Aaron kagawa's Posts - TechHui2024-03-30T03:22:46Zaaron kagawahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/aaronkagawahttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/353340632?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://www.techhui.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=kagawaa&xn_auth=nolacy veach day of discovery 2008tag:www.techhui.com,2008-10-29:1702911:BlogPost:245722008-10-29T19:00:08.000Zaaron kagawahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/aaronkagawa
<i>(cross posted from <a href="http://kagawaa.blogspot.com/">http://kagawaa.blogspot.com/</a>)</i><br />
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<b>if you think this is cool we are always looking for help with tech talks and presentations for different events. here is one that we are trying to plan right now for an event at <a href="http://www.techhui.com/forum/topic/show?id=1702911%3ATopic%3A24133">Jarrett Middle School</a><br />
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this past weekend we participated in <a href="http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/Day-of-discovery/">lacy veach…</a>
<i>(cross posted from <a href="http://kagawaa.blogspot.com/">http://kagawaa.blogspot.com/</a>)</i><br />
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<b>if you think this is cool we are always looking for help with tech talks and presentations for different events. here is one that we are trying to plan right now for an event at <a href="http://www.techhui.com/forum/topic/show?id=1702911%3ATopic%3A24133">Jarrett Middle School</a><br />
</b><br />
this past weekend we participated in <a href="http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/Day-of-discovery/">lacy veach day of discovery</a>, which is a large scale science fair with exhibits and workshops. we had a great time with all the kids. i even learned a lot! science is cool. we presented <a href="http://kagawaa.blogspot.com/2007/10/lacy-veach-day-of-discovery.html">programming from scratch</a> and its becoming a yearly tradition for us a <a href="http://www.referentia.com/">referentia systems inc</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iKK6sG0z8MA/SQXzA12rSwI/AAAAAAAAA5g/QhSyppCQawg/s1600-h/ShirtLogo1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 288px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_iKK6sG0z8MA/SQXzA12rSwI/AAAAAAAAA5g/QhSyppCQawg/s400/ShirtLogo1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261878935434251010" border="0" name="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261878935434251010"/></a><br />
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at the event we taught kids how to program with <a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/">scratch</a>, an interactive programming language that creates animation, games, music, and art designed for kids to help develop 21 century skills. it was a huge success. the kids at the event were great. my friends did a great job of helping the kids. overall it was a huge success. we posted the kids' scratch creations on the <a href="http://scratch.mit.edu/users/LacyVeachDay2008">scratch mit site</a>. check it out!<br />
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here are some pics of my crew at the event:<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iKK6sG0z8MA/SQXx8xYC0BI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/zXuqi2u2m3o/s1600-h/lacy_veach-20081.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_iKK6sG0z8MA/SQXx8xYC0BI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/zXuqi2u2m3o/s400/lacy_veach-20081.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261877766000922642" border="0" name="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261877766000922642"/></a>my coworkers at referentia are awesome. without them our scratch display wouldn't be possible. they really step for this event. it must be something about teaching kids to program that gets them into it. so, thanks to those referentians that helped out, it really does make a huge difference. (i remember learning logo when i was a kid and its probably a huge reason why i ended up in computer science; read more about <a href="http://kagawaa.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-academic-journey.html">my strange academic journey</a>)<br />
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here are some pics from the rest of the event:<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iKK6sG0z8MA/SQXyffwKjfI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/08AFrE-66_A/s1600-h/lacy_veach-20082.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iKK6sG0z8MA/SQXyffwKjfI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/08AFrE-66_A/s400/lacy_veach-20082.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261878362565676530" border="0" name="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261878362565676530"/></a><br />
this year seemed to be a lot bigger than last. there were many more exhibitors and it was pretty fun to walk around checking out the displays;<br />
<ul>
<li>Astronaut Onizuka (check out the <a href="http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/OnizukaDay/">Onizuka Day on Hilo</a>)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.baesystems.com/">BAE Systems</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bishopmuseum.org/">Bishop Museum</a> - they had a a cool globe projector.</li>
<li><a href="http://robotics.hawaii.gov/first">FIRST robotics</a> (Moanalua, ROC, Sacred Hearts, Waialua)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.hasta.us/">HaSTA</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.hawaii.edu/acadsci/">Hawaii Academy of Science</a> - i talked to them about the Hawaii State Science Fair. this event seems really cool. i want to go check it out next year, i think around april.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.hawastsoc.org/">Hawaiian Astronomical Society</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.heco.com/portal/site/heco">HECO</a> - heco was there in full force. they always do a great job of helping the kids</li>
