Hawaiʻi is facing a critical shortage of neurosurgeons, leaving many patients with long waits or forced to travel off-island for care. The (JABSOM) is working to address the shortage through a mentorship program that trains the next generation of specialists while encouraging them to practice locally.

JABSOM alumnus Thomas Noh returned home to join the faculty and quickly saw how the problem would worsen as current neurosurgeons retire.

“There was an opportunity, and a need, for JABSOM to build interest in the field and get more people excited about going into neurosurgery,” he said.

The program offers hands-on surgical rotations, opportunities to contribute to research projects in Nohʻs lab and access to professional networks, with an emphasis on empowering women and students from underrepresented communities.

“One of Hawaiʻi's super powers is that we have incredibly bright, very motivated students who want to make Hawaiʻi their home,” Noh said. “If we can connect this pool of extremely qualified candidates with opportunities across neurosurgery, there’s hope that some of these students will get excited about it and want to build a career in Hawaiʻi.”

Invaluable mentorship experience

Third-year medical student Janette Bow-Keola said the mentorship has been invaluable.

“When I started med school, I had the idea that I wanted to pursue neurosurgery, but I didn’t think it was really achievable, coming from my background as an underrepresented person in medicine,” she said. “I struggled with imposter syndrome and doubting whether I was right for medicine or worthy of going into neurosurgery.”

Through the experience I’m getting at JABSOM, I’ve built confidence in myself and my training and what I can offer patients.
—Janette Bow-Keola

When Bow-Keola met Noh, he affirmed that neurosurgery was within reach and that JABSOM could help her get there. “Through the experience I’m getting at JABSOM, I’ve built confidence in myself and my training and what I can offer patients,” she said.

Bow-Keola plans to return to Hawaiʻi to address disparities in care and the declining neurosurgeon workforce.

Another success story is alumna Andie Conching—the first known Native Hawaiian woman accepted into a neurosurgery residency—who also credits mentorship at JABSOM and plans to return home to practice.

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Growing up in Waiʻanae surrounded by nurses in her family, Emma Tilitile was inspired by their deep compassion for patients and community, a spirit she carried with her through nursing school at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�. In spring 2025, she earned her BS in nursing from the (SONDH), while also becoming a dedicated mentor to fellow students.

A proud graduate of Waiʻanae High School, Tilitile got a head start on college through Early College programs at and ����Vlog�ٷ� West Oʻahu. Combined with her coursework at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�, those credits helped her earn an Associate in Arts degree in fall 2024 through the university’s reverse transfer program.

Still, the path to becoming a nurse wasn’t without moments of doubt. “Once I entered nursing school, and things got tough, I questioned whether I had made the right choice,” she said.

In her final semester, while caring for a patient recovering from open-heart surgery in the Queen’s Medical Center’s cardiovascular ICU, she found clarity. “They thanked me and told me I’d be a great nurse,” she said. “Until then, I knew I wanted to be a nurse, but I wasn’t always sure I’d be a good one. Hearing that reaffirmed that this is my path.”

From mentee to mentor

Inspired by the guidance she received, Tilitile gave back as a mentor through ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s Hawaiʻi Undergraduate Initiative, a partnership between the Academic Resource Center and the Student Nurses Association that supports students who, like her, were learning how to navigate the challenges of nursing school.

“My first semester was tough. We had to shift from a ‘normal’ way of thinking to a nurse’s way of thinking,” Tilitile said. “What’s considered common sense in nursing doesn’t feel like common sense at first. You have to retrain your brain. As a mentor, I tried to help students make that shift more smoothly. Practice helps, but having someone guide you makes a big difference.”

One moment she’ll never forget came at her pinning ceremony, when a student she had tutored virtually, showed up in person to thank her. “That one session helped her pass her exam,” Tilitile said. “It reassured me that maybe my actions do make a difference.”

Mentoring also helped her grow. “I found joy in teaching and sharing what I’d learned,” she said. “It’s shaped my goals, and I hope to keep mentoring and maybe teach nursing students someday.”

She added, “Mentoring deepened my empathy. Patients are often vulnerable and unsure, relying on us for care and comfort. That’s something I carry with me.”

She is now preparing to take the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) test which must be passed to become a licensed Registered Nurse. Tilitile plans to pursue a career in critical care nursing with a focus on cardiovascular health and eventually wants to return to school to become a family nurse practitioner.

— by Arlene Abiang

The offers college students an opportunity to gain paid summer work experience at an observatory, company or science/technical facility on Hawaiʻi Island, Maui or University of California, Santa Cruz while earning course credit at . The internship program is led by the Institute for Scientist and Engineer Educators (ISEE) at University of California Observatories, in partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi.

As a part of the Akamai Workforce Initiative, the internship program seeks to develop a skilled STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workforce to meet the needs of Hawaiʻi’s growing high-tech industry. .

More than 500 college students have participated in the internship program since it launched in 2003. At least 250 alumni now hold careers in science and technology.

“We are committed to provide empowering opportunities through Akamai to our Hawaiʻi students so they are ready for careers within the high-tech sector,” said Doug Simons, executive director at the (IfA). “The state’s astronomy sector is one economic artery that provides employment for hundreds of local people and is an example of how Hawaiʻi can further diversify its economy through innovation.”

The 8-week internship will run from June 3 to August 10, 2024. Interns will be paid a $4,400 stipend, provided housing (if needed), and travel support to their internship sites.

The Akamai Workforce Initiative is led by ISEE at the University of California Observatories in partnership with ����Vlog�ٷ� IfA and ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo.

Internship provides STEM work experience

Upon acceptance into the program, Akamai interns are carefully matched with a project and a mentor within their field, who will supervise the intern throughout the summer. All Akamai interns complete a one-week intensive preparatory course at ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo, where they gain the skills needed to be successful in the workplace and meet other interns along with Akamai staff and mentors. Mentors help interns gain work experience and build a network that will help launch their STEM careers. The interns are coached on communication skills, and will present their projects at the end of summer at a public symposium.

