Maui’s 2022 STEMworks Solutions Agriculture Challenge winners announced

Mahi Pono and the Maui Economic Development Board announced the winners of its 2022 STEMworks Solutions Agriculture Challenge. Students from King Kekaulike and Baldwin excessive faculties secured high honors and have been awarded money prizes:  

 1^st Place: King Kekaulike High School 

 2^nd Place: King Kekaulike High School

• Liam Baush ($166.66) 
• Jeremy DuPont ($166.66)
• Kaitlin Kitagawa ($166.66)

3^rd Place: Baldwin High School

• Kalokuokamaile Kellow ($125)
• Janessa Baguio-Larena ($125)
• Jairo Baguio-Larena ($125)
• Adrian Burke ($125) 

The 2022 STEMworks Solutions Agriculture Challenge was open to all Hawaiʻi highschool and undergraduate college students and introduced them with a STEM-related drawback to unravel. More than 125 college students entered the problem, together with college students from Kauaʻi.

Students may take part as people or in groups of as much as 4 with the winners receiving a paid internship with Mahi Pono and a $500 money prize. For Mahi Pono’s problem, college students have been requested to deal with the issue of overcoming the consequences of wind on citrus timber, together with harm, erosion, and mud manufacturing. Students have been requested to provide you with options for how one can preserve fruit timber upright with little to no windbreak, and how one can mitigate mud clouds from lack of floor cowl. 

“These students are brilliant. The improvement and protection of Maui’s ecosystem is a top priority for Mahi Pono. These students represent Maui’s future, and including them in our operations and planning processes makes Maui stronger. We are fortunate to partner with MEDB and the Department of Education to put this STEM challenge together. It was challenging to narrow this down to one,” mentioned Jayson Watts, director of exterior affairs and strategic initiatives with Mahi Pono.

“The STEMworks Solutions Challenges give students the ability to apply their knowledge to solve real world problems that many people in different industries, such as the Ag industry, face on a regular basis,” mentioned Britney James, program specialist with Maui Economic Development Board. “This challenge allowed students to use the engineering design process in hands on activities and exposed them to multiple careers in the Ag sector giving them a new appreciation for people working in the Ag industry. I’m always blown away by the solutions that students submit. The future of Hawaii is bright with our youth and I think we can expect great things from these students.”

The eight college students representing the highest three positioned groups have all been supplied paid summer season internships with Mahi Pono.  As interns, they’ll implement their proposed options, and thru analysis and trials could have the chance to enhance their design.