification has helped their business including access to new opportunities with various agencies,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “They will share tips on the process and how to overcome hurdles. Plus, participants can learn how to qualify for an MEDB scholarship to get certified.”
WBEC is one of the official certifiers for women-owned small businesses. Companies can get certified as being 51-percent owned and operated by women, minorities, or veterans, in order to qualify for special consideration in government and private contracts. Additionally, they can participate in a sponsor company’s Supplier Diversity programs. Large corporations such as Disney, Intel, AT&T, Major League Baseball, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios have requirements to include a certain percentage of purchases from diverse suppliers.
“Women-owned businesses make up the fastest-growing segment of the national and international business world,” said Dr. Pamela Williamson, WBEC-West President and CEO. “That is just one reason why WBEC-West is dedicated to helping participants navigate the certification process.” Dr. Williamson has been a dedicated senior leader for over twenty years. She envisions a promising future for WBEC-certified women-owned businesses, and takes an active role in facilitating connections between corporations and women’s business enterprises.
Founder, CEO and Chief Technology Officer of CBT Corporation, and speaker at the upcoming webinar, Kelly Ireland said, “WBEC certification is the access to an immense network of like-minded professionals as well as the ability to build alliances and partnerships with other WBE’s. I went through the program and I will be sharing my experience during the webinar. Additionally, I will discuss the exposure to corporate diversity teams that provide insights and support to make it a win-win-win.” Visit https://bit.ly/wibss316 for details.
The mission of the WBEC is to create strong team environments and increase economic vitality for WBEC certified women-owned businesses.
Dr. Pamela Williamson, WBEC-West President and CEO
Two budding astronomers, and Maui Economic Development Board STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) students, freshmen Wilson Chau and Holden Suzuki from Maui High School continue to hone their skills at solving the mysteries of the universe. Recently, Chau and Suzuki observed NASA’s Lucy spacecraft on its journey to visit several Trojan asteroids. The Valley Isle teens used the Faulkes Telescope North on Haleakala, part of the Las Cumbres Observatory global network of telescopes, to make the observations.
“On the day of launch, I was viewing the NASA livestream,” Chau said. “It was incredible seeing the trajectory pass the livestream’s viewing point. The ambitious Lucy mission’s primary targets are eight Trojan asteroids, primitive asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit and could shed light on the formation of the solar system. Before arriving at its destination, the spacecraft will make three passes near Earth for gravitational boosts, and visit the main-belt asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson.”
Chau and Suzuki are not new to studying spacecraft. In 2018, their observations of the famous SpaceX Tesla launch earned them top awards at science and engineering fairs at both the county and state level. “Doing this current work with Lucy is a great way to merge all of our previous work,” Suzuki explained. “When we found out that our data was helping scientists, I felt star-struck. It really makes me feel good thinking that even a kid like me whose family is not particularly wealthy can make a huge difference and really help people who change the world.” The pair plan to use the data they have obtained on Lucy as the foundation for their entry in the 2022 Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair.
Chau and Suzuki intend to pursue science-focused studies and future careers in the field. Chau dreams of working in STEM and Suzuki aspires to a career in astrophysics. Both aim to study exoplanets and asteroids. Chau noted, “Astronomy has always excited my mindset for the endless possibilities that could be discovered in the vast area of space as well as being able to learn great science all around.”
In May 2021 our observations of the defunct Orbiting Geophysical Observatory satellite, OGO-1, received national media attention. Plus, along with our mentor Dr. J. D. Armstrong and classmate Jed Teagarden, we appeared on the Xploration Awesome Planet television series
Wilson Chau and Holden Suzuki, Maui High School freshmen
Maui resident Alex Fielding, Privateer Space CEO and Chairman, was the most recent guest speaker in Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Maui TechOhana virtual event series. Supported by the County of Maui and MEDB, the TechOhana events provide unique learning experiences and informal networking opportunities for anyone interested in Maui’s County’s technology industry. The virtual meeting had the advantage of breakout rooms to encourage information sharing and social interaction amongst the participants.
“MEDB continues to be a leader in our business community by providing local entrepreneurs and small-business owners the practical knowledge, skills and resources they need to aim high and succeed.” said Frank De Rego, Jr., Director of Business Development Projects for MEDB. “We at MEDB are thrilled to introduce Alex Fielding to the Maui tech community and thank him for his generosity in talking story with us as friends and colleagues.”
Fielding discussed his journey of self-discovery as a “techie” and entrepreneur. His resume includes work at Cisco, Apple and NASA, followed by his own company Ripcord specializing in the field of robotic scanning and digitization. Currently, his new company, Privateer Space, is developing new green space technologies and creating the first accurate map of objects in low Earth orbit (LEO). Fielding hopes to identify, assess and track debris among the thousands of satellites in LEO.
“The dangers of space junk remain all too present,” Fielding explained. “In May, astronauts aboard the International Space Station discovered a five millimeter-wide hole in a robotic arm attached to one of the modules. Privateer Space has just begun working with Astroscale, an orbital logistics and servicing startup that is the first to successfully demonstrate a space junk removal satellite, and we have also signed a partnership with the U.S. Space Force. I am eager to help build Maui County’s technology business ecosystem while tackling issues of global importance.”
Regular Maui TechOhana participant Joe Breman, President and CEO of International Underwater Exploration, reflected, “MEDB’s Maui TechOhana provides leadership and vision in our community for the development of a strong and diversified economy. The collaborative efforts and networking have immensely helped me improve my business.”
Privateer Space has received all necessary approvals to launch its first satellite, Pono 1, in February 2022, followed by Pono 2 in April.
