Oct 25, 2017 | Environment
Maui Economic Development Board’s Women in Technology STEMworks™ Laboratory extends to the surf. Sixteen-year-old Maui surfer Annie Reickert explains this. “Mastering surfing is all about mastering science,” said Reickert. “You need to know how the waves travel across the ocean carrying energy as they go and how you can capture some of this energy to move yourself along. Whether you are surfing or body-boarding, riding a long board or whizzing on a skim board, you’re using cool science in a very cool way.”
Reickert has been surfing since she was five years old. Born and raised on Maui, she is passionate about being on the water and standup-paddling (SUP). Her connection and devotion to the ocean has led her to homeschooling so that she can compete on the SUP World Tour. Reickert has placed first in some prestigious SUP races including the Olukai, Paddle Imua, Women’s Open World Series Huntington Beach and the U-17 Battle of the Paddle. Most recently, in California, she took first place in the highly competitive 2016 SUP Santa Cruz Paddlefest. As the youngest member of the Naish Team riders, individuals at the top of their sport, Reickert’s future holds world-wide competitions including the 2017 International Surfing Association World Championship in Denmark and perhaps to be the SUP World Champion.
“I get up at 5:30 every morning and head for the water,” said Reickert. “After my training time I start school at 9 am. If I finish my schoolwork early, I head back to surf in the afternoon.” With an interest in Marine Biology, Reickert is motivated to do her best in school and surf. “You need both a scientific understanding and an intuitive understanding of the dynamics of the water,” Reickert noted. “A surfer wants to catch a wave just as it is breaking—which is when it has maximum speed. To catch the wave, a surfer’s velocity must be equal to the wave’s velocity, and then you feel the board being carried along by the wave.”
Science can explain most of the things you notice when you’re riding along on your surfboard. For example, the weight and dynamics of the board can affect any of the variables in your performance.
Annie Reickert, Professional Surfer, 11th grade
Oct 18, 2017 | Community
Keiki Cupboard, a nonprofit organization presently assisting 21 Maui schools, is dedicated to providing necessary school supplies and shoes to children who need them. There are many disadvantaged children with financially strapped parents who cannot provide the required items. The Cupboard, winner of the Maui Rotary Club’s annual Award for Best Vocational Service, believes that no child should lack the needed basic necessities for his education.
Countless children start the first day of the new school year without a backpack or the items required for their classes. “This is the young person who inspires and drives Keiki Cupboard,” explained the Cupboard’s Vice President Toby Neal. “We provide a storage unit or Cupboard, on each participating school campus, filled with items called for by the school. The school staff distributes the materials discreetly, without shame or red tape, thus preparing the students to meet their daily requirements. Moreover, the program not only helps students with basic necessities for class, it also improves their physical and social well-being.”
Neal, who is also a popular Maui novelist, continued, “My sister, Keiki Cupboard President Bonny Ponting, and I came up with the idea for Keiki Cupboard based on our experiences in Maui’s public schools. I was a public school counselor and my sister an involved parent. We both saw how many families struggled to provide their children with supplies every year. So, as not to burden economically strained families any further, we started a grassroots organization that does all the needed fundraising outside of schools.”
The sisters continue to be thrilled by how the community and businesses support them. “It’s a simple mission, and it makes a surprising difference,” said Neal. “It has amazed me how our all-volunteer organization has grown,” Ponting added. “It is a testament to the generosity of the people of Maui. Our goal is to be in all 28 Maui County schools, one Cupboard at a time.” To volunteer or make a donation, visit keikicupboard.org or call (808) 280-1021.
Anyone with a good idea can make a huge difference in his community and, through the internet, potentially change the world.
Toby Neal, Keiki Cupboard Vice-President
Oct 11, 2017 | Education, Stemworks
Graham DeVey recently retired from Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) where he worked as a program manager for their Women in Technology (WIT) Island Energy Inquiry™ (IEI) project since 2012. IEI is a professional development program for Hawaii STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) teachers to engage in rigorous explorations of real energy issues in our islands.
