HILO — UH Hilo's ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi recently received a $5,000 gift from Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) and its parent company Ormat. The gift helped to subsidize program tuition costs for local schoolchildren to attend ʻImiloa's Summer Camp programs focused on sustainable technology. The gift will also enable ʻImiloa to expand its outreach into school classrooms in the Keaau, Pahoa, Puna areas of the Big Island.
"We appreciate the investment and commitment Puna Geothermal Venture and Ormat has made to the community through their gift in support of summer camp programs at ʻImiloa. These programs are important because they help engage our local schoolchildren in the concepts of science, technology, engineering and math in meaningful and relevant ways," said Kaʻiu Kimura, Executive Director of ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi, a part of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. "It was exciting to see children's faces light up when the engineering designs they worked so diligently on were tested and found to be successful – we live for those moments."
ʻImiloa's Summer Camp program, named "Sustainability through Technology," aimed to engage on youth in science, technology, engineering and math concepts throughout the month of June. Boys and girls between grades 5-8 had the opportunity to create geothermal plant models using hydrodynamics kits that taught them about valve technology, turbines, and pumps. Those with successful models were awarded engineering "contracts" for their engineering prowess. Children also had the opportunity to experiment with fuel cell car kits and even build a take-home wind turbine kit.
Participants were treated to a special presentation by PGV staff including Michael Kaleikini, General Manager, and Tito Agbayani, Administrative Supervisor. Kaleikini and Agbayani shared information with participants about the different types of sustainable energy available in on Hawaiʻi Island including solar, wind, ocean thermal, hydro power and geothermal. They explained how geothermal heat and steam is converted into electricity, why it's important, and why it is considered to be the most reliable alternate renewable energy source. Camp participants also received information on what types of career opportunities are available including scientists, geologists, engineers, operators, and administrators.
School classroom outreach programs will begin later this year. The outreach component of the gift takes components of the summer camp on sustainability and will engage students in grades 5-12 from select Puna-area schools. Outreach kits will focus on geothermal and other sustainable energies and ʻImiloa staff will bring hands-on learning into classrooms using hydrodynamic kit models to engage students in related engineering concepts.
For more information on how you can support the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, please call Nico Verissimo at (808) 969-9732 or [email protected].
To view more photos and videos from the camp, please visit:
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The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is to unite donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawaiʻi and our future generations www.uhfoundation.org.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is a comprehensive university with five degree-granting colleges, six master's programs and four doctoral programs. UH Hilo strives to integrate culture and science, offer hands-on learning opportunities to its students and use the Island of Hawaiʻi as a natural learning laboratory. Enrollment has doubled since 1980 to over 4,000 students coming from all fifty states and more than 40 countries. Please visit www.uhh.hawaii.edu.
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi, is a world-class informal science education center located on the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo campus. ʻImiloa is a place of life-long learning where the power of Hawaiʻi's cultural traditions, its legacy of exploration and the wonders of astronomy come together to provide inspiration and hope for generations. The Center's interactive exhibits, 3D full dome planetarium, native landscape, and programs and events engage children, families and the local community in the wonders of science and technology found in Hawaiʻi. It is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays). For more information, visit the website at www.imiloahawaii.org or call (808) 969-9703.
