Students from Hawai‘i and Pacific region present their research at STEM symposium hosted by UH Hilo
University and college students from Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region spent three days near Kīlauea volcano presenting their research, taking huakaʻi (journeys), and doing independent self-guided pilina (connection)-building activities.
By Susan Enright.
University students from Hawaiʻi and the Pacific region took part last month in an international STEM symposium organized by the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.
Administered by UH Hilo, the scientific work of the students is supported by a federal program aimed to increase and nurture underrepresented populations in science, technology, engineering, and math, commonly called STEM, careers. The Pacific group is called the Islands of Opportunity Alliance, a wide-reaching collaboration of educators, scholars, students, and researchers from American Sāmoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaiʻi, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau.
This year’s event took place at Kīlauea (organizers wish to acknowledge the Indigenous place name rather than Volcano Village) at the Kīlauea Military Camp, July 24-26.
Participating students and attendees were from member institutions of the Islands of Opportunity Alliance: UH Hilo, UH Mānoa, Kapiʻolani Community College, Hawaiʻi Community College, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi Pacific University, American Samoa Community College, Guam Community College, University of Guam, Northern Marianas College, Palau Community College, and College of the Marshall Islands. Students from Kapiʻolani Community College and Hawaiʻi Community College also attended as members of a similar federal grant, B2B-STAMP.
“The theme of the symposium was Weaving the Fabric of Community, building upon our last year’s theme of Bridging Generations,” says Axel Defngin, a UH Hilo alumnus and the Hilo-based project manager for the alliance. “Whereas we bridged the present with the past, now we bridge relationships and connections with one another.”
The hoʻokipa welcoming and opening ceremony was performed by UH Hilo alliance students near Kīlauea crater rim and the KMC “to ground us to place and Pele,” says Defngin. Opening welcome remarks were given by UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin.
Keynote speaker was Jermy Uowolo, who was born and raised on Fais Island in Yap, Federated States of Micronesia. He received a bachelor of arts degree in geography from UH Hilo and is currently continuing at the university in pursuit of a master of arts in heritage management.
The first two days of the symposium were dedicated to poster presentations and huakaʻi (place-based research journeys). The group visited Nāhuku lava tube and Uēkahuna summit region of Kīlauea volcano hosted by park ranger Dani Ciccone on the first day, and UH Hilo’s ʻImiloa Astronomy Center for Māori navigator Nick Marr‘s presentation on wayfinding, navigation, and the Alingano Maisu double-hulled voyaging canoe on the second day.
The third day was spent on independent and self-guided pilina (connection)-building activities.
“The camaraderie and solidarity to be found in Indigenous research is like no other,” says Maku Terlaje-Pangelinan, a student presenter from Northern Marianas College. “Our ability as Indigenous islanders to connect spiritually and emotionally even in the fields of STEM is more than enough reason for me to encourage more of our island brothers and sisters to consider carrying their island wisdom with them for every step of their research journey.”
Award winners
Five students received awards for their presentations.
- Nathan Fagolmwai, UH Hilo, “Mworal Fius (Falling Stars): Exploring Ancestral Seafaring Knowledge for Post-Disaster Community Resilience”
- Kala McDonald, Hawaiʻi Pacific University, “Coastal Resilience in Hawaiʻi: A Mixed Methods Assessment of Oʻahu Fishponds”
- Cienna Paet, Kapiʻolani Community College, “Unlocking the Digital Landscape: ArUco Code Detection for Seamless WebODM Integration”
- Tia Skaggs, Chaminade University of Honolulu, “Investigating the Role of Ketone Bodies in Breast Cancer Adaptation to Low-Carbohydrate Diets”
- Christian Teves, Guam Community College, “Antimicrobial Properties of Micronesian Medicinal Plants”
Federal support
The Islands of Opportunity Alliance is supported through the federal Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. LSAMP was launched by the National Science Foundation in 1991 with a mission to assist universities and colleges in diversifying the nation’s STEM workforce by increasing the number of STEM baccalaureate and graduate degrees awarded to populations historically underrepresented in these disciplines: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders. The program is particularly aimed at encouraging students from two-year programs to continue their education at four-year institutions.
Acknowledgments
Organizers wish to acknowledge the following for their support of the symposium.
- UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin, who serves as principal investigator of the federal grant that funds the alliance
- Coordinators and volunteers from the IOA-LSAMP and B2B-STAMP programs
- Aunty Margaret Yangmog for weaving demonstrations
- Hayden Konanui-Tucker, student assistant from the UH Hilo Keoholoa STEM Scholars Program, for leading volunteers, leading the hoʻokipa opening ceremony and working on logistics (Hayden also manages the Keoholoa Instagram)
- Terry Campbell for KMC lodging military sponsorship
- IOA-LSAMP and B2B-STAMP institutions
- ʻOhana and communities that have supported attendees’ journeys
- Symposium Planning Committee: UH Hilo Associate Professor of Anthropology Joe Genz who serves as director of the IOA program; Keala Campbell, coordinator of UH Hilo’s Keaholoa STEM Scholars Program; and Axel Defngin, project manager for the alliance
- Special mahalo to Axel, who is leaving his position with the alliance on Aug. 15
Related story
Story by Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.
