LEGO pieces were the first building blocks of Christian Falcon鈥檚 journey to graduation from the in May 2023 with an associate in science degree in (ECET).

“Ever since I was young, I was always interested in how things worked and in building things. One of my favorite activities was making creations with LEGOs,” Falcon said. “Little did I know my interest in Legos was probably the foundation for my interest in engineering.”

Things get rocky

Although the Maui native knew he wanted to be an engineer when he was growing up, his life took a slight detour after his graduation from Baldwin High School in 2015. He discovered a new passion鈥攔ock climbing.

“I decided to take a break from school to work and pursue rock climbing,” Falcon said. “Initially, I planned to take a two-year hiatus at most, but I worked as a carpenter and rock climbed for six years until the pandemic hit.”

Since it was difficult to find work, Falcon decided it was the perfect time to go back to school and pursue his lifelong dream of becoming an engineer.

“I enrolled in 糖心Vlog官方 Maui College鈥檚 ECET program and was immediately inspired to put my all into this educational journey,” he said.

• Related 糖心Vlog官方 News story: 糖心Vlog官方 Maui College students shoot for the Moon, November 4, 2021

On to advanced AI

After his first year, he considered finding a summer internship. Coincidentally, ECET faculty member Elisabeth Dubuit contacted Falcon to say that a 糖心Vlog官方-based autonomous racing team called (ART) was looking for summer interns.

Falcon said, “During my year-long internship at ART, I worked on advanced AI with many talented students from UC San Diego, UC Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon University. I have also gained valuable experience applying many concepts I have learned in the ECET program including mechanical, electrical and programming design.”

He now has an ongoing internship at ART.

“We develop software for fully self-driving autonomous racing go-karts and high-performance race cars,” Falcon said. “I assisted the team in the Indy Autonomous Challenge, an international racing event, where 10 teams competed against each other by developing AI for autonomous racing. We are currently the No. 1 U.S. team in the Indy Autonomous Challenge.”

Broadening horizons

The program has also given Falcon and his classmates opportunities to travel, meet and work with students all over the U.S.

“We participated in the () GLEE 2023 workshop, an undergraduate-led project at the University of Colorado Boulder that aims to send 500 small-scale Arduino (a kind of microcontroller)-based boards to the moon鈥檚 surface in 2023. We鈥檙e also going to Virginia Tech this June for the CanSat competition, where a scientific rocket payload we designed and built will be launched,” he said.

Falcon said he plans to pursue another associate in science degree from 糖心Vlog官方 Maui College with a concentration in engineering. After that, he may earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree in electrical engineering from a four-year university.

He said, “My dream job would be to harness all that I have learned to develop technologies that involve robotics and AI which will help improve humanity and give back to the communities that helped bring me up.”

Mission accomplished! At 12:08 p.m. HST on August 11, 2022, a 44-foot NASA sounding rocket blasted off from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia carrying a scientific experiment designed by University of Hawaiʻi Community College students about 91 miles into space.

Project Imua is a joint faculty-student enterprise of multiple 糖心Vlog官方 Community College campuses in affiliation with the that provides students with real-world, project-based learning opportunities. Students from Windward CC and Honolulu CC had been working on Project Imua Mission 10 for months and were delighted to see their “baby” finally take flight.

students designed and built a camphor-powered sublimation rocket that was deployed at the peak of the NASA rocket鈥檚 flight鈥攁t approximately 91 miles altitude. The team designed a camera system and inertial measurement unit devices to monitor the sublimation rocket鈥檚 motion.

Project leader Jared Estrada, a Windward CC student, said, “The launch was an amazing spectacle that served as a crowning achievement for the scientific endeavors of Project Imua.”

Project Imua provided hands-on rocketry experience both in Hawaiʻi and at NASA. In June, two students traveled to the Wallops facility to run final tests on their Project Imua payload.