Local students get local STEM jobs

Since its inception in 2003, more than 500 college students have participated in the Akamai Internship Program and at least 125 alumni are working in Hawaiʻi and contributing to the local STEM workforce. Akamai accepts college students from Hawaiʻi (80% graduated from a Hawaiʻi high school or were born in Hawaiʻi), and a key objective is to increase the participation of underrepresented and underserved populations in STEM. Akamai Workforce Initiative alumni are 37% women, 23% Native Hawaiian and 47% underrepresented minorities.

“I participated in Akamai in the Summer of 2015 after my junior year at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�. Having the internship at the Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope (CFHT) provided key skills and knowledge that led to my position at Pearl Harbor upon graduation,” said Raycen Wong, mechanical engineer at CFHT. “I’m from Hilo and having a position in my field on Hawaiʻi Island, in particular at CFHT, became a longterm career goal due to the experiences I had as an Akamai intern.”

Placements at telescopes and tech companies

Interns in recent years have been placed at many Hawaiʻi Island firms including Big Island Abalone Farm, Canada-France-Hawaiʻi Telescope, Cyanotech, Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company, Gemini North Observatory, Liquid Robotics, Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaiʻi Authority, Smithsonian Submillimeter Array, Academia Sinica Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Subaru Telescope, IfA and W. M. Keck Observatory.

Maui placements include Air Force Research Laboratory, Boeing, Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, HNu Photonics, KBR, Maui High Performance Computing Center, Pacific Disaster Center, Privateer Space and IfA.

Placements are also available at University of California Observatories on the campus of UC Santa Cruz, and the Laboratory for Adaptive Optics and astronomical instrumentation projects.

Mentoring to ensure student success

The Akamai Program is a community partnership that offers an exceptional mentoring experience for students. Each year more than 50 engineers and scientists from telescopes and tech companies generate ideas for intern projects that will make a real contribution to their work and will provide a challenging educational experience for the intern. Many mentors participate in the Akamai Mentor Workshop, where they plan how to provide an experience that will help launch interns into a successful career in STEM.

“As a previous intern, I can truly speak to the pivotal experience that the Akamai Internship Program provided for me,” said Heather Kaluna, an associate professor of who now manages the internship program at Akamai. “I am happy to be able to give back and support similar experiences for other Hawaiʻi-based students.”

Akamai Funders

This year the Akamai Internship Program is funded by Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, National Science Foundation (through the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, Gemini Observatory, Event Horizon Telescope, Slicer Combined with Array of Lenslets for Exoplanet Spectroscopy).

For more information go to the website.

A new online platform launching this fall aims to connect University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� undergraduate students with a faculty mentor who is willing to introduce and/or guide them in their faculty-mentored research or creative work project.

is being introduced to ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� through the (UROP). The platform is a searchable database of faculty and student profiles and opportunities to help students determine which ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� faculty member may be best-suited to serve as their research or creative work mentor. Faculty members and students must create their own profiles to be added to the database. It features a built-in messaging system to help students communicate with potential mentors, and also contains a searchable database of on- and off-campus undergraduate research and creative work opportunities.

“Our goal with this program is two-fold. One, to lower the barrier for students to engage in research and creative work by helping them discover and connect with a potential faculty mentor, and two, to make it easier for faculty mentors to post, search for and recruit undergraduate mentees,” UROP Director Creighton Litton said.

UROP awards more than $500,000 in scholarships annually directly to students to support faculty-mentored undergraduate research and creative work projects and presentations, including opportunities for students with interest but no prior experience in research or creative work. Faculty-mentored undergraduate research and creative work is a high-impact practice, which means that students who engage in this practice have shown to be more satisfied with their degree programs, more likely to stay in school and finish their degrees on time, and more likely to excel in the workforce post-graduation.

While faculty-mentored research and creative work is a high-impact factor, a primary barrier to student engagement in this practice on our campus is the ability for a student to identify a faculty who is willing to mentor them. Litton is hoping that ForagerOne will help to reduce that barrier.

“We encourage all ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� undergraduate students and faculty mentors to try ForagerOne,” Litton said. “We hope that more students and faculty utilizing this platform will result in more scholarship funding awarded, and more participation in our increasingly popular programs, such as the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, project and presentation funding, and Entering Research and Creative Work funding.”

UROP is currently collating faculty mentor profiles, and the entire platform will become available to the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� campus, including all undergraduate students, in fall 2023.

Create your profile on . Log in using your ����Vlog�ٷ� username and password, and input your information for your faculty profile. Additional questions can be directed to urop@hawaii.edu.

Kelsea Kanoho Hosoda’s enriching experiences in STEM at the influenced her goal to one day make an impact in science education programs in Hawaiʻi.

����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� was a great place for me to deepen my knowledge in both sciences and ʻIke Hawaiʻi
—Kelsea Hosoda

The Native Hawaiian educator and ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� alumna is currently a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She was recently awarded the National Institutes of Health (NIH) K99 Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) grant, which enhances diversity within the academic biomedical research workforce through its support of promising postdocs into research faculty positions.

Thanks to the grant, she is one step closer to reaching her long-term goal of attaining a faculty position in Hawaiʻi to directly assess and improve the impact of STEM programs, particularly for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

Finding community at ����Vlog�ٷ�

Hosoda has more than 10 years of experience in Indigenous STEM program development, implementation and analysis from her time at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�.

She credits ����Vlog�ٷ� not only for its high-level academic courses but also for helping her develop a strong community of Native Hawaiians in STEM. During her nine years as a student, she earned her PhD in , her MS in and her BS in and .

“����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� was a great place for me to deepen my knowledge in both sciences and ʻIke Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian knowledge) and influenced my research goal to further the science of mentorship and multicultural identity integration,” said Hosoda.

