Akamai Internship Program Announces Summer Internship Symposiums in Hilo, Waimea, Maui and Pasadena
August 08, 2018
The Akamai Workforce Initiative's Internship Program announces its Student Internship Symposiums in Hilo on Thursday August 9 from 9 am to 11:30 am at the Grand Naniloa Hotel's Ho'omalimali and Sandalwood Rooms, on Friday, August 10 at the W. M. Keck Observatory's Jerry Nelson Conference Room in Waimea, and at the University of Hawaii Maui College on Monday, August 6 from 9:00 am to 11:30 am.
A Pasadena Symposium is slated for Tuesday, August 14 at the TMT Pasadena Project Office from 9 am to 10:30 am. A total of 38 Hawaii college interns will present their summer projects with a follow up question and answer period. Sixteen interns will present in Hilo, 9 in Waimea, 9 on Maui, and 4 in Pasadena. The public is invited to attend any of the symposia.
The Akamai Workforce Initiative's Internship Program is designed for all community college and university undergraduates in Hawai'i and also kama'aina studying on the mainland, who are pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) fields.
The Akamai Workforce Initiative in its 16th year provides college students with summer projects at observatories and other high tech companies in Hawai'i. The goal of the program is to advance Hawaii college students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce and increase underrepresented groups. Akamai uses a unique model that enables the current workforce to train the next generation with the skills and experience to be successful. The interns complete a 7-week project giving them valuable practical experience and professional coaching.
Upon acceptance into the program, interns were carefully matched with a project and a mentor who supervised the intern for a 7-week project and integrated the intern into the work environment. Prior to completing the project, all interns completed a 1-week resident intensive preparatory course in Hilo where they met other interns and Akamai's staff mentors. Interns also received coaching throughout the program on communications skills to help with their end of summer abstracts and symposium presentations.
Interns were paid a $3,200 stipend, provided with housing and travel from their home island to an internship site if necessary. Interns were placed at a company or observatory on Maui, Hawai'i Island, at the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory project office in Pasadena, California, or with TMT's Wide-Field Optical Spectrometer (WFOS) team at the University of California Santa Cruz.
The Hilo Symposium will feature James Boyd, Malcolm Chun, Maria Daniella Douglas, Kenji Emerson, Kylie Higaki, Mickie Hirata, Julina Lee, Jordan Li, Matthew Lugo, Paul McCabe, Jonathan Musgrave, Kekoa Tacub, Sean Tadekawa, Akira Vernon, Makena Wagner and Jonah Kalani Wengler
presenting summaries of their projects for the Academia Sinica Institute for Astronomy, Institute for Astronomy Hilo, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, Hawaii Electric Light Company, Subaru Telescope, Gemini North Observatory and Smithsonian Submillimeter Array.
The Waimea Symposium features Romilly Benedict, Ian Denzer, Meili Ellis-Tingle, Austin Jennings, Janelle Laros, Alicia Lau, Noah Levine, Derek Ogi, and Nicole Tabac presenting their project summaries on their work at Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai'i Authority, Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, W.M. Keck Observatory, Akabotics LLC, and Liquid Robotics.
The Maui Symposium will feature Alec Bayer, Alexandra Kaohi, Tyler LaBonte, Alexander Meyer, Corin Nishimoto, Maya Ooki, Ariel Peterson, Sae Hyun Song, and Erik Svetin presenting their project work at the Institute for Astronomy Maui, Akimeka LLC, Air Force Research Laboratory, Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, HNu Photonics and Integrity Applications Incorporated.
The Pasadena Symposium on Tuesday, August 14 will feature Jaren Ashcraft, Keoki Massad, Olivia Murray and Erica Sawczynec presenting their projects with the Thirty Meter Telescope.
The addition of this year's 38 interns brings the total number of college students served by the Akamai program to over 380. The Akamai Workforce Initiative alumni demographics include 37% women, 24% Native Hawaiian and 47% underrepresented minorities.
The Akamai Workforce Initiative was originally developed by the NSF Center for Adaptive Optics at UC Santa Cruz in 2002. Every major telescope in Hawaii and many tech companies have participated. The Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators at UC Santa Cruz leads the initiative with major funding for the 2018 Akamai Workforce Initiative program provided by the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory Corporation.
The Akamai Workforce Initiative recently received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathmatics, and Engineering Mentoring. The honor came with a $10,000 award, a sponsored visit to Washington DC for the Recognition Event and a citation signed by the President. The Presidential Award was given the Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators for helping to develop a local science and engineering workforce for the observatories on Maunakea and Haleakala.
An RSVP is highly encouraged to attend the various symposium events. RSVP at tinyurl.com/AkamaiRSVP2018 or email ISEE@ucsc.edu to reserve your seat.
TMT
The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Project has been developed as collaboration among Caltech, the University of California (UC), the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy (ACURA), and the national institutes of Japan, China, and India with the goal to design, develop, construct, and operate a thirty-meter class telescope and observatory on Maunakea in cooperation with the University of Hawaii (TMT Project). The TMT International Observatory LLC (TIO), a non-profit organization, was established in May 2014 to carry out the construction and operation phases of the TMT Project. The Members of TIO are Caltech, UC, the National Institutes of Natural Sciences of Japan, the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Department of Science and Technology of India, and the National Research Council (Canada); the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) is a TIO Associate. Major funding has been provided by the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation.
