Subaru Telescope booth - Courtesy of NAOJ

In May, the Maunakea Observatories (MKOs) joined the Hawaiʻi Science and Technology Museum (HSTM) for Career Day at Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary. HSTM’s Career Day is an evolution of Science Nights, an event that brings STEM activities to schools around Hawaiʻi Island and is primarily geared toward elementary school students. While Science Nights are certainly fun for the whole family, HSTM realized that high schoolers need something beyond what they offer. HSTM decided to fill that gap with Career Day, a workforce-development and career-focused event for high school students.

Collaborating with the Hawaiʻi Science and Technology Museum

MKOs, like Subaru Telescope, have participated in Science Nights since the very first event in 2016. Over time, they’ve built lasting relationships with communities and the hard-working team at HSTM, including Christian Wong, the director of HSTM and one of the people bringing these events to life.

In 2022, Subaru asked him to join their team part-time as a Senior Outreach Associate. “I said yes when Subaru asked me to join their team because I saw that their outreach is genuine and that they really want to get out there and see local kids be a part of the astronomy and STEM community,” said Christian.

Subaru Stars and Science Nights

Christian works closely with Dr. Kumiko Usuda-Sato, a public outreach specialist and astronomer at Subaru, and together they’ve been able to maximize their outreach efforts. Shortly after Christian joined Subaru’s team, they began looking for ways to expand outreach, which led to the creation and launch of the Subaru Stars program that same year.

HSTM brings events like Science Nights to rural communities and underserved areas that science outreach programs don’t typically reach. Similarly, Subaru Stars brings astronomy and STEM education to students and communities around Hawaiʻi Island. “We saw an opportunity to bring Subaru Stars programming into the HSTM fold, which expanded the reach of Subaru Stars and connected us with students at HSTM events,” said Kumiko. Thanks to their combined efforts, Subaru Telescope has been able to build connections with Nāʻālehu Elementary School, Keaʻau Elementary School, and Keaʻau High School over the past three years.

Kumiko (left) at the Subaru Telescope booth - Courtesy of NAOJ

Career Day

Career Day is the newest evolution and expansion of HSTM outreach, and this time, they’re focused on showing high school students what a future in STEM can look like. For the inaugural Career Day, HSTM was joined by Subaru Telescope, Gemini Observatory, UH Institute for Astronomy, the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES), and the UH College of Engineering. During the event, students participated in hands-on activities and learned about the range of STEM and astronomy career paths available to them.

One of the incredible opportunities shared with students was the pre-engineering program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Through this program, graduating high school students can take engineering courses at UH Hilo and then transfer those courses into the B.S. Engineering program at UH Mānoa. This allows Hawaiʻi Island students to complete the first two years of engineering degree requirements closer to home, with lower tuition, smaller class sizes, and local internship options.

Being an engineer or astronomer is not the only path for students looking for a career in STEM. The trades are an incredibly important piece of the puzzle, and as Christian pointed out, “For 1 astronomer, there are 50 people supporting them to make it happen.” Career Day also featured information and activities related to electronics, carpentry, basic physics, environmental science, geology, and local research.

Career Day provides opportunities, pathways, and support for our local students, but Christian and Kumiko also hope it can give students something more: representation. “For many Hawaiʻi Island kids, working in STEM, or being an astronomer or engineer, can feel far away to them, but it’s not true,” Christian said. “We are here, working and living on Hawaiʻi Island.” As a kid, it can be hard to picture yourself in a role or industry you don’t feel represented by, and local team members recognize that being a role model and example of what’s possible can go a long way.

“Astronomy is part of local heritage, but oftentimes it’s viewed as an ‘other’ thing. When we work with the astronomy community, our local kids get to see that astronomy is for them too.”

— Christian Wong