Apr 9, 2014 | Education, Stemworks
Baldwin High School robotics team captain Joey Albright has been accepted into six colleges with plans to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. He says his experience with robot building and the task of writing grants to fund the robotics team helped him to succeed. “STEM education is important. It paid off for me,” said Albright, who has been on the Baldwin robotics team since his freshman year.
Albright took charge in his junior and senior year with applying for monetary support from the Maui Economic Development Board’s Ke Alahele Education Fund Program. “Getting money was number one for me. We can’t be competitive without funding,” Albright said. He said he gladly accepted the duties of grant writer because he wanted to improve his writing skills. “I thought it was a great opportunity to get experience and skills to apply for colleges and for scholarships,” he said. “I learned the importance of meeting deadlines, of dealing with different types of people and just working with a team. I think it was definitely worth it.” Albright said his fellow Baldwin Robotics Club members helped with writing for other private grants including Sean Endo and Aubrey Unemori.
Albright graduates in a few weeks, having competed on the state and national level. He said he would encourage new students to sign up for robotics. “The best thing for freshmen is to stick with it, no matter how much it takes,” Albright said. Since 2007, more than $740,000 in grants has been awarded to schools and students and their STEM education programs and projects. This year’s Ke Alahele Education Fund Dinner and Auction will be held Aug. 23 at the Grand Wailea Resort. Sponsorships opportunities are available. Contact MEDB at cari@medb.org; call 875-2300, or visit: www.medb.org/KeAlahele/overview.cfm
Apr 2, 2014 | Education, Stemworks
For 16-year-old twins Jessie and Jordan Haylor, participating in a recent Maui Youth Alliance visit to 2nd Circuit Court in Wailuku was eye-opening. “It was such an incredible experience being able to converse with Judge Peter Cahill,” Jessie said. “I was unaware of the occupation of child advocacy, which truly interests me. I also learned about the Hawaii legal system, which is important for upcoming laws such as the new information regarding medical marijuana.”
Jordan said he saw the state’s criminal justice system at work. “I learned from this visit how criminals are prosecuted,” he said. The students in the Youth Alliance – a Maui Economic Development Board project to empower high school aged leaders – spent one morning observing 2nd Circuit Judge Peter Cahill preside over a variety of cases. His morning court calendar included granting an early dismissal of a man’s five-year probation; allowing a drug felon to take prescribed medicinal marijuana to treat a physical ailment; and a change of plea from a couple who chose not to contest welfare fraud charges. “I visited the courts once before for a law class I was in and this time we saw a lot more interesting cases, and I learned more because of the diversity,” Jordan said.
After the proceedings, Cahill, a lawyer with three decades of experience and now two years on the bench, met with the Youth Alliance members. “One is not better than the other. They’re different,” Cahill responded to Jordan’s question about whether he had a preference between serving as a lawyer or a judge. Jessie said she came to appreciate the criminal justice system. “I believe we are quite blessed to have such a justified legal system,” she said. With Cahill’s help, Jordan said the youths were able to compare the American justice system with those in other countries. Jessie said the visit to the Wailuku courthouse was her first Youth Alliance event, and she’s eager to participate more in the future. Jordan agreed. “Youth Alliance has helped open my eyes to how we can better our community and become more independent,” he said.
Aug 21, 2013 | Education, Stemworks
Jasmine & Janelle Feliciano
With her eyes set on a future in engineering, 17-year-old Jasmine Feliciano worked on advancing her computer aided design (CAD) skills during a six-week summer internship. Her twin sister, Janelle, completed a separate internship at a radio station where she edited videos and designed graphics. Both said they gained valuable lifelong lessons during the STEMworks™ summer internships coordinated by the Maui Economic Development Board’s Women in Technology project and funded in part by the Universities Space Research Association.
“This internship will help me pursue my future goals because it has already helped me achieve real working experience in the digital media field,” said Janelle, a Maui High School senior who plans to major in either graphics or journalism in college. “It pushes me to work harder because you never know where opportunities such as this internship may take you.” Janelle worked for the Pacific Media Group in Kahului where she was challenged with creating their new Real Estate Maui Now Magazine videos. “I learned that you cannot always have the video the way you pictured it because there will always be changes that need to be made,” she said. Meanwhile, Jasmine worked at Goodfellow Brothers in the Kihei baseyard where she was assigned to work on modeling the Airport Access Road and the Lanai Airport in a CAD format. She said she’s gained a better appreciation for civil engineering and that the internship has peaked her interests in mechanical and electrical engineering.
The twins said they would recommend the internship to other students interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. “I would encourage STEMworks™ student to apply for an internship because they will gain more experience and knowledge in the field they will be working in,” Jasmine said. “More importantly, they will figure out whether they like it and want to pursue it, or try something else.” Internships were also supported by the Maui County Farm Bureau, Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company, Ardent Management Consulting, Esri, the Institute for Astronomy, Waipoli Farm, Hawaii P-20, and US Department of Labor.
