Building Kids: MEDB, Sen. Inouye support Maui High technology program

From the Maui Economic Development Board, April 15, 2009

Learning to construct, program and operate a robot for a competition involves more than knowing science and technology, a team of Maui High School students told the Maui Economic Development Board.

“It’s not only about kids building robots,” said Robotics team Co-Captain Bryce Ribucan. “It’s about robots building kids; it’s about learning about yourself.”

The 22-member Robotics team presented a short video of their performance at the Hawaii Regional FIRST Robotics Competition to the MEDB board and U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye in expressing their appreciation for the support their Maui High science and technology program has received.

Team leaders offered brief statements on the benefits of the hands-on technology program in which they learned as much about themselves and their capabilities as about science, engineering and technology.

In congratulating the team, MEDB and Inouye presented a $5,000 grant to the Maui High School team to assist it in getting to the FIRST Robotics National Competition being held Thursday through Saturday, April 16-18, in Atlanta, Ga.

For his part, Inouye reflected on the billions authorized by Congress to provide for education in the United States as he expressed his appreciation of the achievements of two teams of Maui High School students in technology programs.

“I can go back to Washington and tell my colleagues the taxpayers’ money is being put to good use,” Inouye said.

The Maui High Robotics team was joined by four members of the Maui High Project EAST team, which received an award of excellence in the Project EAST annual
conference.

The luncheon presentation was held Monday at the Maui Economic Development Board Ke Alahele Center. The $5,000 award to the school came from MEDB’s Ke Alahele Education Fund, set up to provide financial support for science, technology, engineering and math education programs around Maui County.

Inouye and MEDB directors were given a viewing of the Maui High Project EAST video recognized with an award of excellence at the annual EAST Initiative National
Conference held in March in Hot Springs, Ark.

Team members followed up with discussions of the benefits to them, with Kevin Viernes explaining that producing the video taught him as much about problem solving and community service as the technology of video production.

In the presentation on the Robotics team, Ribucan, a junior, revealed just how much of an influence the program has on his teammate, senior Captain Lea Pigao.

“She was going to go into business, but now she’s decided to take up engineering,” he said. “After learning about engineering in the Robotics competition, she said she never felt the same way about business.”

Pigao thanked MEDB and other supporters and acknowledged her change of career direction, adding she had been late in applying to the School of Engineering at the
University of Hawaii but still hoped she would be accepted.

Inouye asked how many of the students were applying to college and was gratified at the unanimous response, noting that when he was graduated from McKinley High School, only 5 percent of the students planned to go to college.

“Most of my generation, they went back to the plantation to work,” he said. Telling the students they are future leaders, he advised them to reach high.
“Go for the gold. Never be satisfied with so-so,” he urged.