August 16-18, 2010: With generous support from Manu Kai, the Alaka`ina Foundation hosted a visit by eight Native Hawaiian Engineering Students to the Pacific Missile Range Facilities (PMRF) between August 16-18, 2010. The students were selected in collaboration with the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Native Hawaiian Science Engineering Mentorship Program. The goal of the visit was to expose current Hawaii engineering students to the opportunities at PMRF, and also to give them a chance to visit the surrounding community.
The engineering students attended a mixer, jointly sponsored by the Alaka`ina Foundation and the Kauai Economic Development Board where they had the opportunity to "talk-story" with representatives of Kauai in engineering and technology businesses.
Based on student feedback, the highlight of the trip was the visit to the Nohili sand dunes, which are ancient Hawaiian burial grounds, located within PMRF's borders. The amazing tour of Nohili was led by Kunane Aipoalani, a Ke`aki Tech employee whose family can trace their lineage to the Nohili area to times prior to Western contact. Through Kunane, the students were given the opportunity to learn about both the cultural preservation and environmental stewardship work being done on base. This was a wonderful contrast to the base's cutting-edge technology work.
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