Hawaii

Hawaii-based company mentors bright scientific minds through competitive internships

Published

2 years ago

August 7, 2024

Hawaii-based company mentors bright scientific minds through competitive internships

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Honolulu company has trained and mentored some of the brightest scientific minds across the country this summer.

Each year, Oceanit selects a handful of interns nationwide for their summer program that teaches them to apply their academics to real-world problems.

The projects have zero limitations and can apply to any field or subject.

Through identifying problems, the students work alongside company professionals and their assigned mentor to research, conceptualize and develop innovative solutions.

“We look for people that are excited to learn new things and to try new things. We encourage them to try something really hard that might be very impactful, even at the risk of it failing because there’s a lot to learn from that too,” said Oceanit CEO Patrick Sullivan.

Oliver Nishikawa is a rising third-year chemical engineering student at Cornell University and a Punahou School graduate. His innovation project focuses on extracting an acid from corn waste and turning it into a natural herbicide that isn’t harmful to humans or the environment.

“When I applied to Oceanit and I got the internship, I was really excited that I could be pursuing something related to engineering while still being at home and being around my family,” Nishikawa said.

“In the beginning it was hard for me to think for myself on the context of my data that I had gathered in the lab. Through my mentors, I think I’m learning to be able to behave independently in lab and to kind of talk about my results and back them up with confidence.”

Joel Kiernan is a recent Stanford graduate whose innovation project explores the use of Orbital Transfer Vehicles to redirect space junk and debris to prevent satellite collisions.

“As an intern, being able to walk up to desks, send cold emails and get such a warm response and access to just a wealth of knowledge to then build on this idea and get really concrete expert advice,” Kiernan said.

“It’s not just one product, one idea here, it’s this huge breadth of ideas.”

The students will present their ideas Wednesday at Oceanit’s innovation summit to company employees, Hawaii State Sens. Troy Hashimoto and Glenn Wakai, and Hawaii State Reps. Daniel Holt and Scot Matayoshi.

Source link

Hawaii

American Red Cross assisting displaced family after 2-alarm fire

Published

2 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

American Red Cross assisting displaced family after 2-alarm fire

WAIMANALO (HawaiiNewsNow) – The American Red Cross is assisting a family Thursday after a two-alarm fire was extinguished in Waimanalo.

The Honolulu Fire Department responded to Oluolu Street at about 3 a.m., staffed with 10 units and 39 personnel.

The first unit arrived at about 3:15 a.m. to find a working fire at a two-story residential building. No one was inside.

Flames and smoke were coming from the garage, said HFD. A hazmat team was dispatched to secure a 125-pound LPG tank that was exposed.

The fire was under control at 4 a.m. and fully extinguished at about 4:15 a.m.

No injuries were reported.

The American Red Cross was requested to assist the displaced family.

An investigation is underway to determine what caused the fire and damage estimates.

Source link

Hawaii

Hawaii Water Polo enters Big West Championship as number 1 seed

Published

14 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

Hawaii Water Polo enters Big West Championship as number 1 seed

The Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Water Polo Team has secured the number 1 seed in the Big West Championship Tournament.

“I think everyone understands the importance of the tournament and, what we want to do,” said Hawaii Junior Daisy Logtens.

Hawaii enters the tournament 13-5 overall and 6-0 in conference play.

UH will open up the conference tournament against 8th seed UC Santa Barbara. UH recently defeated UCSB 18-4 on March 28th in Manoa.

The 1st match for UH is set for Friday at 7:00am HT in Long Beach, California.

The winner of (1) Hawaii vs (8) UCSB will take on the winner of (4) vs (5) UC San Diego.

Source link

Hawaii

‘Surreal’: Flood victims near UH Manoa prepare for third storm

Published

2 days ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

‘Surreal’: Flood victims near UH Manoa prepare for third storm

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Anxiety ran high in Manoa ahead of Wednesday’s impending storm, which comes about two weeks after a second Kona low flooded 14 residential units along Koali Road.

It was not the first time the homes were swamped in recent months.

Last November, a water main break overflowed the same ground-level units near UH Manoa, causing extensive damage.

Now, as tenants clean up and repair their homes after the latest storm, they are bracing for yet another storm expected to hit Wednesday.

“It sounds like a movie, it sounds a little surreal, a little not real,” Koali Road resident Carlos Jimenez said.

Jimenez, whose home was flooded both times, recalled the recent one, which covered his home in about two feet of water, describing the deluge as “a little bit above knee high.”

The damage to Jimenez’s unit went beyond the floor, too, because of the heavy rain.

“The ceiling got water-damaged. From what I saw, it was soaking water, sagging, and it was about to collapse,” Jimenez said.

Fortunately, crews repaired his roof days before the third storm could send another round of downpours.

Outside, both of Jimenez’s vehicles sat damaged and dead.

After all that he has seen at his Koali Road home, Jimenez said he would take the new storm seriously.

“Get ready, you know, with my mother. She lives with me. She’s 87,” Jimenez said.

After witnessing the devastation in the neighborhood, Jimenez’s neighbor, Dario Aricala, whose home was spared, is not taking it for granted during this week’s wet weather.

“The last storm, we almost got flooded. We are hoping for the best that this storm is not such bad,” Aricala said.

Click here to donate to Jimenez’s GoFundMe page.

In the meantime, other residents have been staying elsewhere during cleanup and repairs, and the property manager said he has been helping them.

Source link