<li><a href="http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/">Institute of Astronomy</a> - these dudes are really smart. i talked with them last year and the stuff they are doing is really cool.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.higp.hawaii.edu/prpdc/">NASA Pacific Regional Planetary Data Center</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.k12.hi.us/~pearlel/splash.html">Pearl City Elementary</a> - there were a bunch of kids from pearl city.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.referentia.com/">Referentia</a>!!!!! - YAY!</li>
<li><a href="http://robofesthawaii.googlepages.com/home">Robofest</a></li>
<li>Starbase (couldn't find a link)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.eng.hawaii.edu/">UH College of Engineering</a></li>
</ul>
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there were also presentations;<br />
<ul>
<li>keynote speaker <a href="http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/love.html">Astronaut Stanley Love</a></li>
<li>assembly with special 3D program, student interns at NASA</li>
<li>science Magic--science demonstrations with a flair</li>
</ul>
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and a bunch of workshops:<br />
<ul>
<li>The Incredible Mars Pathfinder Mission</li>
<li>Dr. Gadget presents Gadgets that Float and Glide Through the Air</li>
<li>Water Powered Bottle Rockets</li>
<li>Meteorites: Rocks from Space</li>
<li>Hydrogen Fuel Cells</li>
<li>Gases in Space Living</li>
<li>Polynesian Star Compass</li>
<li>(see the <a href="http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/Day-of-discovery/08schedules.html">full listing here</a>)</li>
</ul>
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it was an awesome day of learning. now that i've learned more about the different workshops and presentations, i actually want to be a kid and sneak in and learn. there are some many great exhibits, workshops, and presentations. WOW! anyway, i had a lot of fun talking with the kids and parents. i can't wait till next year.congratulations to dan leuck for winning 2008 high tech leader awardtag:www.techhui.com,2008-10-07:1702911:BlogPost:230982008-10-07T10:45:19.000Zaaron kagawahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/aaronkagawa
congratulations goes out to <a href="http://techhui.ning.com/profile/dleuck">dan leuck</a> for winning one of the high tech leaders awards from the <a href="http://www.technologynewsbytes.com/industry_awards/high-tech-leaders">2008 flavors of technology and technology industry awards</a> sponsored by Technology News Bytes and the Pacific Technology Foundation this past weekend. dan has been be an awesome leader in the techhui community and really well respected throughout our industry. i know i…
congratulations goes out to <a href="http://techhui.ning.com/profile/dleuck">dan leuck</a> for winning one of the high tech leaders awards from the <a href="http://www.technologynewsbytes.com/industry_awards/high-tech-leaders">2008 flavors of technology and technology industry awards</a> sponsored by Technology News Bytes and the Pacific Technology Foundation this past weekend. dan has been be an awesome leader in the techhui community and really well respected throughout our industry. i know i look up to his leadership!<br />
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congratulations dan!<br />
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ps. congrats to others like <a href="http://kagawaa.blogspot.com/2008/03/interview-with-lynn-fujioka.html">lynn fujioka</a> and <a href="http://csdl.ics.hawaii.edu/Plone/news/aaron-kagawa-and-rose-sumajit-win-technology">rosemay sumajit andrada</a>TopCoder Software Engineering Competitiontag:www.techhui.com,2008-08-19:1702911:BlogPost:198652008-08-19T09:31:17.000Zaaron kagawahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/aaronkagawa
Exciting news! The University of Hawaii Information and Computer Sciences Department is putting on a coding competition (see http://www.ics.hawaii.edu/news/department-of-information-and-computer...). This is great news and should be a really fun experience for the students.<br />
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To help the ICS department we have decided to do two things.<br />
1) form an ICS alumni association<br />
2) lead the organization and planning to support the coding competition by providing mentors and prizes for the students. (To be…
Exciting news! The University of Hawaii Information and Computer Sciences Department is putting on a coding competition (see http://www.ics.hawaii.edu/news/department-of-information-and-computer...). This is great news and should be a really fun experience for the students.<br />
<br />
To help the ICS department we have decided to do two things.<br />
1) form an ICS alumni association<br />
2) lead the organization and planning to support the coding competition by providing mentors and prizes for the students. (To be clear; we encourage anyone (non-alumni and alumni) to volunteer to be a student mentor).<br />
<br />
The wheels are already in motion:<br />
- We had a coordination meeting with a few volunteers.<br />
- We created the <a href="http://techhui.ning.com/group/uhicsmentors">ICS mentors</a> group in TechHui to help organize the effort.<br />
- We've been looking into getting donations for prizes from companies in the tech industry.<br />
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If you like to help, please join our <a href="http://techhui.ning.com/group/uhicsmentors">ICS mentors</a> group. Additional details will be posted to there.<br />
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thanks, Aaron Kagawainterview with lynn fujiokatag:www.techhui.com,2008-03-31:1702911:BlogPost:104212008-03-31T10:04:35.000Zaaron kagawahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/aaronkagawa
"Cross posted from <a href="http://kagawaa.blogspot.com">http://kagawaa.blogspot.com</a>"<br />
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i met Lynn last year and i can barely keep up with the millions of things that she does. the amazing thing is that nearly all of those things are for the betterment of the children of hawaii. and that is really awesome.<br />
