A Hua He Inoa Internship
ʻImiloa is excited to be continuing its A Hua He Inoa collaborative program, expanding pathways in which language and culture are the core of modern scientific practices. In Fall 2021, ʻImiloa expanded its A hua He Inoa program with a cohort of ten senior interns from Ke Kula o Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu, a Hawaiian medium school here on Hawaiʻi island. Unlike past A Hua He Inoa outputs - calling forth a name for scientific discoveries on Maunakea - this cohort of interns is tasked with developing a new ʻImiloa exhibit! “We’re excited to offer this new opportunity to continue A Hua He Inoa with this new cohort” says A Hua He Inoa Project Planner, Kuʻulei Bezilla. “Integrating traditional perspectives and place-based scientific research with an exhibit output is an exciting opportunity we look forward to creating.”
ʻImiloa is excited to collaborate with a variety of community and University of Hawaiʻi departments including Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani, UH Institute for Astronomy, UH Mānoa Community Design Center, UH Mānoa LAVA Labs. “ʻO kekahi hana i hoihoi iaʻu ma kēia papahana, ʻo ia ka piʻi ʻana aku i Maunakea (Something that’s interesting to me about this program is being able to go to Maunakea,)” says cohort member, Kahiau Medeiros. “ʻO ia ka makamua o koʻu piʻi ʻana i laila, a ua leʻaleʻa a hoihoi nō ka hiki ke ʻike maka i kekahi ʻano kuanaʻike hou no ka pō. (Our field trip to Maunakea was the first time I’ve ever ascended the summit of Maunakea. It was exciting and interesting to see a whole new perspective of the dark skies.)”
In addition to visiting the summit of Maunakea, this cohort was able to meet with field experts to learn different perspectives of dark skies from polynesian voyagers, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi scholars and researchers, and scientists from our state’s astronomical observatories.
In the new year, these interns will be applying what they have learned about dark skies, as well as exhibit design and creation to create the new exhibit at ʻImiloa. “These students went through different mediums of engagements, such as huakaʻi (field trips), presentations, and discussions to expand their knowledge and understanding of pō,” says Executive Director, Kaʻiu Kimura. “We are really excited to see what the final exhibit becomes.” This A Hua He Inoa internship cohort will continue through Spring 2022 when the project will be finalized and an exhibit has been created.
Please fill out this survey that our A Hua He Inoa interns created. This survey will help inform their exhibit content creation. Please use the link below.