• Related 糖心Vlog官方 News story: Payload for space launch tested at NASA facility, June 26, 2022

A few days prior to the launch, the rest of the Project Imua team was in Virginia for fine tuning and final integration.

“The hands-on, authentic research conducted by our 糖心Vlog官方 Community College students challenges them to set their sights on lofty goals, while building the demanding skills required in high-tech, STEM careers,” said Project Manager Joe Ciotti, a Windward CC professor. “They鈥檝e learned through their intense year-long collaboration with NASA engineers that, when it comes to dreams and achievements, the sky鈥檚 the limit.”

More Project Imua stories

After reaching its peak, the payload carrying the experiments descended by parachute and landed in the Atlantic Ocean, off the Virginia coast. Plans were for the students to receive their flown experiments and any stored data after the payload was recovered from the ocean.

More Project Imua missions are scheduled to fly for 糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 future rocket scientists.

—By Kelli Abe Trifonovitch

The is building upon and expanding its extensive philanthropic investments in University of Hawaiʻi programs and students with four gifts totaling $660,000.

This brings Alakaʻina Foundation鈥檚 total giving to 糖心Vlog官方 over the years to nearly $1.8 million.

The new gifts include funds for programs on Kauaʻi that Alakaʻina has supported in years past, the Digital Bus Program—which brings a mobile laboratory to public schools to stimulate students鈥� interest in science and technology—and scholarships for Kauaʻi CC students transferring to the 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa , as well as students enrolled in Kauaʻi CC鈥檚 program.

Alakaʻina Foundation is expanding its giving to support two additional programs that serve the Native Hawaiian community—the 糖心Vlog官方 Community Colleges鈥� and the 糖心Vlog官方 Hilo .

“Our mission is to ensure the young men and women of Hawaiʻi have the skills and competencies they need to be effective leaders in the community,” said Alakaʻina Foundation Executive Director Kimo Bacon. “One of the ways we support this mission is to preserve and support ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, as the Hawaiian language is an official language recognized by the Constitution of the State of Hawaiʻi. We also support our mission by developing innovative educational programs that combine leadership, science and technology, and environmental stewardship, and these 糖心Vlog官方 programs help to fulfill that goal.”

A , the Alakaʻina Foundation disperses profits from its seven government service firms to nonprofit activities that benefit the Native Hawaiian community, primarily the youth of Hawaiʻi.

Immense impact

“These diverse and strategic gifts will have immense impact across the state,” said 糖心Vlog官方 President David Lassner. “They will help us revitalize the Hawaiian language; help non-traditional students including working parents earn associate degrees entirely online; expand STEM education on Kauaʻi; and provide scholarships for students studying engineering and electronics technology. It鈥檚 an incredible honor to partner with such generous donors who are so committed to improve the lives of 贬补飞补颈ʻ颈鈥檚 people through higher education.”

“We are very grateful that Alakaʻina is taking a system-wide approach to their giving,” said 糖心Vlog官方 Vice President of Advancement and 糖心Vlog官方 Foundation CEO Tim Dolan. “Mahalo to Alakaʻina Foundation for their long-term vision and commitment to perpetuating Native Hawaiian culture, knowledge and values.”

Two University of Hawaiʻi Community College students and their advisor spent more than a week at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to prepare their scientific payload for a space launch in August. They are part of a team of students who have been collaborating on this project for months.

students designed and built a small, light-weight rocket that will convert camphor to gas to propel its release into space at the peak of the NASA rocket鈥檚 flight. The team designed a camera system and inertial measurement devices to monitor the motion of the small experimental rocket. The entire payload is less than a foot long, weighs less than 15 pounds and is almost entirely encased in aluminum.

• Read more 糖心Vlog官方 News stories on the Project Imua program.

Students trouble-shoot payload

After the payload failed an initial power test, Windward CC student Nikki Arakawa, the rocket team lead, had to rewire the interface and power connections. Following another successful power test, Arakawa was able to turn the payload over to the Wallops integration team for placement in the rocket to be launched in August.