“IEI uses research-based techniques to guide teachers through the inquiry-learning process,” DeVey explained. “The curriculum is based on renewable energies prevalent in Hawaii, including solar water heating, solar photovoltaics, wind energy, geothermal, ocean thermal energy conversion, biofuels, and energy conservation and efficiency audit. In the workshops, teachers practice labs and activities using the latest Hawaii standards and energy data while learning how to implement this training in the classroom.”
Working with other IEI staffers from WIT, DeVey has trained 495 teachers during 38 workshops, representing 42,000 students of Hawaii statewide. “I’ve been very fortunate that our WIT courses attracted some of the best teachers in the state, and we’ve received ongoing praise from our teachers, who acknowledge that IEI has re-awakened their love of teaching,” DeVey noted. “Online webinars present teachers with the opportunity to share lessons learned and write reflections for their professional development credits.”
Julia Davison, Pukalani Elementary School teacher said, “The IEI program offers a great opportunity for teachers and students to learn more about sustainable energy use. It provides problem-solving and collaboration for designing an energy-sustainable future for Hawaii. This powerful inquiry-based instruction will help my students be successful in science, other academic subjects, and in their daily lives.”
DeVey came to MEDB with an impressive resume. He served as a Navy commander flying the P-3C Orion patrol plane. Later, he became Director of Engineering for Carrier Corporation’s Asia Pacific Division and Vice President of their Corporate Technology Planning Division in Syracuse, New York. After receiving an inner call to help young American students consider and qualify for careers in science and engineering, DeVey earned a Master of Arts in teaching and taught physics at Baldwin High School for 17 years.
DeVey’s goal was to make science fun for STEM teachers and their students. Most of all he was a great colleague and support.
Mapu Quitazol, MEDB WIT Program Manager
Oct 4, 2017 | Events, Innovation
The 18th Annual Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference (AMOS), held on September 19-22 at the Wailea Beach Resort-Marriott, brought together scientists, engineers and space experts from around the globe. Organized and presented by the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), the conference drew more than 700 participants from 16 countries for one of the top scientific gatherings in the field of Space Situational Awareness (SSA). With an exciting technical and plenary program and internationally known speakers, the conference looked at the future of SSA, including the nature of the market and balancing commercial innovation with national security and international relations. “The 2017 AMOS Conference served as a beacon to take AMOS into a new era,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “It transformed it into the instrument required to lead the space community towards a more inclusive world.”
On the last day of the conference, MEDB hosted 160 Maui County middle school students in hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) activities during Student Space Exploration Day. “Each year we see students’ creativity blossom as they solve engineering problems in this fast-paced, high-energy atmosphere,” said Mapu Quitazol, MEDB Program Director. “The event provides our students the opportunity to learn about the different careers and technologies available in the space field. This year, we were especially excited to welcome former astronaut Dr. Janet Kavandi, Director of the NASA Glenn Research Center, who provided a first-hand discussion of living and working in space.”
“Today I learned about the many jobs an astronaut does in space” said Amelle Andrew, Lokelani Intermediate School 8th grader. “In the exhibit and poster session, I enjoyed learning about the huge telescopes on Haleakala that track satellites, and the importance of adaptive optics and imaging to track space debris.”
Lokelani STEM teacher Iokepa Meno exclaimed, “Once again MEDB has brought together scientists, students and the international space community to learn and celebrate everything about space. Mahalo MEDB and AMOS organizers for inviting our next generation of explorers to this amazing conference!”
I learned about the properties of light used to study space objects at the Boeing exhibit and enjoyed meeting all the exhibitors at AMOS.
