In a speech to National Academy of Sciences members gathered for the Academy's 146th annual meeting, President Barack Obama announced major initiatives to boost research funding and bolster math and science education. He said he was restoring science to its rightful place, and urged NAS members to join him in creative efforts to engage young people in science.

Source: The National Academies
Full story: http://www8.nationalacademies.org
Audio: http://nationalacademies.org/podcast/20090427.mp3

Maui High robotics team holds its own in first test on national stage.

WAILUKU - Tired but satisfied, members of Maui High School's robotics team said they had an "amazing experience" competing among hundreds of other high schools in the FIRST Robotics World Championship in Atlanta over the weekend.

Source: The Maui News
Full Story: http://www.mauinews.com

ATLANTA - It's so far, so good as Maui High School's robotics team heads into the final day of competition in the FIRST Robotics World Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Source: The Maui News
Full story: http://www.mauinews.com

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.

Source: Maui Economic Development Board
Full story: http://www.medb.org

At the FIRST Robotics Competition, three all-female teams are helping to rewire a male-dominated profession.
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May 19, 10:00am - 11:30am

Windward Campus, Paliku Theatre, Oahu

As part of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, Windward Community College's Center for Aerospace Education is offering a symposium for middle and high school girls to learn more about careers in astronomy.

Ticket Information
Free; Reservations required. Contact nancyali@hawaii.edu or call 236-9169 for reservations.

Event Sponsor
Center for Aerospace Education, Windward Campus

Photo from left to right: Isla Young, Maui Economic Development Board, Inc., Lea Pigao, Maui High Student, Senator Roz Baker and Bryce Rubican, Maui High Student.

The students were on the winning FIRST Robotics team. Funding for their trip to Atlanta, GA, for the World Championship will be provided by Ke Alahele Education Fund, UH College of Engineering, ROC and BAE Systems Hawaii.

The Pacific Northwest Girls Collaborative is now accepting mini-grant applications through May 22, 2009, for collaborating programs in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Hawaii, and Alaska.

National Girls Collaborative Project mini-grants are awarded to girl-serving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) focused programs to support collaboration, address gaps and overlaps in service, and share promising practices. Mini-grant projects must relate to either informal learning or evaluation and assessment. Mini-grants are a small amount of seed funding and are not intended to fully fund entire projects. The maximum mini-grant award is $1000. For more information about mini-grants, visit http://ngcproject.org/mini-grant/index.cfm.

Students qualify for world championship competition in April

By MELISSA TANJI, Staff Writer, Maui News
HONOLULU - Maui High School science teacher Keith Imada expected to spend the rest of his spring break doing household chores.

Instead, he'll be planning a trip to Georgia for his students, who worked with pupils from two other schools to capture a regional robotics competition title over the weekend on Oahu.
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