Arakawa, who graduated with her bachelor鈥檚 degree in electrical engineering from 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa in May 2022 and was recently part of an award-winning rocketry team, said she is now considering going to graduate school to study aerospace mechanical engineering.

“I only just had a chance to start trying out all these things, and it just feels like—gosh I just wish I started this a lot earlier,” she said.

While at NASA, D鈥橢lle Martin, the team lead for Honolulu CC, ran checks on the various systems, including the video capture units.

“What I realized throughout this project and through my previous project with Honolulu Community College—through both electronics programming and model rocketry—is that even though you might have a major that may not be necessarily towards engineering, you can still learn a lot about working in a team, but also different pathways to STEM careers,” Martin said.

The current 糖心Vlog官方 M膩noa architecture student said the Project Imua experience has inspired her to consider the nascent specialization of space architecture.

Arakawa and Martin were accompanied by mentor Jacob Hudson from Windward CC. Mentor Shidong Kan, a Honolulu CC associate professor of physics, will escort four students to the NASA facility for final integration of the payload onto the rocket and launch, which is tentatively scheduled for August 9.

Mission 10 is funded through the and represents the fourth time that a 糖心Vlog官方 Project Imua payload will be launched into outer space.

The first Project Imua payload was launched from Wallops in 2015.

County of Maui police officers, principals and vice principals, and information technology personnel from the learned more about digital evidence found on mobile devices in July. The workshop on mobile forensics was led by cybersecurity and mobile forensics expert Karen L. Paullet at the 糖心Vlog官方 Maui College campus.

“Almost every case we have today has a mobile device involved, which has valuable information stored,” said Clyde Holokai, captain of the criminal investigations division of the Maui County Police Department. “With cybercrimes becoming more prevalent and more complicated today, the workshop provided the training and tools needed to help us become better at our job.”

Driven by safety and for education purposes, Paullet shared theories on mobile forensics, specialized gadgets and software, updates on social media, as well as methods to find and analyze data. She is an associate professor of computer and information systems at Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania, and a faculty board member at its Center for Cyber Research and Training.

The workshop was made possible by a National Science Foundation grant and a partnership with 糖心Vlog官方 Maui College.

糖心Vlog官方 Maui College offers an associate鈥檚 degree in and in .

—By Kit Furukawa

The program at is undergoing big changes, with new equipment, a revised curriculum and exciting projects. Also, renovation work has just begun on the electronics classroom and lab.

“The emphasis in the program has been changed to be more industrial,” said electronics Instructor Bernard “Chip” Michels. “So the whole idea here is to focus more on the telecommunications and on the process and controls arena, or automation.”

It’s all part of an effort to give electronics students the skills they need to succeed in today’s job market.

“The way Chip runs it is starting with the fundamentals,” said Jack Anderson, a student in the electronics program. “So you’ve got all the components like transistors and integrated circuits, and as we build through the program you go into the applications like telecommunications, the things that make our cell phones and internet connections work. But it’s also the industrial side of things, so your power and water utilities. It’s all covered and controlled by electronics.”

Efforts to modernize the program have been helped with a $96,000 grant that was used to purchase new equipment.

“We’re using state-of-the-art. We’re using what’s very much out in the field right now,” said Michels.

Special projects give students exciting ways to apply their newfound knowledge. Several students recently helped build a robot and went to Florida to compete in the 2017 NASA Robotic Mining Competition.

“Really fun time,” said Anderson. “Flew over to Kennedy Space Center to do that project.”

Students are currently working on a project with the Hawaiʻi CC agriculture program to automate the program’s greenhouse irrigation system.

“I believe that the knowledge and skills they learn here can be applicable anywhere,” said Michels. “And that is my goal, to make them a little more universal.”

Some graduates of the electronics program transfer to four-year campuses like the to earn their bachelor’s degree.

“The upper campus runs a computer science program, so I’m going to transfer there and finish my undergraduate,” says Anderson.

