UH Hilo alumna Leinani Lozi named PBN 40 Under 40 honoree
Pioneer and changemaker Leinani Lozi was recognized for her leadership in community-centered educational programming based in astronomy and Hawaiian values.
By Susan Enright.
An alumna from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has been recognized on this year’s Pacific Business News 40 Under 40 list.
Leinani Lozi (Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with Minors in Astronomy and Biology, 2017) is Hawaiʻi education and engagement manager for NOIRLab/Gemini Observatory located atop Maunakea with base facilities on the campus of UH Hilo.
The PBN awards honor emerging leaders from throughout the state for achievements in their professional lives as well as in the community. This year’s cohort represents industries including nonprofits, education, finance, the arts, health care, retail, tourism, law, and more.
Lozi was recognized “for her leadership in community-centered educational programming centered on astronomy and Hawaiian values, which has established her as a pioneer and changemaker in Hawaiʻi and the astronomy industry,” according to a story about the recognition on the NOIRLab website.
Born on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu, Leinani Lozi’s interest in the cosmos can be traced back to an astronomy class she took at the University of Hawaiʻi. There she learned about astronomy’s sacred connection to Native Hawaiian culture and the world-class science being conducted at the Maunakea Observatories. […] In 2015 she joined Gemini as a public information and outreach intern and has worked in astronomy education and engagement at various facilities ever since.
In her work managing the Hawaiʻi education and engagement team and programs at Gemini, Lozi heads programs for keiki (children), stargazing, and the Kamaʻāina Observatory Experience, all the while improving relations between Hawaiʻi local and Indigenous communities and the astronomy industry through the perpetuation of Indigenous knowledge systems, community dialogue, and community partnerships, as described on her LinkedIn page.
Previously, Lozi was Hawaiʻi community outreach specialist for the Thirty Meter Telescope project, outreach coordinator for ʻOhana Kilo Hōkū, and cultural advisor to the International Lunar Observatory Association Hawaiʻi. In addition to her outreach work at Gemini since 2015, she has also worked at UH Hilo’s ʻImiloa Astronomy Center and the Maunakea Visitor Information Station where she gained insight into the moʻolelo (narrative stories) and ecosystem of Maunakea.
A resident of Hawaiʻi Island since 2013, all Lozi’s educational and career pursuits are built on a foundation of Indigenous knowledge systems and providing opportunities for Hawaiʻi keiki.
Journey Through the Universe
Currently, Lozi is leading Gemini Observatory’s flagship keiki program, Journey Through the Universe, that promotes science education and STEM careers to children from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The program is run by Gemini, the NOIRLab (which is funded by the National Science Foundation), and the Hawaiʻi Department of Education Hilo-Waiākea Complex Area.
The program promotes science education that inspires students to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields by developing literacy in science. Participating students are asked to envision themselves in STEM careers and experience the unique science happening in the local Hawaiʻi community and beyond.
Lozi brings her knowledge of Hawaiian ways of learning to the Journey program that fosters keiki curiosity and wonder about the Universe, and makes it easier for them to understand the cutting-edge research and technology happening in their own community.
“We tell the students that the science happens just an hour away,” says Lozi, referring to the relatively short distance between Hilo and the telescopes atop Maunakea.
In conducting scientific demonstrations for keiki where they use diffraction glasses to explore how white light can be split into all the colors of the rainbow, Lozi says she tells them that astronomy is like looking at rainbows in space.
“Rainbows are culturally significant in Hawaiian culture, so it’s meaningful for the students to relate them to how scientists learn about the Universe,” she says.
A million ideas
Peter Michaud, public information manager at Gemini and Lozi’s supervisor, says the 40 Under 40 Award is much deserved.
Describing Lozi as a person with a million ideas on how to reach students and educators, Michaud says, “She’s been instrumental in maintaining the program and keeping it vibrant. I’m very confident that she’ll take it to exciting places going forward.”
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.