*STEMworks is a project-based course developed and administered by MEDB applying technology tools to service-learning
Apr 17, 2013 | Education, Stemworks
The Hawai’i STEM Conference will be held on April 19-20, 2013 at the Wailea Marriott. Over 300 STEM/Service Learning students, teachers, parents, community and business leaders will gather to celebrate their work over the past year, share stories and meet other STEM/Service Learning students from different islands. For many, it is their first experience at a regional technology conference complete with breakout sessions, software competitions, a formal awards banquet, and exhibit presentations. It will be an excellent opportunity for students to get the latest software training, and compete against other teams in challenging, but fun software competitions.
Over the two days, software training sessions will be held in the following areas for students — 3D CAD, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Web Design, Game Design, Digital Publishing, Cyber Security, Videography, GIS/GPS, Leadership, Gaming, and Voyaging. We are pleased to announce that some of these training sessions will be led by industry professionals from Google, National Geographic, SketchUp, Esri, and the Searider Foundation!
The primary goal of this STEM conference is to inspire and challenge our Hawaii STEM students to become creative, intuitive, adaptable learners who can solve unpredictable, real-world problems.
The 2013 Hawaii STEM Conference is sponsored by the Maui Economic Development Board’s Women in Technology program in partnership with the County of Maui and the State Office of Career and Technical Education.
Aug 15, 2012 | Education, Stemworks
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.
Apr 11, 2012 | Education, Stemworks
The third annual Hawaii STEM Conference drew 200-plus teachers and students to Maui and kicked off the state’s first Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Week. King Kekaulike High School teacher Emily Haines Swatek was grateful for the opportunity, bringing 10 students to the event held in Wailea in late March. “It’s so great to be exposed to all these different options in technology,” she said. This year’s conference brought students in from more than a dozen intermediate and high schools, teachers, parents, community and business members together with innovative companies including Google, National Geographic and Apple.
For many of the Hawaii STEM Conference attendees, this was their first experience at a regional technology conference complete with STEM breakout sessions, software competitions, an on-site 3C’s Digital Media competition and exhibits. Haines Swatek said the conference provided her a chance to learn more about what she can bring to the classroom. Amongst the things she’s prepared to use almost immediately from the conference are online Web design resources, ideas for 3-D modeling with the use of Google Earth, and online book publishing. “It’s amazing, there are so many things we can do,” she said. Her student, Lotus Chen, also found the conference beneficial. “I feel like it’s broadened my horizons,” Chen said. “There certainly was a lot to explore here.”
The 2012 Hawaii STEM Conference was sponsored by MEDB’s Women in Technology project in partnership with the County of Maui, and the Office of the State Director for Career and Technical Education. Haines Swatek said she expects to have “more inspired, more engaged” students now that they’ve been able to learn with other students from around Maui County and the state. “They’re fired up when they come back from something like this,” she said. Emily Schell of National Geographic also praised the event, “Hawaii educators and students have it going on! The stars are truly bright.”
Dec 1, 2011 | Education, Stemworks
Eleventh-grader Cheska Liwag never dreamed of a career in engineering until she enrolled in the Maui High School robotics program. Robotics has been at the heart of many opportunities for Cheska, one of 45 students at Maui High immersed in robotics and in competitions across the county and in the state. “Robotics has helped me to grow and make new friends. I’ve learned a lot about team work and what it takes to compete,” Liwag said. The Maui High School Robotics Program is one of a dozen recipients receiving grants totaling more than $51,000 in the final quarter of 2011. Funding comes from the Maui Economic Development Board’s Ke Alahele Education Fund.
The latest distribution of funds has gone to support a variety of programs that encourage hands-on experiences and learning in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. The money enables students to compete in state robotics tournaments, provides professional development for teachers and helps to procure needed equipment for various projects in science and technology. For Maui High, the grant money has been the means to compete at the upcoming Pan Pacific tournament on Oahu. Liwag serves as captain on a team of six students from her school. “We’re excited,” she said.
Among others receiving grants this past quarter are:
Molokai Robotics (FIRST Lego League), $4,991; to support three teams from Kaunakakai Elementary and Kualapu’u Elementary schools to compete in a Maui tournament, as well as robotics equipment and supplies.
Kalama Intermediate School PLUG-INN project (Problem- Based Learning Using Geodatabases: Innovative Native Network), $5,000; for STEM collaboration between Kalama students and schools in Alaska, including shoreline field trips, use of GIS wireless technologies, and shared collaborative data analysis.
Maui Navigators (FIRST Lego League), $3,655; for robotics equipment and supplies for Central Maui robotics club for 9-14 year olds.
Hawaii State Science Olympiad, $5,000; for participation by approximately 200 students from 10 Maui County schools in statewide hands-on, team-based science competition and program.
Iao School VEX Robotics program, $3,989; for competition by middle school team at VEX competition at the Maui Fair and regional tournament on Oahu.
Apr 21, 2011 | Education, Stemworks
In Celebration of EARTH DAY and in honor of teachers, students and parents worldwide, download the Clean Energy Hawaii STEM iPad App from iTunes on April 22nd!
Download the app on iTunes ->
Read the Press Release ->