—By Thatcher Moats

University of Hawaiʻi faculty members Erick Cremer, Albert S. Kim, Kenneth L. Lawson, Winona K. Lee, Nicolas Logue, Michelle A. Manes, Tara B. O驶Neill, Derek Otsuji, Adam Pack, Shane B. Payba, Georgeanne Purvinis, Scott C. Sinnett, Cheri Souza and Carleen S. Yokotake were honored with the Board of Regents’ Medal for Excellence. The award is a tribute to faculty members who exhibit an extraordinary level of subject level mastery and scholarship, teaching effectiveness, and creativity and personal values that benefit students.

2017 honorees

Erick Cremer
Assistant Professor, ,

As the Nursing Learning Resource Center instructor at Hawaiʻi Community College’s Hilo campus, Erick Cremer collaborates with teaching faculty to support student learning in the laboratory setting. He leads skills workshops, provides math tutoring, delivers academic and career counseling and conducts outreach in the community.

Students describe him as an indispensable guide on their academic journey who is dedicated to their success from the moment they are accepted. He is an approachable, helpful, knowledgeable and encouraging mentor for students.

An exceptional teacher who finds creative ways to simplify difficult concepts, Cremer is aware of different learning styles and tailors his teaching approach for each student. He creates a supportive learning environment to help students become nurturing and thoughtful nurses.

Cremer earned his associate of science in nursing from the Hawaiʻi CC nursing program. He also has a certificate from 糖心Vlog官方 Hilo, a bachelor’s of science from the University of California鈥揇avis, a master鈥檚 of science from 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa and a master’s of science from Gonzaga University.

Albert S. Kim
Associate Professor, ,

Albert S. Kim is an associate professor in the civil and environmental engineering department in the College of Engineering.

He is described by his students as a “once-in-a-generation mentor, professor and teacher, inspiring the next generation of engineers and leaders” and as “instrumental in unlocking my potential and finding my calling.”

Kim makes the complex field of engineering accessible and fun, creating a sense of community and belonging in the classroom. He attends, with greater focus, to students who are initially lagging, with a goal to produce academically mature students who are able to face and tackle complex practical problems with technological honesty, sincerity and creativity.

Kim has developed his own text for one course, and his blog and ample external resources are tremendous additions to this program.

Kenneth L. Lawson
Associate Faculty Specialist, ,

Kenneth Lawson is an associate faculty specialist and co-director of the Hawaiʻi Innocence Project (HIP) at the William S. Richardson School of Law.

He brings what his colleagues describe as “extraordinary gifts” and “strength of character” into the classroom, and in so doing is “truly inspirational to his colleagues as well as his students.” Even more impressive is the passionate engagement of his students with praise that resonates for all his diverse and substantial teaching load.

He is also credited for his innovations that have transformed HIP into a place where law students learn to conduct intake, investigate claims of innocence, evaluate cases and advocate on behalf of inmates with strong factual evidence of actual innocence. He encourages students to regard HIP as a teaching law firm with exceptionally high standards.

Winona K. Lee
Assistant Professor, ,

Winona K. Lee is an assistant professor in the Department of Native Hawaiian Health at the John A. Burns School of Medicine. She envisions herself as hale ipukukui or lighthouse, in direct lineage from her great-grandfather 70 years ago, the lighthouse keeper at Kalaupapa.

Teaching in the ʻImi Hoʻōla (Hawaiian for “those who seek to heal”) program with students from disadvantaged backgrounds, Lee applies adaptive learning practices, tailoring instruction and curricula to meet students’ individual learning styles based on each student’s foundational knowledge, strengths, individual learning styles, motivations and challenges. This innovative and progressive medical professional curriculum has been a part of the ʻImi Hoʻōla Program curriculum and evaluation since 2007.

