Brave Enough to Be It Youth Award winners announced
Two first prize winners were recently selected for the initial Brave Enough to Be It Youth Award.
Jade Ka’awa, a junior at Kealakehe High School, and Pukar “Makani” Lund, an eighth-grade student at West Hawaii Explorations Academy tied to win the debut award to amplify Hawaii’s diverse youth voices through creative expression.
Hawaii Island residents ages 25 and under were invited to enter the debut Youth Voices Award, inspired by Poet Amanda Gorman’s Inauguration poem “The Hill We Climb.”
The winners receive $500 each and $1,000 will go to their respective nonprofit organizations of choice. Ka’awa championed Na Hui Ikaika, an outrigger canoe paddling nonprofit organization with a mission to empower young ladies to become the best version of themselves as women, athletes, and Hawaiian community members. Lund supports the mission of Men of Pa’a, a nonprofit organization predicated on helping men stay sober through engaging in the practice of caring for aina and community.
The Youth Voices Award is sponsored by WannaBee Pono Honey Emporium and Pono Pool &Spa Service.
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Shapley to discuss distant galaxies
Keck Observatory will host an astronomy talk June 17 with guest speaker Alice Shapley.
Shapley, who is a professor and vice chair for astronomy and astrophysics at the University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles, will discuss the Milky Way, one of countless galaxies in the universe, during her 5 p.m. presentation titled “Decoding the Content of Distant Galaxies.”
Understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies remains one of the great challenges of modern cosmology. Key outstanding questions include: What drives stars to form in individual galaxies? How do galaxies exchange material with their intergalactic environments? How do the impressive variety of galactic structures that we observe today assemble? How do supermassive black holes affect the evolution of their host galaxies? Shapley will explain how the spectra of distant galaxies observed in the early universe provide unique insight into these key questions.
The talk is free and open to the public via Zoom webinar at https://bit.ly/Keck-Shapley or Zoom ID: 919 1014 3870. The talk will also be live-streamed on Facebook.
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Kupu seeks conservation leaders applicants
Kupu, Hawaii’s leading conservation and environmental education nonprofit, recently announced the priority deadline for applications to participate in its Conservation Leadership Development Program (CLDP). Recent high school graduates, college graduates and young professionals looking to establish a career in conservation are strongly encouraged to apply by June 30
This 11-month, paid opportunity, runs from October through August 2022, and focuses on developing the next generation of environmental stewards. Participants are matched with a single conservation host site for the duration of the program, during which they learn and serve alongside conservation experts.
Over 100 host sites are available on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Hawaii Island and Molokai. This extensive network of partner sites offers exposure to the fields of ornithology, botany, natural and aquatic resource management, biology, marine biology, Hawaiian cultural studies, and more. In addition to gaining valuable insight in the conservation field and protecting Hawaii’s natural environment, CLDP participants receive a $1,600 monthly living allowance, health care, childcare, a $6,345 AmeriCorps education award and the option to participate in Kupu’s Earned Admission initiative, which offers heavily subsidized virtual learning and college credits through a partnership with Arizona State University.
For more information or to apply, visit www.kupuhawaii.org.