Early in her college career, she became part of the (NHSEMP). “It provided a much-needed community of support to navigate through my biology degree and also maintain ties with the Native Hawaiian community through opportunities like tutoring at Ānuenue Hawaiian Immersion school and going on huakaʻi (learning journeys) to Kahoʻolawe,” she said.

As part of NHSEMP, Hosoda attended the American Indian Science and Engineering (AISES) national conference and was impressed. “I was enamored by how Indigenous knowledge and sciences were seen in harmony through its council of elders, presentations and STEM industry partners.”

Encouraged by what she learned, she worked with NHSEMP to co-found the first AISES chapter at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� and in Hawaiʻi. Today, the chapter has grown in membership and involvement in the community.

In addition, Hosoda served as program manager for both NHSEMP and the in the , and helped support students in STEM majors through mentorship, cultural programming, career development, research experiences and more.

“It’s thrilling that Native Hawaiian scholars such as Dr. Hosoda are being recognized and being funded by the NIH for research that centers culturally-relevant evaluation methods in biomedical training,” said Rosie Alegado, associate professor of oceanography and one of Hosoda’s mentors who served on her PhD dissertation committee. “This award supports the completion of Dr. Hosoda’s postdoctoral training and her transition to an independent faculty position, and it would be a coup for ����Vlog�ٷ� to get her back.”

Researching kindness and biomedical career pathways

At UCSF, Hosoda is working on two projects that focus on the science of mentorship, diversity and longitudinal quantitative program evaluation. The Social Influence of Kindness project examines how people give and receive kindness. Her quantitative research found that kindness is significant in promoting well-being, reducing stress and identifying as a member of one’s defined institution.

Her second project, Scaling Up Biomedical Career Pathway Programs, works in collaboration with other institutions and builds on a previous study to increase the number of Indigenous STEM faculty at universities across the nation. She leads a virtual community of practice providing mentorship, networking and resource opportunities for Indigenous STEM scholars, and is interested in understanding how they see harmony or conflict between their Indigenous and STEM identities.

“Through the NIH grant, I will strengthen my expertise in quantitative research methods to validate culturally relevant measures for Indigenous populations, while growing my independent research program that informs interventions and programs that amplify the knowledge of Indigenous scholars pursuing biomedical science careers,” said Hosoda.

—By Arlene Abiang

A new student-led peer mentoring program for Hawaiʻi Island highschoolers is taking shape at . The pairs ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo student mentors with faculty members to give individualized support to first-year college students. The student mentors presented the program’s objectives at the annual in October in an effort to showcase how schools statewide can better serve keiki.

“The students were able to share both survey results and their personal experience building mentorship relationships with first-year students,” said Helen Tien, a management instructor and academic advisor at ����Vlog�ٷ� �ᾱ����’s business college. “Conference attendees included administrators and teachers from every island and almost every elementary, middle and high school in the state.”

The aim of the Ka Pouhana program, which is based at the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Center for Place-Based Socioemotional Development, is to tighten the bonds between mentors and first-year university students in order to increase communication, coordination and understanding meant to boost recruitment and retention at the university level.

����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo students serving as peer mentors include Catherine Corella, Ayzlynne-Kalia Fishman-DeVera, Trevondrick Francis, Mahina Hanakeawe, Tuʻupuamalamakahonua Helekahi, Tiffani Napihaa, Kit Neikirk, Mekaila Pasco, Elena-Marie Waianuhe and Tiffani Napihaa.

The Ka Pouhana program is led by Margary Martin, an associate professor at ����Vlog�ٷ� �ᾱ����’s and executive director of the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Center for Place-Based Socioemotional Development. Along with Tien, who is an affiliate faculty at the center, faculty mentors this fall include Instructor Colby MacNaughton (Education), Professor Celia Bardwell-Jones (Philosophy), Instructor Jenni Guillen (Biology), Associate Professor John Burns (Marine Science), Associate Professor Michael Peterson (Computer Science) and Associate Professor Misty Pacheco (Kinesiology and Exercise Science).

The Ka Pouhana Mentoring Program is funded by at the .

For more go to .

A $500,000 grant awarded to the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo will fund a pilot program that will partner student peer mentors with faculty to grow and secure the pipeline to college for youth on Hawaiʻi Island.

Oak Foundation seeded the innovative tiered program being developed at the Center for Place-Based Socioemotional Development, also known as The Hilo Center. The grant was recently awarded to the Hawaiʻi Island campus program by the Oak Foundation Fund at the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation. Oak Foundation, which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, has invested in a number of other Hawaiʻi Island community programs, including the 13th year program at .

“Support for this new program demonstrates Oak Foundation’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of Hawaiʻi Island youth and a continued investment in higher education,” said ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo Chancellor Bonnie D. Irwin. “We all benefit from strengthening the university’s connection to the community and from building the pipeline to college and helping students succeed.”

The tiered mentoring program is modeled after a number of successful student-led and partnership mentoring models. It also derives from previous research on student support conducted by Margary Martin, executive director of the Hilo Center and an associate professor in ����Vlog�ٷ� �ᾱ����’s School of Education, who will lead the program.

Martin said the COVID-19 pandemic has isolated students from their peers and professors and noted that even though classes are starting to resume in person, many students are choosing to stay online, which may have a direct impact on their college experiences, mental health and success.

“That sense of belonging and relationships are two of the strongest predictors for persisting with college and graduation rates,” she said. “We’re trying to create this whole pipeline of students, families and local communities to create these supportive networks.”

Building blocks

According to Martin, one of the most important aspects of the new program is that it is led by students as opposed to faculty. It is designed to cultivate the leadership skills of both the mentors and the mentored. Research shows students tend to seek different kinds of advice from their peers rather than from their faculty mentors, often reaching out more to their peer mentors much more than faculty.

The ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo pilot program will pair students with both peer and faculty member mentors throughout a two-year period. In addition, they will participate in workshops of interest and ‘ohana events and complete an annual community service project. Martin envisions participating students who were mentored eventually becoming mentors themselves to the program’s following cohort.

This spring, Martin will be recruiting student and faculty mentors and building a network. She plans to launch the program next fall with 10 faculty mentors, 10 student mentors and 50 student mentees, to build a “scaffolding” upon which the program can grow and expand.

Three student leaders have been chosen to co-construct the program and help recruit the student mentors for the paid positions. Leadership development training will begin this winter. The plan is to expand the program to high schools, where student mentors can help other students make a successful transition to college and create a strong network of support and pipeline for local students.

There’s a place on campus at the that helps undergraduate students across all disciplines engage in faculty-mentored research and creative work by providing programmatic and financial support.

Each year, the (UROP) provides approximately $500,000 to undergraduate students at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� working with world-renowned faculty mentors on projects and professional presentations. In academic year 2018–19, UROP provided funding to 195 students from roughly 40 unique majors.

Searchable opportunity database now available

A new UROP resource is the (SOC), a searchable database with thousands of online opportunity listings: research and creative work positions, internships, co-ops, conferences and more. Access is open to all undergraduate students, faculty and staff.

The SOC is comprised of two main databases: a national database of opportunities curated by using web-crawler technology to search the internet for thousands of listings, and a ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�-specific database. The SOC serves as a “one-stop-shop” for faculty-generated, on-campus opportunities.

Faculty can post their positions on the database, tagging listings by relevant majors, and students can use the database to search for listings. Students who subscribe to those specific majors will get notifications when a new listing is posted.

“Students frequently express that one of the major barriers to engaging in research and creative work is difficulty finding opportunities,” said Jessie Chen, ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� UROP program coordinator. “The Student Opportunity Center collates thousands of listings from numerous sources into one searchable database. Students are now able to browse thousands of opportunities at once, and even apply keyword searches or filters.”

More on UROP

UROP supports students with scholarship funding from ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�, programmatic support from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, and donor funding from the and . During its eight years of existence, UROP has distributed more than $2.5 million to more than 1,000 students.

Projects UROP students are working on include: studying the links between coffee and Type 2 diabetes risk factors, examining the impact of classical culture on Hawaiian society, and diagnosing nutrient deficiencies in Hawaiian breadfruit.

A cohort of undergraduate students got hands-on experience in community engagement as part of the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�’s (SURE) in the (UROP).

Students participated in mālama ʻāina by assisting in the native Hawaiian plant section and learning about the ahupuaʻa as well as native, canoe and invasive plants from staff at the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� .

One of those taking part was ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� junior dietetics major Gemady Langfelder. Her post graduation plans include obtaining her masters in public health with a focus on nutrition at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� and motivating communities to adopt healthier habits and lifestyles.

“It’s been amazing,” said Langfelder. “I’ve met a lot of really cool people, with similar interests and learned a lot about graduate admission in one of the events that was held by SURE.”

Through SURE, ����Vlog�ٷ� faculty and staff lead professional development modules to help undergraduate students hone their professional and academic skills while engaging in faculty-mentored research and creative works. Students can confer with their cohort about the challenges, solutions and rewards they experience when working on research or creative projects. SURE helps students build a sense of community and place while they are doing sometimes isolated work during the summer.

“What this program does is it helps students build the other skills they may not necessarily get out of their specific research project, so we’re talking about social skills, their interaction with each other. They’re also developing a passion for engaging with the community,” said Jessie Chen, ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� UROP program coordinator.

SURE culminates with a , August 1–2, for undergraduate students from all disciplines to showcase their research and creative work projects.

The goal is to ultimately prepare students to be engaged community members and leaders in their professions in Hawaiʻi and beyond post-graduation.

These UROP experiences are funded in part through the generous support of the and other donors.

A former teen mother and recovering addict. A young man who thought his lifetime work would be bagging groceries. A Niʻihau native with a six-year gap after graduating from high school. These are just several of the hundreds of lives that have been transformed through the groundbreaking Waiʻaleʻale Project at Kauaʻi Community College, which celebrates its 10th year in 2019.

Since its inception in 2010, the Waiʻaleʻale Project has positively impacted the lives of almost 800 Kauaʻi residents ages 18 through 66. Nearly 300 students have earned a bachelor’s or associate’s degree or a certificate.

Established through a generous donation from philanthropist Jim Lally, and with ongoing support from Kamehameha Schools, the Scheidel Foundation and numerous other benefactors, the Waiʻaleʻale Project encourages and finances non-college-bound high school students and adults to attend, and successfully complete, their first year of college.

The Waiʻaleʻale Project has been life-changing for individuals and their families. Here are some of their stories:

Joana Rodriguez, finding a future

Joana Rodriguez dropped out of high school in the 10th grade, but planned to get a nursing degree. At 16, she was told she was too young and to wait a year to come back. She didn’t come back. Instead, she got pregnant and fell into a drug addiction that lasted six years. During that time, she had a second child and was hospitalized for two months for illness related to her drug use.

While attending an outpatient substance abuse class, she saw an old friend who was in the Waiʻaleʻale program and who helped Rodriguez get an application the next day. She never looked back.

“They helped me to see that I have a purpose. I can succeed in life. I can do good in school,” Rodriguez said. “In my first semester, I got a 4.0 and that just built my confidence.”

She is planning to earn an associate’s degree in business technology and hopes to become a substance abuse counselor.

“In my addiction, I found myself at my lowest point. I thought I was going to die an addict,” she said. “I’m so grateful. My life has changed tremendously and I’m three years clean.”

Rodriguez added, “Waiʻaleʻale is just not a scholarship to help you with your college tuition. It’s also a great program to help people see that they have a future.”

Austin Manipon-Hamada, realizing potential

“Waiʻaleʻale is my family. This is where I learned my self-worth, where people really come to fulfill their dreams,” said Austin Manipon-Hamada, who, like Rodriguez, now also serves the program as a peer mentor.

