Makana Silva, a self-described kanak (kanaka maoli), a Native Hawaiian astrophysicist and strongman, hails from the island of O‘ahu and currently is working on his dissertation in the physics department at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Born and raised in humble conditions, his longtime interest in science has taken him to study theContinue reading “Ho‘i Mai — Makana Silva Bringing Knowledge Back Home”
Tag Archives: Education
Brialyn Onodera: A Hawaiian Engineer Passionate about STEM in Hawai‘i’s Future
“I want to see people to feel like they can stay in Hawai‘i have good professional careers here, and make Hawai‘i a better place. That’s my passion.”
Tyler Trent Talks Astrophysics: Humble, Social, Creative
“Everyone chooses to spend their time doing certain things and learning about certain things, and I just chose to spend my time learning about [astrophysics]. But it doesn’t make me any smarter or any more capable of navigating the world than someone who decided to be a surfer.”
A Beer Spectrometer and Other Adventures: Mailani Neal on Being an Instrument Scientist in Astronomy
Instrument scientists thrive on engineering and technology. Cherished characters from sci-fi might come to mind: Scotty. Geordi. B’Elanna. Kaylee. Add Mailani Neal to the list. A graduate student at New Mexico Tech, Mailani is working toward a PhD that will advance her to her goal of becoming an instrument scientist. She reflects that “it’s veryContinue reading “A Beer Spectrometer and Other Adventures: Mailani Neal on Being an Instrument Scientist in Astronomy”
Astronomy Supports Hawai‘i’s Community
In movies and TV, the practice of astronomy is sometimes represented as a solitary venture, isolated from the rest of society. To an extent this is true: the best observations take place in remote locations in order to avoid light pollution and other atmospheric and electromagnetic interference. That doesn’t mean that astronomers, as human beings,Continue reading “Astronomy Supports Hawai‘i’s Community”
Tyler Trent: An Up-and-Coming Astrophysicist Who Once Opposed the TMT
Tyler Trent, a 26-year-old graduate student in astrophysics at the University of Arizona, was born and raised on O‘ahu. He studies astrophysics with a focus on black holes: super-massive and super-compact objects with gravitational fields so strong that even light cannot escape once it is drawn into their maws. But pursuing an education in astronomyContinue reading “Tyler Trent: An Up-and-Coming Astrophysicist Who Once Opposed the TMT”
Mailani Neal: A Modern Hawaiian Scientist
Mailani Neal is a graduate student at New Mexico Tech, working towards her master’s degree in physics and astronomical instrumentation. A native Hawaiian and lifelong resident of the Big Island, on the Kona side, she has known since she was nine years old that she wanted to be involved in astronomy. She dreams that oneContinue reading “Mailani Neal: A Modern Hawaiian Scientist”