Lee’s mission is to teach complex biological concepts and processes to students whose weakest areas prior to ʻImi Hoʻōla were the sciences. Every year Lee provides her students an exceptional service-learning opportunity by traveling to Kalaupapa (home of two historic Hansen’s disease settlements), a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that impacts deeply on their future professional work.

Nicolas Logue
Instructor, ,

Nicolas Logue is a theatre educator, actor, director and fight choreographer who has worked professionally in London, New York, Beijing and Honolulu. Prior to joining the faculty at Windward CC, Logue served as head of world performance at East 15 Acting School in England. He is currently planning a study abroad trip with students to London this summer which includes studies at the Globe Theatre, home of Shakespeare.

Students say that Logue is a fearless and inspiring leader who connects with students on a personal level, as individuals. He relates theatre and games to life. He teaches practical skills鈥攖o listen, to be disciplined, to focus and be committed.

One student who is a Gulf-War Vet with post traumatic stress disorder said, “Each class was therapeutic, sometimes painful, but always a self-examination. I am forever grateful. Of all the instructors I have met since leaving military service behind, Nick is the only one who I can be completely honest with. His professionalism and candidness mark him both as a mentor to be emulated, and a friend to be trusted.”

Another student said, “I would not be the person I am—happy and goal-oriented—if it was not for Nick Logue. He has changed my life for the better.”

Michelle A. Manes
Associate Professor, ,

Associate Professor Michelle Manes believes the teaching of mathematics can develop through collaboration, partial progress, incremental success and revisions. She feels strongly that her students gain confidence in their mathematical abilities through animated, engaging problems rather than skill drills.

Manes inspires and assists graduate students who describe her as having an immense impact on their careers as they journey on their paths toward becoming educators.

She extends her teaching beyond the campus through collaboration with another Mānoa colleague on projects and grants to support K–12 mathematics education, including the development of an electronic mathematics textbook. These efforts have created a trajectory for high school graduates who are better prepared for their academic journeys at 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa.

Tara B. O’Neill
Associate Professor, ,

Associate Professor Tara O鈥橬eill has a teaching philosophy rooted in equity and social justice that has become fortified during her eight years at 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa. She has worked with pre-service teachers and their Department of Education teaching mentors, in educational partnerships with the Polynesian Voyaging Society and ʻOhana Waʻa, and has represented the College of Education as a crew member on Leg 9 of Hōkūleʻa’s Worldwide Voyage.

These experiences have influenced her commitment to teaching STEM-based courses and have led her to develop a new educational construct called STEMS2, the first four letters indicating science, technology, engineering and mathematics to which she has added social studies and sense of place.

She credits the Hawaiian reciprocal process of aʻo, that is, to teach and to learn, as guiding her and her students through “self-reflection and supporting productive and critical science argumentation, while working together through moments of cognitive dissonance and conflict that emerge from democratic exchange.” Her approaches inspire students and colleagues alike.

Derek Otsuji
Assistant Professor, ,

Derek Otsuji is described by his students and peers as “cheerful, effective, empathetic, innovative, peerless, patient and approachable.”

His students describe a “stellar teacher,” who is able to mix humility and creative metaphors in class to help students understand main concepts. He also maintains a calm understanding with students with disabilities.

Underscoring his approachability, most striking for his faculty peers is the steady stream of students seen every day coming to his office. It was noted that on a “slow” day he would see at least four or five students. On busy days, there would be 10 to 12. Another teacher was so impressed with his teaching ability that the teacher sat in on his class for professional development.

His students also noted that “Mr. O,” as they refer to him, spends considerable time helping with student scholarships and even job applications.

Finally, Otsuji also finds time to participate significantly in campus activities as an advisor. He arranges and finds financial support for enrichment activities for students and faculty, such as a recent day of culture, music, free food, art and prizes.

Adam Pack
Professor, ,

Adam Pack, a professor of psychology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, is regarded by students and colleagues as an outstanding, engaging and enthusiastic professor at the graduate and undergraduate levels, an extremely effective advisor and a wonderful mentor who operates both inside and outside the classroom.