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lynn is the executive director of isisHawaii. in this interview we learn much more about lynn, isisHawaii, her other organizations, and what really drives her.<br />
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here are some pictures…
"Cross posted from <a href="http://kagawaa.blogspot.com">http://kagawaa.blogspot.com</a>"<br />
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i met Lynn last year and i can barely keep up with the millions of things that she does. the amazing thing is that nearly all of those things are for the betterment of the children of hawaii. and that is really awesome.<br />
<br />
lynn is the executive director of isisHawaii. in this interview we learn much more about lynn, isisHawaii, her other organizations, and what really drives her.<br />
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here are some pictures from the various events that lynn and her organizations support:<p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_iKK6sG0z8MA/R_Cr-bJHXnI/AAAAAAAAApk/wJigPxBYh3A/s400/collage.jpg"/></p>
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<b><br />
Can you give our readers a short background information about yourself and the isisHawaii organization? Also, what motivates you to work so hard for this cause?</b><br />
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<i>First of all, Happy Easter! Thanks for inviting me to participate in your blog.<br />
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isisHawaii is a non-profit organization that offers mentoring programs and connects industry to education. Our vision is to help provide the knowledge and skills necessary for our children to live and work successfully in Hawaii.<br />
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Since 2003, isisHawaii's primary focus has been on developing programs and collaborating with a network of stakeholders to excite students about science- and math-based fields.<br />
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What motivates me to work so hard for this cause? The realization that this nation -- once a world powerhouse and leader of industry and innovation -- has been losing its edge to emerging countries, particularly in the critical areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.<br />
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This loss is not just a national pride issue. America is not producing enough qualified graduates to replace the huge numbers of medical professionals, scientists, technologists and engineers leaving the field in the next 5-10 years (primarily due to retirement). It is already negatively impacting our healthcare system, innovation industries, education and national security. It affects us all.<br />
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The inspiration and preparation of students to consider entering these fields begins at a very early age and requires a sustained effort throughout the child's education all the way through to workforce. It is not just the educational system's problem. Parents, administrators, legislators, industry, academia, media and the community at large should be focused on this crisis and how to work together towards solutions.<br />
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It's a long road and a very broad one. My hope is that isisHawaii can play a small role in helping to strengthen this pipeline<br />
</i><br />
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<b>That is a very noble cause. I really identify with the vision; "Our vision is to help provide the knowledge and skills necessary for our children to live and work successfully in Hawaii."<br />
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Let's focus on some of the specifics a little.<br />
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What are some of the unique challenges that Hawaii faces?</b><br />
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<i>From a STEM education perspective: Our multi-ethnic population provides us with the best of everything. It also creates challenges in education where these differences, from a national point of view, are not necessarily taken into consideration. In some cases, it is divisive. We are also geographically "isolated" (both from the Mainland and as an island state) and do not have direct access to many of the resources that Mainland school systems have (internships, funding, mentors, etc.). Travel expenses can be prohibitive, even from island to island, and often times prevent schools from participating in some very effective programs.</i><br />
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<b>What is Hawaii doing right with respect to your vision? And, what can we do better?</b><br />
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<i>I am seeing a lot of positive collaboration going on right now in STEM education. We live in a very small community and it really does "take a whole village to raise a child." The more we can work together, the better off everyone will be. Isn't that what we try to teach our children? Then, we must first set the example.<br />
</i><br />
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<b>In your opinion, what is Hawaii's technology goal? Meaning, do you think that Hawaii wants to compete with places like Silicon Valley?</b><br />
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<i>The business climate needs to be attractive to investors and innovators in order to grow the industry and diversify our economy. I do believe there is potential. Geographically, we are in a prime spot for global participation. I don't think it's a matter of choice anymore. It is a national imperative.<br />
</i><br />
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<b>What are some specific examples of the "positive collaboration"?</b><br />
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<i>A few that I am honored to be involved in include the recent surge in participation in scholastic robotics programs. Government, higher ed, industry, and like-minded organizations are banding together to support these programs from kindergarten through college with program coordination, mentoring, curriculum integration and funding.<br />