Amelle Andrew, Lokelani Intermediate School 8th grader
Sep 27, 2017 | Education, Stemworks
This summer, The Maui Farm staff participated as mentors in Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Women in Technology (WIT) STEMworks™ Summer Internship Program. Maui Farm, a nonprofit organization, has been offering an array of farm-based educational programs to the Maui community since 1993. “Our site is a wonderful opportunity for young students to learn the nuts and bolts of sustainable farming,” said Maria Leon, Maui Farm program assistant. “Our intern, Dian Taroma, a Maui High School junior, was able to practice sustainable farming techniques such as animal husbandry, natural pest control, plant nursery work and more.”
With Taroma’s help, in six short weeks Maui Farm reestablished their crop fields that had gone fallow. Together they dug and shaped vegetable beds, conditioned the soil with compost and amendments, sowed vegetable seeds, fertilized, and harvested healthy, organic foods. Taroma was part of the seed-to-harvest process. She also helped welcome 3 baby goats and 9 baby piglets into the world.
“On her first day, Taroma was very timid and unsure around the animals,” Leon explained. “After two-weeks of animal husbandry training she was handling these animals like a pro! She was responsible for feeding pigs, goats, chickens, and bunnies daily, cleaning their pens, and even helped to give shots and sterilize umbilical stumps on our newborns. Taroma mentioned she would be interested in becoming a veterinarian because of her experience at The Maui Farm.”
Taroma noted, “I performed routine farm maintenance and all tasks necessary to maintain a two-acre educational farm environment. As a versatile team player, I did physical labor while learning good communication skills with people along with knowledge of animal husbandry. I am grateful to the STEMworks™ program for the chance to understand the effort it takes to provide the community with healthy food. Knowledge of sustainable agriculture practices, organic farming, and permaculture design are important subjects for all Maui County residents to understand.”
MEDB’s STEMworks™ Summer Internship program is an incredibly valuable resource for our youth, especially as our island is growing and working towards becoming sustainable.
Maria Leon, Program Assistant, The Maui Farm
Sep 20, 2017 | Events
Jaycie Iha from Maui Waena Intermediate School and Axl Reitz Daguio from Maui High School were among twenty talented PBS (Public Broadcasting System) Youth Fellow storytellers from 13 states, who convened in Washington, D. C. this summer. The third annual Student Reporting Labs (SRL) Academy was an initiative of PBS NewsHour to advance the future of journalism and public media. The middle- and high-school fellows worked alongside public media mentors to produce original digital content and sharpen their journalism and productions skills. The Fellows also helped program leaders develop strategies to engage young people with the news and current affairs, and ensure that diverse youth voices are active in the conversations about critical issues facing the nation.
During the 2016-17 school year, these young journalists contributed to the NewsHour’s broadcast and digital platforms. While they were in D.C., they created stories on numerous subjects. “It was an amazing experience,” said Iha, Maui Waena 8th grader, recalling her experience of journalistic inquiry and media production. “I learned so much and made inspiring connections to real journalists and students who love telling stories as much as I do. Along with three other students from various states, I produced a story about the Quander family. This family is one of the oldest recorded African American families in the U.S., whose ancestors worked for George Washington. My Academy opportunity reconfirmed my journalistic career decision to tell important community stories to the world.”
Jennifer Suzuki, Maui Waena Intermediate School Technology Club Advisor and trip chaperone, said, “The opportunity that this Academy gives students is remarkable. They bring together the best and most dedicated media students from around the country and help them hone their journalistic skills. Students tour the PBS studios, have lunch with real reporters, editors, and producers, have their work critiqued by industry experts, and meet kindred spirits. Most of all they see that the world and their opportunities to make a difference are much greater than they knew.”
Without our STEMworks™ Afterschool program made possible by a partnership with MEDB’s Women in Technology, Iha would not have been prepared or selected for the SRL Academy.