For more information about the TMT project, visit tmt.org, www.facebook.com/TMTHawaii or follow @TMTHawaii.
A Pasadena Symposium is slated for Tuesday, August 14 at the TMT Pasadena Project Office from 9 am to 10:30 am. A total of 38 Hawaii college interns will present their summer projects with a follow up question and answer period. Sixteen interns will present in Hilo, 9 in Waimea, 9 on Maui, and 4 in Pasadena. The public is invited to attend any of the symposia.
The Akamai Workforce Initiative's Internship Program is designed for all community college and university undergraduates in Hawai'i and also kama'aina studying on the mainland, who are pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) fields.
The Akamai Workforce Initiative in its 16th year provides college students with summer projects at observatories and other high tech companies in Hawai'i. The goal of the program is to advance Hawaii college students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce and increase underrepresented groups. Akamai uses a unique model that enables the current workforce to train the next generation with the skills and experience to be successful. The interns complete a 7-week project giving them valuable practical experience and professional coaching.
Upon acceptance into the program, interns were carefully matched with a project and a mentor who supervised the intern for a 7-week project and integrated the intern into the work environment. Prior to completing the project, all interns completed a 1-week resident intensive preparatory course in Hilo where they met other interns and Akamai's staff mentors. Interns also received coaching throughout the program on communications skills to help with their end of summer abstracts and symposium presentations.
Interns were paid a $3,200 stipend, provided with housing and travel from their home island to an internship site if necessary. Interns were placed at a company or observatory on Maui, Hawai'i Island, at the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory project office in Pasadena, California, or with TMT's Wide-Field Optical Spectrometer (WFOS) team at the University of California Santa Cruz.
The Hilo Symposium will feature James Boyd, Malcolm Chun, Maria Daniella Douglas, Kenji Emerson, Kylie Higaki, Mickie Hirata, Julina Lee, Jordan Li, Matthew Lugo, Paul McCabe, Jonathan Musgrave, Kekoa Tacub, Sean Tadekawa, Akira Vernon, Makena Wagner and Jonah Kalani Wengler
presenting summaries of their projects for the Academia Sinica Institute for Astronomy, Institute for Astronomy Hilo, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, Hawaii Electric Light Company, Subaru Telescope, Gemini North Observatory and Smithsonian Submillimeter Array.
The Waimea Symposium features Romilly Benedict, Ian Denzer, Meili Ellis-Tingle, Austin Jennings, Janelle Laros, Alicia Lau, Noah Levine, Derek Ogi, and Nicole Tabac presenting their project summaries on their work at Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai'i Authority, Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, W.M. Keck Observatory, Akabotics LLC, and Liquid Robotics.
The Maui Symposium will feature Alec Bayer, Alexandra Kaohi, Tyler LaBonte, Alexander Meyer, Corin Nishimoto, Maya Ooki, Ariel Peterson, Sae Hyun Song, and Erik Svetin presenting their project work at the Institute for Astronomy Maui, Akimeka LLC, Air Force Research Laboratory, Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, HNu Photonics and Integrity Applications Incorporated.
The Pasadena Symposium on Tuesday, August 14 will feature Jaren Ashcraft, Keoki Massad, Olivia Murray and Erica Sawczynec presenting their projects with the Thirty Meter Telescope.
The addition of this year's 38 interns brings the total number of college students served by the Akamai program to over 380. The Akamai Workforce Initiative alumni demographics include 37% women, 24% Native Hawaiian and 47% underrepresented minorities.
The Akamai Workforce Initiative was originally developed by the NSF Center for Adaptive Optics at UC Santa Cruz in 2002. Every major telescope in Hawaii and many tech companies have participated. The Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators at UC Santa Cruz leads the initiative with major funding for the 2018 Akamai Workforce Initiative program provided by the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory Corporation.
The Akamai Workforce Initiative recently received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathmatics, and Engineering Mentoring. The honor came with a $10,000 award, a sponsored visit to Washington DC for the Recognition Event and a citation signed by the President. The Presidential Award was given the Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators for helping to develop a local science and engineering workforce for the observatories on Maunakea and Haleakala.
An RSVP is highly encouraged to attend the various symposium events. RSVP at tinyurl.com/AkamaiRSVP2018 or email ISEE@ucsc.edu to reserve your seat.
TMT
The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Project has been developed as collaboration among Caltech, the University of California (UC), the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy (ACURA), and the national institutes of Japan, China, and India with the goal to design, develop, construct, and operate a thirty-meter class telescope and observatory on Maunakea in cooperation with the University of Hawaii (TMT Project). The TMT International Observatory LLC (TIO), a non-profit organization, was established in May 2014 to carry out the construction and operation phases of the TMT Project. The Members of TIO are Caltech, UC, the National Institutes of Natural Sciences of Japan, the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Department of Science and Technology of India, and the National Research Council (Canada); the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) is a TIO Associate. Major funding has been provided by the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation.
For more information about the TMT project, visit tmt.org, www.facebook.com/TMTHawaii or follow @TMTHawaii.