“Whatever your past may be, it doesnʻt define your future. You can be whatever you want and Waiʻaleʻale will support you through thick and thin,” he said. “We are like your best friends, your family, the people you can count on.”

He says when he graduated from high school he did not really think he had a future.

“I thought I would be like the best grocery bagger ever,” recalled Manipon-Hamada. “But Waiʻaleʻale showed me you have more potential. You have more than just being the best grocery bagger.”

Francine Niau, building confidence

The Niʻihau native and charter school graduate has a quick, hearty laugh to go with her sunny smile. The future wasn’t always so bright. After graduating from high school in 2006, Francine Niau didn’t do much of anything for years, until she ran into a friend at a local shopping center. She was accepted into the Waiʻaleʻale Project and enrolled at Kauaʻi CC in 2012.

“Wow, they made a really big difference,” Niau said. “I’m usually shy and a quiet person. But being part of Waiʻaleʻale and coming to Kauaʻi CC made a big thing, because now I stay all confident.”

She now serves as the assistant for student activities and says the most important aspect of Waiʻaleʻale is the support, which, like the others, she describes as being like a family.

Niau has this advice for Kauaʻi residents: “Take advantage of all the program is willing to help you out. No be scared. Education is the key.”

Lahea Salazar, filling gaps in the community

Waiʻaleʻale Program Coordinator Lahea Salazar said they want folks who are NOT college bound to come and give college a try. They can start slow, even if it’s just one class.

“We are trying to fill the gaps in our community,” Salazar said.

The program can be most effective with individuals who may be going through a transition, and who don’t have extra support at home or in their lives. Salazar says the Waiʻaleʻale students do as well and oftentimes better than the mainstream Kauaʻi CC students.

Salazar took over the program three years ago from the first program coordinator, Kimo Perry, who is working to replicate the Waiʻaleʻale Project at all seven University of Hawaiʻi Community College campuses.

“It’s really nice that we’re changing generations,” Salazar said. “Now that we’re at 10 years, it’s the mom and the son, or the daughter and her mom’s with us, the cousins with us. And so we’re changing the whole family.”

—By Kelli Trifonovitch

Hawaiian Electric Co. (HECO) donated $50,000 in July 2019 to the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� in support of programs that encourage students to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields.

The Native Hawaiian Science and Engineering Mentorship Program’s (NHSEMP) Freshman Bridge and the 2019 Engineering Student Ambassadors (ESA) Program are both aimed at reaching students during an important juncture in their academic lives and providing them with the resources to excel as future professionals and leaders.

“A clean, sustainable and resilient future for Hawaiʻi relies on building a 21st century workforce of technology innovators, critical thinkers and solution-oriented leaders,” said Scott Seu, HECO senior vice president of public affairs, a member of the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� College of Engineering Dean’s Council and a Native Hawaiian engineer. “That’s why we gladly support educational initiatives like the NHSEMP and student ambassadors programs that provide opportunities for our students to cultivate their interest in the STEM fields and prepare them for future success.”

“This new Hawaiian Electric award and the strategic programming it supports will help us grow the next generation of engineers, from communities statewide,” College of Engineering Dean Brennon Morioka said.

More on NHSEMP and ESA

NHSEMP serves more than 100 Native Hawaiian and underrepresented undergraduate students in STEM fields annually. The NHSEMP Freshman Bridge is a 10-week math-intensive summer program that supports incoming college freshmen with an interest in the STEM fields.

Undergraduate students in ESA are hired and trained to conduct STEM outreach and recruitment, especially in low-income and under-represented communities statewide. The student ambassadors attend community events and mentor high school students, as well as support the high school internship program by serving as event coordinators and mentors.

“Being an ESA has helped me develop professional skills that are crucial to my career endeavors especially in the areas of networking, marketing and leadership,” Engineering Student Ambassador Austin Yoshino said. “My work experience has provided me chances to connect with the industries and led to multiple internship opportunities.”

and other ways ����Vlog�ٷ� Foundation is helping to facilitate community collaboration.

Nānākuli and Waiʻanae high school students spent a transformative week, June 3-7, building and working with computers. They were in a programming and sciences program called “” taught by University of Hawaiʻiat ����ԴDz� physics Associate Professor Philip von Doetinchem. The mentorship program, in its fourth year, aims to increase the digital literacy level of high school students in a college setting that resides in natural sciences and computer programming.

The students were shuttled to the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� campus daily where they learned how to use highly versatile and affordable Raspberry Pi computers. Starting from the bare computer central processing unit board, students built up a system with multiple sensors and devices and wrote the corresponding computer code to control them.

In an entirely hands-on approach, the group worked with cameras, read-out-temperature and humidity sensors and measured natural radioactivity levels with Geiger counters controlled by the computer. They toured different laboratories in the department and the , and sat in on a physics lecture. After successfully completing the program, the students were rewarded with one real college credit.

“It is really important to show high school students early on what college is about and to expose them to modern research,” Doetinchem said. “Many of the students never had the chance to talk to scientists before. During this week they could get a first glimpse of some of the exciting things that are happening at ����Vlog�ٷ� and work with tools that are used in actual research.”

HIGGS has evolved over the years since it started in 2016. “During the first year, the program was hosted at Nānākuli High School with a one day visit to the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� campus, but we then decided to move it to a full week on the ����ԴDz� campus starting from 2017,” Doetinchem said. “This was a great decision and really excites the students about college and applying to ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�. In addition to all the hands-on work we do, having multiple tours of different facilities during the week was a big plus.”

The project was supported by Doetinchem’s National Science Foundation CAREER award and ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s Office for Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity (SEED) . He thanked SEED’s Christine Quemuel and Jennifer Barnett along with ����ԴDz� Educational Talent Search’s Janis Dela Cruz, Tasha Kawamata Ryan and Nicholas Childs and for their support.

