Pono Science STEAM Kits Advisory Board formed

Over the past several weeks I have been reaching out to experts in play, design, Hawaiian culture and Indigenous Innovation to join an advisory board for this project. I am very excited to announce this amazing hui (team) forming. The Advisory Board will share feedback and insights guiding the development of this open access science STEAM kit centered in Hawaii place-based materials and cultural values. The advisory board will meet three times via Zoom in 2024: January, March, and August. Their contributions will include reviewing and giving feedback and guidance on the activity lesson plans, themes, resources, and frameworks.

Here below is the Advisory Board. Humbled and honored to be in community with this group:

 

Kiana Frank - born and raised in Kailua Oʻahu – studies how microorganisms (the smallest forms of life that live on land and in water) shape ʻāina for productivity and health by weaving contemporary western techniques with Native Hawaiian Science. She has strong relationships working within communities using scientific hands-on experiences in the ʻāina, our natural laboratories, to inspire the younger Hawaiian generations to cultivate a connection to science through their culture. She is currently employed as an Assistant Professor in the Pacific Biosciences Research Center at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, and also sits on the boards of Native Hawaiian non-profit organizations Kauluakalana, INPEACE and Purple Maiʻa. Frank Laboratory and 2022 article about Dr. Frank's journey 

 

Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Matthew and Roxanne Ortiz are a husband and wife art duo who collaborate under the name Wooden Wave. Their work has a hand-drawn aesthetic that reflects a playful sensibility and appreciation for draftsmanship. Frequently using treehouses as their subject matter, the art of Wooden Wave presents a whimsical take on the notion of the sustainably integrated community. The treehouse, as a symbol, exudes a nostalgic sense of possibility and represents the ultimate icon for adventure. But beyond the obvious romanticism of a dwelling built in the canopy, the inclusion of solar panels, water catchment, aquaponics, and green roof systems make each composition relevant to the environmental issues of today.

 

David Okada was born and raised in Hawai’i  and as a Paia and Kahului Maui boy, he designed and fabricated action toys and child-sized play accessories for the younger neighborhood kids. These playthings were made from ‘recycled' man-made materials (wood scraps, 'tin cans,’ cloth, clothes pins, newsprint, wire, tire inner tubes, etc.) and available Hawaiian plants (bamboo, African Tulip, hao, sugar cane and Hawaiian seeds like coconuts, kukui, false wiliwili, etc.) 

He left Hawaii for two college engineering/design degrees at Stanford University and a hitch in the U.S. Army. Then Dave began his 50+years in toy design/management at Mattel Toys. His final executive role  was as the Senior Vice President of Product Design at two major toy companies.  Popular toy brands he has worked on and developed include Barbie and Hot Wheels at Mattel Toys, Play-Doh, Star Wars, Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears at Kenner Products; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Playmates Toys. His design consulting firm, Dave O Designs, serviced domestic and Asian manufacturers. Dave lives in Manhattan Beach, CA with his wife, Kathy and has two creative designer daughters. He is still designing, and also pampers his ‘beach crops' of apples, persimmons, strawberry guavas and lilikoi. ( Recent article From garden to table: Uniting California’s diverse communities through spice including an interview with David Okada) He is also featured in the seriesThe Toys that Made Us: Star Wars.

 

Kea'aokahonua (Kea'a) Davis is the Lead Design and Product Strategist at Purple Mai'a, a Hawaiian organization on a mission to educate and empower culturally engaged, community-oriented, technology makers and problem solvers. Kea'a also facilitates design research at the Mālama Venture Studio and is a kumu in Ka Maka ʻĪnana , a 12 week program collaboration between the Purple Maiʻa Foundation and the University of Hawaiʻi Office of Indigenous Innovation, centered in place-based design in a Hawaiian context. Kea'a received a BS in Product Design from Stanford University.

 

  Lisa Whitsitt is a product and experience design leader focused on bringing empowering experiences and consumer products to life while driving toward a more positive future. She is skilled at seeing what could be, believing it is possible, giving it tangible form and creating momentum to full execution/production. Currently Lisa is a strategic design advisor to several purpose driven startups. She has launched several successful toy start-ups focused on exploring nature & science and empowering girls, was the 3rd female engineer/product designer at IDEO, was an “Intrapreneur” working on future food concepts, sustainable experiences and packaging at Clif Bar & Company, and led futuristic projects at Capital One. She was an adjunct professor at Stanford University teaching design thinking. Lisa has been awarded multiple patents and thrives on collaborative innovation work. She received a B.S. in Product Design from Stanford University. 

 

Skye Haraga is a recent graduate and passionate conservationist from Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu. She has experience creating hands-on, garden-based activities and managing Native Hawaiian plants at Mānoa Heritage Center. She is currently transitioning to a role as a Community Forestry Specialist with DLNR DOFAW through Kupu Hawaiʻi. Skye earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and Environmental Science at Chaminade University of Honolulu. I am hoping we can grow community conversations, starting with this hui, centering Hawaiian Indigenous innovation as the core science knowledge driving sustainability and science in STEAM kits across the Hawaiian Islands.