Jennifer Suzuki, Maui Waena Intermediate School STEMworks™ Facilitator and Technology Club Advisor
Sep 13, 2017 | Education, Innovation
Gunther Hasinger, IfA Director
This past June the University of Hawaii’s (UH) Institute for Astronomy (IfA) celebrated its 50th anniversary with a three-day scientific conference on Oahu and a July open house event at its Maui facility in Pukalani. Although astronomy is one of the oldest sciences, new discoveries in the field are made almost daily. With nothing more than light collected by state-of-the-art telescopes, scientists can measure temperatures, compositions, velocities, and sizes. Combine this information with the laws of physics and chemistry, and it’s possible to study the powers of the Sun, find thousands of worlds around other stars, and even look back to the dawn of the Universe.
“Our top priority is ensuring that the IfA remains at the cutting edge of astronomy for decades to come,” said Gunther Hasinger, IfA Director. “We look forward to using the many new instruments and facilities that we will build and have access to in the next decades. On Haleakala, the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST), the largest of its kind in the world, will advance the frontiers of solar physics. The second Pan-STARRs telescope and the ATLAS telescope, paired with one on Mauna Loa, will improve the odds of finding asteroids and new objects on a collision course with the Earth. The PLANETS (Polarized Light from Atmospheres of Nearby Extra-Terrestrial Systems) telescope, by detecting light from exoplanets and outer atmospheres of planets, will search for life beyond the solar system.”
With these wonderful resources and an ongoing investment in world-class faculty, students, and educational and community programs, the IfA will be making discoveries that cannot even be imagined today. “We’re excited to reach the 50-year mark,” said Jeff Kuhn, IfA astronomer. “The IfA’s research programs started here on Maui with the Mees Solar Telescope in the early 60s. Now, as the IfA begins its second 50 years, we’re excited about the world’s largest coronagraphic telescope, the DKIST, beginning operations in 2020. It will bring new capabilities and understanding of the nearby Universe.”
MEDB congratulates the UH’s IfA on their 50th anniversary and looks forward to continuing our partnership to advance STEM outreach and education for Hawaii students.
Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO
Sep 6, 2017 | Community
Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Ke Alahele Education Fund Benefit Dinner & Auction, held at the Fairmont Kea Lani Wailea, showcased an evening of nostalgia—a chance to look back at MEDB and their organization’s impact over the last 35 years, along with a glimpse of what’s to come. Guests enjoyed an evening of food, fun, and camaraderie, while celebrating the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) achievements of Maui County students. The festive event of 500 supporters included Distinguished Educators– Lieutenant Governor Shan Tsutsui and his wife Lyndelle, and Mayor Alan Arakawa and raised $325,000 to benefit MEDB and its programs.
“These funds will provide state-of-the-art technology tools for our students and training for our teachers; investments that will make a difference in the lives of our residents and our community,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “This year, MEDB has expanded our pipeline of support by adding the Jeanne Unemori Skog Leaders and Entrepreneurs Fund to build the next generation of visionaries.” Skog, retired MEDB President and CEO, said, “I am so grateful to the MEDB Board of Directors for creating this fund in my name. I am also honored to receive the MEDB Colin C. Cameron Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to strengthen and diversify Maui County’s economy.”
The evening culminated with the presentation of the prestigious Daniel K. Inouye (DKI) award, which went to Renezel Lagran, a 2017 Maui High School graduate currently attending the University of Hawaii-Maui College. Lagran received $5000 in recognition of her innovative use of technology used to serve our community. This year, Maui Waena Intermediate School’s STEMworks™ science teacher Jennifer Suzuki and Maui High School’s Arts and Communications teacher Clint Gima and the ACOM program will receive $5,000.
“I’m so grateful for this honor,” said Lagran. “I’ve worked incredibly hard since middle school and have had amazing teachers, mentors, and supporters along with amazing STEM opportunities. I’d really like to thank MEDB and their STEMworks™ program for their support. Their investment in me will truly reap positive results for Maui and our community.”
My hope is that the Jeanne Unemori Skog Leaders and Entrepreneurs Fund will help build the next generation of visionaries.
