{"id":206265,"date":"2024-11-08T14:30:32","date_gmt":"2024-11-09T00:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=206265"},"modified":"2024-11-08T14:31:02","modified_gmt":"2024-11-09T00:31:02","slug":"uh-astronomers-students-science-fun-in-kona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/11\/08\/uh-astronomers-students-science-fun-in-kona\/","title":{"rendered":"东精影业<\/abbr> astronomers, students: Hands-on science fun in Kona"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Family-friendly fun at AstroDay West<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

AstroDay West transformed Kona Commons Shopping Center into a hub of discovery on November 2, captivating hundreds of eager attendees with science and technology exhibits at the annual day-long celebration on Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island. Scientists, faculty and students from the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s Institute for Astronomy<\/a> (IfA<\/abbr>) were on hand to share their expertise with attendees of all-ages.<\/p>\n

Organized by the Maunakea Observatories, the free event featured hands-on demonstrations and displays related to astronomy, robotics and natural sciences. IfA<\/abbr> was among the 26 organizations on site such as Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and the National Weather Service.<\/p>\n

IfA<\/abbr> shared a rare experience: for the first time at AstroDay West, the public could peer into a solar telescope and safely view the Sun\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n

“AstroDay was a lot of fun, it\u2019s great to interact with the community, especially keiki,” said Ellen Lee, a grad student at IfA<\/abbr>. “I love going out and talking about space with people.”<\/p>\n

IfA<\/abbr> grad student Maria Vincent also enjoyed helping to inspire the next generation.<\/p>\n

“My favorite part of AstroDay was answering the really far out there questions from keiki,” Vincent said. “They have hypothetical situations that I typically don\u2019t think about, but really enjoy explaining.”<\/p>\n

Spotlighting opportunities<\/h2>\n

AstroDay West also spotlighted 东精影业<\/abbr>\u2019s new Space Science Engineering Initiative<\/a> to encourage local students to pursue careers in astronomy and engineering. Launched this fall at 东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo, the initiative offers pre-engineering courses on the Hilo campus providing pathways to 东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa for students aiming for degrees in engineering. The program is tied to a planned space engineering and instrument development center, which will be housed at IfA<\/abbr>\u2019s facilities on the 东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo campus.<\/p>\n