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The Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii has developed many successful outreach initiatives and continues to expand its scope. One highly successful program from the Maui Economic Development Board, Inc.'s Women in Technology Project is Project EAST (Environmental and Spatial Technologies). This program offers an in-curriculum project-based elective for middle and high school students. EAST provides the students with advanced technologies, like GPS/GIS and 3D animation software, to help solve real challenges in their own communities. Students work alongside community partners and industry mentors to fulfill program objectives. Already in 9 Neighbor Island schools since 2000, EAST is currently in the process of expanding to 4 more schools on Oahu.<br />
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Another opportunity that brings many key stakeholders to the table is our partnership with the Honolulu Advertiser's Newspaper in Education Program and the STEM Hawaii project. This compendium showcases many of the successful STEM programs currently offered throughout the State. It has been a great tool to spark discussion and further collaboration, in addition to serving as a public awareness campaign. Plugging our third annual edition look for its release on Wednesday, March 26th.<br />
</i><br />
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<b>What kind of help do you need from industry?</b><br />
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<i>Students always benefit from meeting local role models and working with mentors in fields of their interests. Being on the "front line" and working very closely with school administrators, teachers and students, isisHawaii can help connect industry and education in mutually beneficial partnerships. Particularly in advanced technologies, students need to know what is available in Hawaii and what they have to look forward to.<br />
</i><br />
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<b>If I gave 10 million dollars to isisHawaii what would you do with the money?</b><br />
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<i>A $10M endowment would help build an international STEM hub here in Hawaii. Our students need to start thinking globally and connecting them to other states and nations would be wonderful. International exchanges, teacher education, student enrichment, hands-on experiences and real-world application. Think tank for kids. What a concept! They could teach us a thing or two.<br />
</i><br />
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<b>Thanks for the great responses. I think that wraps up another great interview. One last thing, can you quickly talk about Women in Technology?</b><br />
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<i>Of course. In addition to running isisHawaii, I am also the Oahu Project Manager for The Women in Technology (WIT) Project. WIT is a demonstration project administered by the Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. and is funded by the U.S. Departments of Labor, Education and Agriculture. It is a statewide workforce development initiative to encourage women, girls and other under represented minorities in to science- and math-based fields. Since 2003, Leslie Wilkins (WIT Program Director) has been my inspiration and mentor, as well as providing isisHawaii with its first seed-grant to launch the One+One E-mentoring Program.<br />
</i><br />
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<b>Actually, as I was reviewing our discussions I wanted to learn more about the "statewide workforce development initiative to encourage women, girls and other under represented minorities in to science- and math-based fields. "<br />
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I don't know much about this area. Can you give us a short intro to the problem and your solutions?</b><br />
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<i>The demand for qualified scientists and engineers is huge, however, the numbers of women and under represented minorities entering the workforce in STEM areas...except for medicine...is still very low. For example, the percentages of women graduating in engineering has remained relatively unchanged for many years and is somewhere in the low 20's. (Hawaii numbers reflect the national average.) There is even a lower percentage that actually end up entering the workforce as engineers.<br />
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Women, ethnic minorities (e.g., Native Hawaiian/Alaskan, Pacific Islander) and people with disabilities represent the majority of the U.S. workforce and and remain the largest untapped market for science and engineering.<br />
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The drop off in interest, for girls at least, seems to be at a very early age -- somewhere around upper elementary and lower middle school. With positive intervention, like mentoring and hands-on project-based programs, girls engage and excel in math- and science-related activities. In fact, at that point, attraction isn't a matter of gender or ethnicity. Mentors and project-based hands-on activities engage students from every socio-economic background...regardless of academic standing. When students are shown the relevance of what they're learning in the classroom (i.e., rigor) to application, retention and interest increase dramatically. This effort, of course, must be sustained throughout the student's education until workforce entry. Even upon entering the workforce, mentoring programs continue to play an important role in the ultimate success of the individual.<br />
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Excited educators also make a huge difference. Students tend to take their lead from teachers who embrace technology and science. That's where private/public partnerships are critical -- where we, community supporters, can help enable our educators with current information and opportunities for relevant application. Programs, like isisHawaii and Women in Technology, are dedicated to connecting local industry and other like-minded organizations and institutions in support of STEM education in our schools. We offer teacher workshops, after-school activities, in-curriculum and mentoring programs designed to foster and sustain student interest in STEM, from elementary school to college, all the way into the workforce.<br />