Jeanne Unemori Skog, Retired MEDB President and CEO
Aug 30, 2017 | Events
Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Women in Technology (WIT) Project presented a workshop for K-12 teachers on Exploring the Watershed through STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Education. Featuring WIT’s STEMworks™ Watershed Curriculum, the event focused on how GIS (Geographic Information System) Story Mapping can be utilized to protect and maintain the health of our island watersheds.
“The purpose of the workshop is to expose teachers to the power of using Story Maps to present spatial or geographic data in elementary, intermediate, and high school classrooms,” said Emily Haines-Swatek, workshop presenter and King Kekaulike High School STEMworks™ Facilitator. “Using ArcGIS Online, the teachers learned how to combine authoritative maps with narrative text and images that tell an integrated multimedia story.”
Shea Rodriguez, St. Anthony Middle School math teacher, said, “GIS mapping gives my students the chance to develop a variety of skills, and share cross-content knowledge in a hands-on technology approach. One of the most significant techniques offered in the workshop is to enable the students to do their own research. They will learn to gather and apply data to create valuable products that can be used in the community beyond the classroom. WIT’s STEMworks™ program also provides the chance for students to collaborate while they learn about Hawai’ian culture.”
WIT Team Member Denissa Andrade noted, “WIT is committed to supporting educators with essential STEM training and resources necessary for successful student engagement. Thanks to the funding MEDB received from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), students are learning the importance of protecting Hawai’i’s watersheds and they are becoming stewards of our islands.”
With the NOAA funding, WIT also supports student experimental field trips to local watersheds such as Kealia Pond, a 704-acre bird sanctuary on Maui’s south coast. Led by biologists, naturalists, and other industry professionals, students observed Hawaii’s endangered wetland birds and migratory visitors firsthand. Using technology such as GPS and mobile devices, students were tasked with creating Story Maps to promote watershed awareness in the community.
Teachers learned how to introduce their students to the power of GIS Story Mapping with free online mapping tools to explore and analyze data.
Denissa Andrade, MEDB WIT Team Member
Aug 23, 2017 | Education, Stemworks
The STEMworks™ Summer Internships, created by Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Women in Technology Project (WIT), provided high school and college students with a dynamic six-week program at host organizations throughout the state. Interns and companies both benefitted as industry mentors offered invaluable knowledge, advice, and career insight to the aspiring young STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and Agriculture students.
“Through WIT’s STEMworks™ Internship program, students had a unique opportunity to explore technical and professional development, and gain confidence in their ability to be a STEM professional,” said Denissa Andrade, WIT Program Assistant. “Interns also participated in WIT’s weekly webinars to help them develop college preparatory and career readiness skills.”
At this year’s Showcase Presentation student participants highlighted their experiences with their host company mentors. Using software such as Autodesk Civil3D to model engineering design, interns Jett Bolusan from Maui High School, and Sophia Davis from Kihei Charter School, explained how they aided Goodfellow Brothers Inc. (GBI) in developing infrastructure here in Maui County. “Land surveying is a vital part of the construction process,” said Bolusan and Davis. “Before construction can begin, the land must be accurately measured and matched to the designs of engineers. During our internship we learned how to read blueprints and design plans and essentially helped GBI in the various steps that lead up to land development.”
Kevin Clarke, Principal Surveyor at GBI and mentor, said, “This program is of great importance to the young and upcoming STEM professionals of tomorrow. When I was in high school no one showed me how the complicated concepts in physics and mathematics could have a meaningful effect on my career path and daily life.”
The significant achievements of MEDB’s internship program and other K-Careers Workforce and Business Development initiatives will be on display at its Annual Ke Alahele Dinner and Auction: Pathways to Our Future on August 26, 2017. For more information you can call (808) 875-2300 or visit MEDB’s website: http://www.medb.org.
MEDB is extremely grateful to our industry partners across the state for their investment in Hawai’i’s STEM workforce.
Denissa Andrade, WIT Project Assistant