Pack also serves as chair of the Department of Psychology, co-director of the Listening Observatory for Hawaiʻi Ecosystems Bioacoustics laboratory and holds a joint appointment in biology. He is a world-renowned mammal behavior expert with a passion for research. Students are inspired by his teaching, which includes the infusion of relevant examples from his own marine mammal research and the use of whole class experiments to communicate complex material.

Outside the classroom, he joins students on field expeditions where he motivates the entire research team, even under the worst of weather conditions and the roughest seas.

Shane B. Payba
Counselor,

Shane Payba earned a bachelor of arts in psychology from 糖心Vlog官方 Mānoa. Upon graduating, he worked with Kāhi Mōhala and the Department of Human Services Child Welfare Service.

In 1999 he accepted a position at Maui Community College as a counselor for the federally funded TRiO Upward Bound Program. There he honed his counseling skills working with and advising low-income and first-generation high school students. In 2004, Payba joined the college’s counseling department and became its special needs coordinator. For the next two years he served students with disabilities by facilitating academic accommodations.

In 2006 Payba transitioned to his current position as a liberal arts counselor. While holding this position, he has served the college and 糖心Vlog官方 System in many roles, including: 糖心Vlog官方 Maui College STAR representative and builder; Counseling Department director; Running Start coordinator; College Pamantasan Council representative; and co-advisor for the Kabatak Club, a College Filipino student organization.

Payba’s counseling interests and passions involve student recruitment, retention, persistence and transfer into four-year university programs. He is committed and dedicated to serving low-income and first-generation students, and helping students from Hawaiʻi’s local and underrepresented populations attain post-secondary education success.

Georgeanne Purvinis
Assistant Professor, ,

Georgeanne Purvinis teaches electronics, engineering, optics and programming at Kauaʻi CC. She is a former senior research scientist with Battelle Memorial Institute, telecom engineer and has served as an engineer with Lockheed Martin Orlando Aerospace.

Purvinis has been awarded grants from NASA, NOAA, DOE and HDOA to provide students with high impact experiential learning opportunities. She is also a beekeeper and the principal investigator of the apiary project at Kauaʻi CC. In the Daniel K. Inouye Technology building on campus, Purvinis fosters a place for students to hang out, work on projects or school work, play (video games!) eat and socialize.

Prior to joining Kauaʻi CC in 2012, she was a senior research scientist specializing in optics and photonics. During that time she volunteered as a judge in science fairs, as guest speaker at colleges and as a role model to high school students on “Shadow a Scientist” work day.

Scott C. Sinnett
Associate Professor, ,

Scott Sinnett is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology who is known for his rigor in teaching some of the more difficult courses in cognitive science and memory.

Described as being easy to approach and supportive of student learning, Sinnett is known for delivering exemplary lectures, expanding his pedagogical methods to visual demonstrations that are mindful and diverse and utilizing current social trends, humor and intriguing research to encourage class participation, even in the largest of classes.

Sinnett elevates energy levels and fosters highly collaborative learning environments. He also provides an extensive network of support and guidance on how to develop class projects and activities, effectively run a classroom, deal with unexpected obstacles and develop a course of one’s own from the ground up.

Cheri Souza
Counselor,

As a counselor for the Department of Health Sciences/Emergency Medical Services and the advisor to the Board of Student Publications at Kapiʻolani CC, Cheri Souza supplements classroom learning by helping students engage in co-curricular activities. She is student-focused and motivational, helping students to grow academically as well as socially and emotionally. During workshops and leadership activities, Souza works on eliminating perceived barriers by sharing experiences about herself and asking students to do the same. The result is a genuine dialogue of trust and mutual respect.

Souza’s persona is that of a confidante and friend. One student commented that, “Cheri remembers me and my situation. I always felt like I would have to remind Cheri of my situation but she always knew where we left off and was always clear with what I needed to do next. I always leave knowing way more than before I walked in.”