When Justin Nguyen came from San Diego to start his freshman year at the , he struggled.

“I was like really homesick the first month of school. And I really needed like a push,” he said.

Nguyen found that push, and much more, in . Incoming freshmen who sign up are placed in learning communities, based on intended major, or if they are undecided. In their first semester, they take three general education courses along with a one-credit, weekly seminar led by a peer mentor. The mentor, an upperclassman, leads a group of about 15 students in weekly discussions covering college success and their own personal experiences.

“Having the mentors there are great,” said Nguyen. “It’s like having a different perspective, instead of having a professor talk about stuff. And they’ve been in your shoes before.”

“Giving them a group where they can study, where they can make friends, makes it is easier for them as they transition into college,”said Ashley Deinla, a ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� First Year Program Mentor.

Providing that first friend group and a sense of community is key to college success for freshmen, but it’s only one part of the program.

Added ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Assistant Vice Chancellor Ron Cambra, “Making the student aware of all the resources that are here on campus—the tutoring, the support services, how to get in touch with your advisor. The one-credit course the students take have things in it like library literacy, financial literacy, I mean there is a bunch of topic areas.”

The students also learn study and relationship skills, are encouraged to become involved on campus and, when needed, are given resources to help select a major. Students who participate in the First Year Program are more likely to return after their freshman year, graduate and graduate on time.

Nguyen is a believer and is even thinking of paying it forward. “Everything is great now,” he said. “I was thinking about coming back as a mentor and giving back to the program.”

Women hold less than a third of the STEM—science, technology, engineering and math—related jobs in the United States, but a modest program out of the University of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� at ����ԴDz� is working to turn that around. Since 2016, female ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� students in STEM fields have been mentoring female high and middle school aged students.

“A lot of these fields, especially in STEM, it’s still male dominated, and it can be intimidating,” said Olivia Murray, mentor and ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� computer science major. “And just for them to see another girl who was successful in the field, I think that would be really encouraging for them.”

“I really think it is really important that kids, especially girls, have an opportunity to get exposed to different kinds of math and more math especially if they are really curious like these girls are,” said Isabella Tobin, mentor and PhD candidate in math.

They meet on the ����ԴDz� campus once a week and are guided through subjects like computer coding and advance math by young women excelling in those fields.

“These mentors have really helped me in my real life and my school life because, you know, coding and the math that we’ve learned, I didn’t learn in school and I didn’t really even think there was a whole world beyond what I was learning in school,” said Aedan Azeka, Kalani High School student.

This group of Kalani High School students had an out-of-this-world experience thanks to the help of their mentors. They participated in a NASA project where an experiment they designed was lifted to the edge of the atmosphere and back in a stratospheric balloon. The weekly mentoring and projects are in addition to their high school work and activities, but they say it’s worth the extra time and effort.

“I learned beyond what other students in my class learn,” said Mandarine Chyba Rabeendran, Kalani High School student. “I kind of question what we are learning instead of just learning it.”

Music to the ears of the mentors, who want their students to truly understand concepts and not just memorize equations and answers.

“It’s just nice to have these random skills and to apply in life if we need them and shout out to Olivia and Bella for helping us with this,” said Maya Manaligold, Kalani High School student.

And for helping shape the next generation of female STEM superstars.

The success of (HESTEMP) project activities have resulted in two additional NASA grants. The project, spearheaded in the in the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� , establishes and strengthens research and educational pathways to support the success of underrepresented and minority ethnicities.

The participating HESTEMP students include Native Hawaiians, Samoans, Micronesians and Filipinos. In the last two years, demographics have been extended to include Chamorros of Guam, and plans are underway to add Marshallese of the Republic of Marshall Islands.

“From their high school years until these students receive their advanced graduate degrees, we provide one-to-one mentorship and guidance,” said Dilmurat Azimov, principal investigator and associate professor of mechanical engineering. “The expectation is that our team provides the pathway to guide and help students reach their highest academic level possible and become experts in their chosen research areas. We help them start their careers.”

NASA granted the first additional award based on the progress of one of HESTEMP’s key projects related to unmanned aerial drones. The three-year $680,154 grant is under the NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program. The goal is to create real-time and for drones with a broad range of applications.

The second NASA grant, worth $299,987 over two years, uses nine key projects of HESTEMP. Azimov and his team plan to work with minority-serving institutions to create continuous and sustainable workshops and training sessions that enhance institutional capacity.

“Our successes and progress in HESTEMP and other efforts have allowed us to expand research and education efforts for other minority colleges and universities, including the University of Guam and the College of Marshall Islands in the Pacific region,” said Azimov. “These efforts enhance our ability to secure extramural funding.”

“Iʻm just not good at math.”

It’s a common lament for students in Math 100, but a new program at the aims to transform a 100-level hurdle into a stepping stone for future mathematicians and math educators.

The Learning Assistants (LA) program in the math department at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� puts undergraduate math majors back in Math 100 as mentors for struggling students. The assistants work in small groups to go over and expand on material covered in the professor’s lectures. The peer-to-peer interaction makes it easier for students to ask questions and dive deeper into real-world examples, bringing mathematical concepts to life.

Math 100 is a mandatory course, usually a large lecture class, for students not majoring or even interested in math, that has a high failure/repeat rate, which too often delayed graduation.

“Math 100 is kind of like that last thing that I just needed to get out of the way,” said Tyler Lum, a senior environmental studies major, “and it was really helpful to have these guys around walking around to help push me to get that answer that I’m a little shy of.”

The LA program, part of the ’s effort to revamp the course, is already seeing success in changing attitudes toward math and improve grades in the course. Students who dreaded taking math have gained the confidence to pursue their math education further and even consider majoring in the discipline.

“We see a lot more students passing and a lot more students getting As,” said Sarah Post, associate professor of mathematics and program advisor. “The students that before wouldnʻt pass, theyʻre now getting up to the C-level and the B-level, and the students that before would just get Bs and Cs are really excelling.”