</i><br />
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[end interview]<br />
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if you'd like to learn more about what lynn does please see the following resources:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.isishawaii.org">isisHawaii</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.isishawaii.org/NewsDisplayForm.aspx?ID=536">The mentoring gap for women in science</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.stemhawaii.com">STEM Hawaii</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.roboticshawaii.org">RoboticsHawaii</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.womenintech.com">Women in Technology</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.isishawaii.org/PhotoAlbum.aspx?QueryID=What%20Is%20An%20Engineer?">What is an engineer</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.swehawaii.org">Society of Women Engineers Hawaii</a> <br/>
there is so much more i want to learn about what lynn does. most of all i want to get involved and help. i hop</li>
</ul>UH ICS and LIS Anniversary Lunchtag:www.techhui.com,2008-03-09:1702911:BlogPost:89422008-03-09T10:30:00.000Zaaron kagawahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/aaronkagawa
(cross posted from http://kagawaa.blogspot.com/) on saturday, march 8th 2008 we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the University of Hawaii Information and Computer Sciences department. it was a great day for the department because it was the first time we had an alumni/department lunch in 40 years. hopefully, this will be the start to a lot more things from the department. more activities, events, fund raising, high school/intermediate expos, etc. i plan on helping and even leading the…
(cross posted from http://kagawaa.blogspot.com/) on saturday, march 8th 2008 we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the University of Hawaii Information and Computer Sciences department. it was a great day for the department because it was the first time we had an alumni/department lunch in 40 years. hopefully, this will be the start to a lot more things from the department. more activities, events, fund raising, high school/intermediate expos, etc. i plan on helping and even leading the department in these new areas. it will be great. back to the event... the day started with a poster session (an LIS tradition) from all ICS and LIS research. faculty and students were there explaining their research. it was great to see all the different things that were going on. after the poster sessions, we had a lunch. the food was pretty good. after lunch, Dept. Chair Martha Crosby made some introductions. the ICS department is lucky enough to have its founding faculty still around; and actually teaching. some of the first students of the ics department even attended; one traveling from minisota. martha even introduced the industry alumni. referentia was very well repersented. after martha's introductions, president David McClain gave a speech. his speech reminded us about how far we have come. how our work (computer science) has changed the world. from punch cards to high performance computing in 40 years; not bad at all. i can't wait to see what is going to happen in the next 40 years. after the lunch and the speeches, the faculty gave tours and demos of their research in the post building. it was fun to talk about academic research again. here are some pictures from the event! <br />
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/396577256?profile=RESIZE_320x320" alt="" width="300" height="300"></p> there is so much we can do. here is what i'm working on: # march 13 - the dual use group will present the students about our internship programs # march 14 - coe/ics career fair day # i'm starting an ics alumni association. we have a facebook group and i'm starting a google groups for our email distribution. # i want to help the department figure out fundraising options. fundraising is important to help student groups like the ics club and student projects. student projects are student led projects that help give them experience. back to the event... so, the alumni lunch was totally awesome. it would have been great if more alumni attended. hopefully next year more people will know about it. (i guess thats going to be my job). it was also great to see some of the professors that i haven't seen in a while. its great to be able to thank professors for what they taught you. i can't wait till the next ics event! if you haven't visited the ics department website in a while; now is the time. take a look at the faculty profiles and pictures. read about the research and keep up with the news and events. go. go. go.interview with ian kitajimatag:www.techhui.com,2008-03-04:1702911:BlogPost:87862008-03-04T11:14:44.000Zaaron kagawahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/aaronkagawa
"Cross posted from http://kagawaa.blogspot.com"<br />
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interview with ian kitajima<br />
<br />
ian is the leader of the dual use group: A grassroots industry group for Hawaii's defense and dual-use companies. he is also a marketing manager at oceanit.<br />
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ian is a really cool dude. i met at local business function after work. its kind of a classic networking example (which by the way is really really important in hawaii). from that meeting we worked on a few events together.<br />
<br />
i've learned a lot from ian in the…
"Cross posted from http://kagawaa.blogspot.com"<br />
<br />
interview with ian kitajima<br />
<br />
ian is the leader of the dual use group: A grassroots industry group for Hawaii's defense and dual-use companies. he is also a marketing manager at oceanit.<br />
<br />
ian is a really cool dude. i met at local business function after work. its kind of a classic networking example (which by the way is really really important in hawaii). from that meeting we worked on a few events together.<br />