Souza’s peers applaud her strong work ethic and professionalism. She believes in the kaizen method of continuous improvement. In discipline and department reviews, she examined student and program learning outcomes and helped to create and implement recommendations for professional improvement. She assesses her own effectiveness through surveys and by soliciting student feedback.

Carleen S. Yokotake
Professor, speech,

Carleen Yokotake has served Leeward CC as an outstanding teacher for more than 20 years. She commits herself wholeheartedly to everything she undertakes and never hesitates to research and implement new instructional techniques, activities and assignments. Described by her students as “awesome,” she approaches her classes with humility and an incomparable sense of humor, challenging and engaging her students.

Described by her peers as “a knowledgeable, innovative, charismatic and compassionate instructor, leader and colleague,” Yokotake is an influential mentor to other faculty members, often presenting at professional development workshops to share useful and relevant teaching strategies with colleagues across the system. She helped develop and coordinate the mid-semester classroom assessment program, which gives faculty an opportunity to receive input from students to improve student learning outcomes by the end of the semester.

Yokotake has also recently developed, planned and implemented the new lecturer training program. She served as the speech discipline coordinator for 14 years and served on the division personnel committee for seven years.

With her tremendous list of accomplishments, Yokotake is truly an invaluable contributor to the college, her division and her colleagues.

Please contact your campus chancellor’s office for more information about the application process.

Advanced communications technology could bring broadband wireless service to remote and rural areas in the Hawaiian Islands, under a new research grant funded by the (NSF).

The at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s received $500,000 to pursue an innovative solution based on improving the efficiency of radio spectrum utilization.

And it’s not just wireless for folks living off the grid in Hāna. Across the United States, more than 19 million people, or 6 percent of the population, do not have access to reliable broadband communications coverage. Availability of such coverage is essential to education, jobs, healthcare and economic development, yet many people living in rural or otherwise inaccessible areas have only low-speed dial-up access or no data service at all.

Rough terrain and large undeveloped areas often present challenges to the implementation of cost-effective and reliable broadband wireless service.

The Hawaiʻi Center for Advanced Communications is proposing a new solution based on the use of smart networking with high-performance directional antennas, propagation modeling applications and spectrum-sensing resources.

“New network access protocols need to be developed, so that these advances may be achieved without affecting available communications standards and systems,” said Magdy F. Iskander, director of the Hawaiʻi Center for Advanced Communications. “Our solution represents a bold new concept for integrating these new capabilities to support customers in low-density regions.”

The program director for the NSF electrical, communications and cyber systems division who recommended the grant described the Hawaiʻi Center for Advanced Communications proposal as “an excellent proposal which will make a major impact on wireless communications for rural areas…[It] will have a transformative impact on rural communities.”

The new NSF funding will support three years of research and development activity, during which time Iskander and the Hawaiʻi Center for Advanced Communications team will develop a prototype of their new broadband technology and test it in rural areas in Hawaiʻi.

—

—By Talia Ogliore

will host an open house on Tuesday, April 30, 5–7 p.m. to provide information about the college’s and programs. It will be held at the Hawaiʻi CC Manono Campus in Building 391, Room 6.

The professors leading the programs, college administrators, graduates and current students will be on hand to answer questions and provide information.

Open house attendees can also check out a laser display, a solar battery charger built by students from the electronics technology program and database programs IT students created from scratch. Potential students can earn what careers are available in these fascinating technological fields.

“Computers and electronics are central to the operations of business, government and nonprofit organizations, so there is always a demand for employees trained in these fields,” said Joyce Hamasaki, the interim dean of career and technical education at Hawaiʻi CC. “This open house is a great opportunity for potential students, parents, and other members of the public to learn about two exciting programs at the college that can lead to rewarding careers right here in Hawaiʻi.”

For more information about the open house, read the or call (808) 934-2523.

—By Nicole Atienza