“Most importantly, the students are engaged in their own education,” said Monique Chyba, associate chair of the mathematics department. “Attendance is much higher. They are doing mathematics, which are key to developing quantitative reasoning skills.”

Expanding beyond Math 100

With the success of the LA program in Math 100, ����Vlog�ٷ� is currently expanding the program to other math classes (including calculus), other disciplines (including physics, chemistry and computer science), and other campuses (����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo).

“Weʻve been looking for the resources to give the faculty in the math department the resources they need to engage with their other colleagues beyond math and into other topics,” said Michael Bruno, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs and vice chancellor for research.

����Vlog�ٷ� is asking the Hawaiʻi State Legislature for funding to expand the program in the 2019–2020 academic year and beyond. Currently there are 26 learning assistants in the math department and about 60 total in the . The LA program serves roughly 2,500 students in more than 20 classes some of which have 10 or 11 sections.

“The LA program is literally transforming the lower level courses on our campus, and providing the students a completely different experience,” said Chyba.

Assisting the assistants

By helping their fellow undergrads succeed, the LAs have the opportunity to review and refine their math and teaching skills. They attend a pedagogy class once a week to learn how to teach, and work closely with math faculty members and graduate teaching assistants.

“When Iʻm teaching someone I have to think about how they think about the problem [which makes] me to think about how I solve my problems,” said Jonas Balisacan, a senior math major and LA.

The program gives LAs an early, hands-on look at teaching as a possible career. It also gives faculty better insight into how their Math 100 students are progressing, helping them to adapt their lessons.

“The teaching ʻohana with the professors and the graduate teaching assistants and the undergraduate learning assistants all working together and sharing in the experience has been really fun,” said Post. “Math 100 is focused on giving students tools to understand and communicate in a world increasingly reliant on quantitative data.”

In just one semester, the LA program has been changing students’ attitudes not just about math, but about their own abilities and unexpected potential.

“I know a lot of students believe they are not good at math,” said Jacqueline Millard, a sophomore math major and LA. “But being able to encourage them and help challenge them to keep trying and just seeing the breakthroughs and seeing them like ‘I CAN do this’ is an amazing feeling.”

For more information on the Learning Assistants program, contact Monique Chyba at chyba@hawaii.edu.

—By Heidi Sakuma

Join the 50+ other entrepreneurs that have graduated from the award winning startup investment program. Many have gone on to raise millions of dollars in funding and investment for their business.

Who we are:

XLR8����Vlog�ٷ� is the accelerator program. We provide industry expertise and mentorship, working with faculty, students, staff and alumni of the ����Vlog�ٷ� system to validate their business idea and bring it to market.

XLR8����Vlog�ٷ� will prepare you with:

• Mentorship from an experienced team
• Access to industry experts and investors
• Investor led bootcamps + pitch practices
• Financial modeling for your business
• Intellectual Property strategy guidance
• And much more!

Phase I companies (idea stage/proof-of-concept) apply for up to a $25,000 investment.

Phase II companies (commercialization/growth) apply for up to a $50,000 investment.

All companies are eligible for up to $100,000 in follow on investment.

How to apply

Apply at by October 5 to be considered for our fall cohort. We are always reviewing applications and admit on a rolling basis. The earlier you apply, the better your chances.

Information sessions: Want to know more?

Take the first step in learning more about XLR8����Vlog�ٷ� at one of our information sessions. Refreshments will be provided. RSVP below.

• Thursday, September 1, 4:30–6 p.m. at iLab ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Campus
  
• Wednesday, September 14, 4:30–7 p.m. at XLR8����Vlog�ٷ� HQ (Downtown)
  

Ask us about our award winning program. Email us at info@XLR8����Vlog�ٷ�.com.

The University of Hawaiʻi’s nationally recognized venture accelerator program XLR8����Vlog�ٷ� is accepting applications for its 5th cohort taking place in fall 2016. Applications are open to all students, faculty, staff and alumni of the 10 campus University of Hawaiʻi System.

The program strives to recruit and retain Native Hawaiian and kamaʻāina undergraduates in ocean, earth and environmental science degree programs at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (SOEST). In May, the first cohort of Maile students—Charles “Aka” Beebe, Kanani, Lhiberty Pagaduan and Diamond Tachera—earned bachelor’s degrees with the support and encouragement of their mentors.

“Native Hawaiians and kamaʻāina are underrepresented in the ocean, earth and environmental sciences. Which is really unfortunate because Hawaiʻi kids often have strong cultural, family or personal connections to the local environment,” said Postdoctoral Researcher Tiffany Anderson, Maile Mentoring Bridge co-manager and one of about a dozen mentors. “Many times, they are also the first in their families to pursue higher education in science, and can really benefit from the experience of someone who has already gone through the program.”

Creating Maile Mentoring Bridge

Maile was co-founded by Anela Choy, Keolani Noa and Barbara Bruno in 2013. It was the brainchild of Choy, who earned her PhD at a time when there were only a handful of kamaʻāina students in the . Recognizing the need to increase involvement of these groups in the geosciences, Choy and her co-founders created the program to foster unique mentoring relationships that offer support, encouragement and sharing of knowledge. Later, Chantel Chang, Rosie Alegado, Heidi Needham and Tiffany Anderson joined the Maile Mentoring Bridge team, ensuring that students will be supported for many years to come.

“We are extremely grateful to the National Science Foundation and Kamehameha Schools for their generous support,” said Bruno.

Undergraduates receive individualized support

Each student is paired with a recent graduate (a graduate student or post-doctoral researcher) to receive individualized mentoring and form a strong personal relationship throughout his or her undergraduate career. Students reap numerous benefits, including: holistic support from their mentors and peers; guidance specific to their career goals; internship, scholarship and research opportunities; and an environment that allows them to express their cultural values throughout their academic careers.