<br />
i've learned a lot from ian in the short time that i've known him. we have had twitter discussions, chats, and even complained profusely about our jobs over lunch (just joking). i hope to learn a lot more from him. we both have similar goals.<br />
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the moral of the story is you should go to all business events, no matter how boring. cause you might meet people. people that you can learn a lot from. haha. :)<br />
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i've mentioned before in my blog that hawaii needs stronger tech leaders. let me put it another way, we need more ian's.<br />
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here is how this interview works. the questions that i ask are highlighted in bold. ian's responses are in italics.<br />
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<b>I've been an admirer of Oceanit for a long time, yet I know relatively little about your company. Can you give a brief explanation of what your company does? Also, (and almost more importantly) can you explain how Oceanit accomplishes your goals? In other words, what is your company's culture?</b><br />
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<i>Oceanit. It's definitely a culture of innovation. Easy to say, hard to do. From an employee perspective, I think culture is something you pickup daily. For example, it's something I pickup from the people at Oceanit - which is why the people you work with are so important, but that's for another story. From a corporate perspective on how to create a culture of innovation, it's something we (as leaders...i'm talking about a way of being that's not a result of a title) have to live on a daily basis. It starts with Dr. Patrick Sullivan, the founder of Oceanit, and flows to all parts of the company. For example, one way the cultural context gets set is during the Monday business review sessions. For example, I throw out a radical idea, then realize people are going to think I'm crazy and that was stupid of me to stick my neck out, but it's safe to do because 2 minutes later Pat will throw out an even crazier idea, and with that simple act he sets the context or culture. You start to feel like you're not so crazy and that feels great. Pat sets the context (in various ways) that it's safe to think innovatively. Very very important. You once asked me what is our mantra? I said one word, "innovation". But creating a safe environment to innovate is just the beginning. We have to live innovation not just in the research stuff but in all areas of the business. I head up the marketing group and i tell my guys if i get hit by a bus tomorrow just remember the message or theme is "innovation". So if you're wondering what should the the theme for the corporate christmas gift, or the theme of our nano lab open house, or the mesage for a story on the KGMB9 evening news, you already know it.<br />
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As to what our company does, we focus in four areas: life science, aerospace, IT, and consulting engineering. The Star Trek sick bay bed, the Star Trek tricorder, Superman vision that can track where a bullet is coming from, Spiderman-like abilities to climb walls, etc.. Put another way, we're like an idea factory that creates all kinds of innovations, and the best ones are spun off into new companies so they can focus and get to market. Put in another way, we're trying to change the world by building a technology industry in Hawaii, even if it means building it one startup at a time.<br />
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Now how do we accomplish this? I would say that what we do and who we become in 5 years or in 50 years is determined by the pains/problems in 5 years, in 50 years. What we do as a business also depends on the people we're able to attract and grow here at Oceanit. And the third thing that determines what we do in the future (which is key but is so subtle), is we don't let our past or who we are today, determine what we will become in the future. Ten years ago we knew nothing about space situational awareness (SSA). Today, SSA is the number one problem for Space Command, and we're right in the middle of it, as we deploy our worldwide network of small autonomous stations. That's liberating but with it comes the challenge of managing diversity...I could go on and on but hopefully that gives your readers a sense of our culture and philosophy. Here is a link to a Pacific Business News article about our internal innovation fund which is just another example of how we live a culture of innovation at Oceanit.<br />
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Tech firm pays workers to dream<br />
(BTW, the PBN story was inspired by you and your blog in a way. I had previously pitched the story of our innovation fund at the end of last year, and your blog got me inspired to pitch it again.)<br />
</i><br />
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<b>Wow, thats cool.<br />
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Your explanation of how crazy is accepted is really funny. At times I think I'm going crazy... But, I don't think people quite understand my craziness. Haha. So, its really amazing to hear your explanation of a "safe environment to innovate" and "idea factory that creates all kinds of innovation". That all sounds really fantastic. I also think its awesome that Oceanit shares its philosophy and culture with the rest of the industry.<br />
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But...(here come the hard questions)... but, what does this all mean for computer science students? Here come a series of questions: If I was a computer science student reading about Oceanit, I'd think Oceanit is awesome, but with 30 PhDs, why would Oceanit care about little old me? How do CS students prepare for a career in Oceanit? Oceanit seems like a great engineering company, but how does the software developers fit into the innovation?<br />