Tati Oje, a Maile Mentoring Bridge participant since 2014, describes her experience with mentor Shimi Rii: “During our first monthly meeting I shared with her my 5-year plan, which she wrote down and gave me ideas on how to accomplish my goals,” she said. ”Every meeting after that, she’d counsel me on my short- and long-term goals while looking back at goals I’d made previously. We’ve been paired for 3 years now, and many of the accomplishments I have are due to her counsel. She’s helped me to look for research advisors, apply to internships, draft introduction e-mails, write cover letters and resumes and make it through the rough patches in school and in life. Being a Maile mentee has enriched my college experience.  I know that I wouldn’t be where I am now without the SOEST Maile Mentoring Bridge.”

Mentors give back and develop career-building skills

The relationship also benefits the mentors, who receive professional development training in how to be attentive, challenging and wonderful mentors—skills they will use throughout their science careers. Mentors find the program highly rewarding, as it gives them an opportunity to use their own life experiences to help develop the next generation of scientists and environmental stewards of Hawaiʻi.

“As a first generation college student, I often found myself lost and frustrated in the academic system,” said Needham, a graduate student in environmental geography. “After becoming a graduate student, I looked into ways I could give back to students in similar situations. As a Maile mentor and program co-manager, I not only have the privilege of offering support to students from what I have learned along the way, I also reap the benefits of seeing them successfully navigate their educational goals.”

Future plans 

Armed with their diplomas and a strong network of colleagues and friends, the Maile Mentoring Bridge students are ready for their next step. Beebe, a recipient of the , will be pursuing a graduate degree in the SOEST in the fall. A father of two, Beebe is committed to instilling the values of aloha ʻ��ī�Բ� and kuleana in his children. Tachera will pursue a graduate degree in , where her research will focus on geochemistry and groundwater flow. Kanani, who is dedicated to the integration of traditional knowledge with contemporary scientific methodologies, will begin the graduate program in geology in August. As a student and mother of three, Kanani balances her scholarly achievements with family values. Pagaduan will continue working part-time for (GEAR UP) and was selected to participate in the summer 2016 GEAR UP Alumni Leadership Academy professional training in Washington, D.C. She plans to apply to SOEST’s for fall 2017.

—By Marcie Grabowski

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has received a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site award from the (NSF). Through this award, undergraduates will use high-throughput DNA sequencing, phylogenetic methods and bioinformatics to study microbiomes and the identities and origins of Hawaiʻi’s endemic, native and introduced organisms. Mentorship will be provided by faculty from the ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa departments of , and , the and .

A total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or those with limited higher-level biology background or no research experience, will be trained in ten-week summer sessions in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

This award provides support to students who must relocate to participate. The experience will be enhanced by weekly workshops to explore scientific communication, responsible conduct of research and graduate school and culminate in a scientific poster presentation by each participant.

Microbiology Associate Professor , the project’s principal investigator, said the participants’ experiences “will lead to discoveries, to publications, and to further opportunities for them. The REU program provides for scientific experiences that really can change a life, such as by sparking that interest in a particular theme, or group of organisms that someone will want to work on for years to come.”

“By providing research opportunities to students who may otherwise not have access,” added biology Assistant Specialist and Co-Principal Investigator Stephanie Kraft-Terry, “we hope to inspire the next generation of scientists. Financial support from the NSF will allow participants to focus on research during their ten-week REU experience, providing an immersive experience that allows them to truly integrate into the laboratory.”

.

The University of Hawaiʻi selected 12 teams as finalists for the fourth cohort of its startup venture accelerator. The pioneering enterprises in this round include: paddleboards for the disabled, organic cookies using locally sourced ingredients, an app for concussion patients and an online platform for students to search for scholarships. These teams have the potential to receive $25,000 to $50,000 for completing the program and up to $100,000 in follow-on funding. XLR8����Vlog�ٷ� is a partnership between ����Vlog�ٷ� and , which provides their startup investment expertise to the program.

“XLR8����Vlog�ٷ� is integral for the continued growth and development of our entrepreneurial community,” said Vassilis L. Syrmos, ����Vlog�ٷ� vice president for research and innovation. “This program, a key component of the , supports some of the most forward-thinking, globally relevant, yet locally resonant companies in Hawaiʻi.”

The teams are currently in the first phase of XLR8����Vlog�ٷ�’s intensive 15-week mentorship and investment program, where they will be assessing and developing their business models. Teams selected to advance to the second phase will immerse themselves into further business development efforts and in the third phase they will develop and practice their pitch to investors. Throughout the entire program, the teams will have access to valuable mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and investors.

“With this cohort we are complementing our focus on tech-based startups with more product-based companies than in previous sessions,” said Meli James, program director of XLR8����Vlog�ٷ�. “We feel these are potential high-growth opportunities leveraging Hawaiʻi’s brand equity.”

XLR8����Vlog�ٷ� Cohort 4

• , end-to-end development platform that allows users to create, share, and rapidly deploy algorithms.
• , a new and innovative twist on eco-friendly, sustainable chopsticks.
• , The World’s Event Guide allowing users to discover and promote events, anywhere in real time.
• , apps to help athletes, doctors and parents identify concussions and enhance recovery programs.
• , ed-tech solution connecting language learners from foreign countries to native English speakers.
• , the most advanced and cost effective Prospective Motion Correction technology in the healthcare industry.
• KMB Co, patent-pending paddleboards that provide disabled persons the athletic and therapeutic experience of water sports.
• , specialty crafted gourmet cookies made on Maui, with locally sourced, organic ingredients.
• , wearable pressure and temperature-sensing device decreasing instances of pressure ulcers for paraplegics.
• PresentUS, digital booking platform connecting talent and entertainers directly with their clients.
• , online platform for students to discover and apply for multiple scholarships through one simple application.
• SNR Analytics, patented big data analytics that generate biomarker signatures for ovarian and liver cancer.