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<i>CS is the glue. Look at any of the big prime defense contractors. Out of 50K employees, maybe half are CS, because CS is the way you glue/integrate systems together. CS is critical, and that's why CS would make someone valuable at Oceanit, even if you don't have a Ph.D. Oceanit started off as an engineering company, doing ocean, environmental, and coastal engineering, evolving into R&D for the federal government, evolving to become an incubator of spin off companies. Noah's Ark had two of everything, we're trying for at least one of everything!<br />
</i><br />
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<b><br />
Finally, do you have a list of books, articles, websites, activities, and groups that students can begin to utilize to grow?</b><br />
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<i><br />
As for books, articles, websites, etc...Here are some of my thoughts for maximum growth<br />
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1. Internships. Get hands on experience now. Always take on the toughest assignment.<br />
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2. Find a mentor. Pick someone who's 20 years older who you want to be like. If you can't find a mentor, it's probably because you're not ready. There is a saying, "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear." Get a mentor, and be coachable.<br />
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3. Books: Deep Survival (very good book about why we fail and ultimately succeed), Tipping Point/Blink, Corporate Lifecycles, The Starfish and the Spider (about decentralized networks), Positioning (anything by Ries and Trout), Information Rules, Art of the Start (anything by Guy Kawasaki), Win Friends and Influence People, Think and Grow Rich, etc..you've got to get specific because i read a lot.<br />
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4. Personal development. Learn about yourself so you can get out of your own way. This has been my secret. I'm not the smartest but I work hard, and I try to stay out of my own way. Does that make sense. So do some serious personal development workshops, like the one Burt Lum and I are bringing to Hawaii in early March. Visit www.mindwind.com<br />
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5. Peers: Choose them carefully. You become like the people you hangout with.<br />
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6. Company. Choose this one carefully as well. If you want to get a lot of experience, work for a small company. Learn what it takes to make payroll!<br />
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7. Pain. Take the pain when you're young. Work the toughest assignments, and work a lot of them. Get as much experience as you can.<br />
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8. Values. What are our personal values? Humbleness or arrogance? Giving or taking? Integrity or deception? Building or destroying?<br />
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9. Alignment. Align your personal and career goals. If you want a career to take you around the world, e.g., work 2 years in Tokyo, 2 years in Paris, 2 years in NY, etc...that's all very possible but don't set a personal goal of wanting a house with the white picket fence and your spouse and child waiting at the door welcoming you home for dinner at 6pm. You will be stress knowing they are waiting for you, and they will be unhappy...what's real is showing up 2 hours late will be just as devastating.<br />
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10. Life partner: Though this is #10, this should be #1 on your list. Who you make your life with, will determine your future happiness and success, or misery! This is so important, because this is about alignment again. Are you and your spouse going in the same direction? Do you want the same things? Would you be good friends even if you weren't married? So i need to repeat it again - the #1 thing you can do to be successful and happy is to marry the right person! Listen to your mother and friends if you're proven to be a poor partner picker! Say that 3 times really fast.<br />
</i><br />
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[end interview]<br />
i'm not sure i asked the right CS questions to ian. my basic point to him was that i saw a lot of hardware related innovation from oceanit. not too much software stuff. so, the question was basically... how does your software people get involved in innovation when most of the work is on the hard sciences side? anyway, i'll ask him that later.<br />
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here is a blog that i wrote in the dual use NING space:<br />
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someone sent this article to me the other day, "Hire Learning", http://reddevnews.com/features/article.aspx?editorialsid=2373<br />
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i have been discussing with anyone that will listen about the problems that i have been noticing in technical education. its very interesting that the problem is bigger than any one solution. problems like this needs to be attacked in a coordinated fashion. it takes the involvement from government, industry, and most importantly people. mentor someone, give them hope, show them what is possible, and help them do it.<br />
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i often feel overwhelmed by how i can make a difference. but, i so desperately want to. i know i'll figure it out.<br />
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and this is why ian is a really cool guy... here is his response:<br />
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Right on Aaron! And yes, you will. Remember, making a difference is about the daily small things that add up over time. Yes, swing for the fences when it makes sense, but this is also a marathon more than it is a sprint.<br />
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I just read a very nice quote, "grow a leader, grow an organization." I think the same would apply here. Let me know how i can support you.interview with daniel leucktag:www.techhui.com,2008-02-20:1702911:BlogPost:82832008-02-20T09:14:40.000Zaaron kagawahttp://www.techhui.com/profile/aaronkagawa
"Cross posted from http://kagawaa.blogspot.com"<br />
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interview with daniel leuck<br />
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Daniel Leuck is the President of Ikayzo, Inc. (http://www.ikayzo.com), he is by far the most knowledgeable developer that i know. dan is one of those developers that really really really really loves to hack. the thing that i admire about dan is that he shares that love for software development with others; it's infectious.<br />
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i was lucky to catch a few moments with dan. this is a short interview, we promise to dive…
"Cross posted from http://kagawaa.blogspot.com"<br />
<br />
interview with daniel leuck<br />
<br />
Daniel Leuck is the President of Ikayzo, Inc. (http://www.ikayzo.com), he is by far the most knowledgeable developer that i know. dan is one of those developers that really really really really loves to hack. the thing that i admire about dan is that he shares that love for software development with others; it's infectious.<br />
<br />
i was lucky to catch a few moments with dan. this is a short interview, we promise to dive deeper into details in follow up interview.<br />
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here is how this interview works. the questions that i ask are highlighted in bold. dan's responses are in italics.<br />
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<b>The idea is to help students learn more about the companies and people in Hawaii's high tech industry.</b><br />
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<i>I'm in! We have the same interests. I want to keep Hawaii's best and brightest in Hawaii so I can hire them :-)</i><br />
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You seem to always be on the cutting edge of technology. When we first met years ago, it was Beanshell. Now, you seem to really be into Adobe Flex and other RIA applications. What is it that attracts you to these cool and new technologies? More importantly, how do you integrate it into what you do into your business model?</b><br />
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<i>As software architecture consultants for companies like Bank of America (https://www.bankofamerica.com) and ValueCommerce (http://www.valuecommerce.com), its our job to be on top of new technology developments, especially in the areas of rich client development, social networks, and content management. Our customers expect this. If they hear about a relevant new technology before I tell them about it, I'm not doing my job.<br />
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The RIA space is evolving at breakneck speed. I love working with technologies like Adobe's Flex and Microsoft's WPF. These frameworks make it easy to develop rich clients that look great.</i><br />
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That sounds like a pretty fun business model; especially for your developers.</b><br />
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<i>It is :-) Its important to enjoy your work.</i><br />
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<b>I want to shift the interview slightly. We both agreed that connecting with students is a high priority. Why do you think its vital for you to focus your precious time on growing Hawaii's tech industry?</b><br />
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<i>Everyone knows Hawaii needs a more diversified economy. The burgeoning technology sector seems like our best bet. For technology companies to success we need skilled workers. Right now we loose many of our best and brightest to the mainland as soon as they graduate. I frequently hear students say they are planning to move to California or New York as soon as they graduate because there are no good tech jobs in Hawaii. This is a myth. It may have been true ten years ago, but it certainly isn't true today. Ikayzo and our neighbors at the Manoa Innovation Center frequently have to go to the mainland to recruit because we can't find the people we need locally.<br />
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My reasons are as selfish as they are altruistic. I love this state, and I don't want to leave. For my business to grow its important that we have local talent and a vibrant technology community.</i><br />
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<b>Also for those that are not aware, can you highlight some of the opportunities that you are involved with?</b><br />
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<i>Sure. Interesting current projects include:<br />
# A .NET desktop client framework for a major US bank<br />
# A behavioral analysis and ad targeting system for a large Japanese affiliate marketing company<br />
# Creative work for a set of Facebook apps with over five million users<br />
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We also have some community projects like TechHui (http://www.techhui.com) and OOI. OOI is an open source portal for Flex applications we will be releasing later this year.<br />
</i><br />
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<b>Lastly, what can others do to help the efforts?</b><br />
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<i>There are many ways to help the vision of a silicon island become a<br />
reality. Here are a few ideas:<br />
# Volunteer to teach technology classes at local schools<br />
# Participate in community projects like HOSEF (http://www.hosef.org)<br />
# Support laws and candidates that favor Hawaii's high tech businesses<br />
# Invest in local high tech companies<br />
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BTW - I enjoyed reading you blog. "Hacking will get you dates." ROTFL :-)</i><br />
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[end interview]<br />
i think we are just scratching the surface in this interview. i'm constantly amazed by dan's commitment to the local high tech community. for example, dan has sponsored the honolulu coders meetings for years. i've been out of touch with dan for a while, i think that was a mistake. there is a lot i can continue to learn from him... more to come.