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| NBC'S Today Show reported this morning on the biodome experiment on Mauna Loa to prepare for travel to Mars. Photo from The Today Show on NBC |
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| Ka`u Learning Academy founder Kathryn Tydlacka |
Iacuzzo is a Discovery Harbour resident who recently won a grant from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is developing a science fair to take place in each of the counties in Hawai'i. Board member Michael Richards founded Science Camps of America which offers two summer sessions, one called Land & Sea and the other Air & Space. They are both based in Ka`u at Pahala Plantation House. Also on the board is Na`alehu School teacher Terri Chopot, who holds a degree in Business Administration. Another board member is part time Ka`u resident, Dr. Lok Lew Van Voon, Dean of the School of Science and Mathematics at The Citadel, and recipient of a National Science Foundation Grant to sponsor 30 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students to motivate them to become high-school STEM teachers in high-need school districts.
Another board member is Nancy Sledziewski, a Special Education teacher with more than 30 years experience.
President of the board is Mark Fournier, an author, lecturer and fundraising specialist for non-profit organizations.
The approval at the Charter School Commission level yesterday is a major accomplishment in the long line of permitting for opening the Ka`u Learning Academy campus. See more at www.kaulearning.com. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
Another board member is Nancy Sledziewski, a Special Education teacher with more than 30 years experience.
President of the board is Mark Fournier, an author, lecturer and fundraising specialist for non-profit organizations.
The approval at the Charter School Commission level yesterday is a major accomplishment in the long line of permitting for opening the Ka`u Learning Academy campus. See more at www.kaulearning.com. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
REALISTIC MARTIAN COLONY SET UP ON HAWAIIAN VOLCANO is the title of an NBC news segment on the Today Show this morning. The story notes that NASA handpicked six people to live inside a biodome high on Mauna Loa for the HI-SEAS experiment that aims to recreate living conditions for future visitors to Mars. Correspondent Dave Malkofff from The Weather Channel was allowed inside the biodome and reported on the story. He noted that “the Big Island is not a place that would remind most folks of dead, isolated planet Mars….Take a two-hour drive up the side of a still active volcano? You may just forget which planet you are on.”
Blue Planet Research built the NASA-funded University of Hawai`i habitat for "Astro-Nots," who will live in the bubble on Mauna Loa in six “bedroom pods,” with a dining room and kitchen, the story reported. They will wear a space suit each time they go outside. They will stay in isolation in shifts for four months, eight, months and twelve months, with the current shift beginning this weekend, the NBC news story reported.
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| Inside the biodome on Mauna Loa. Image from NBC |
Approximately 700 people applied to live in the biodome. Scientists plan to observe the chosen ones to better predict how people will eat and sleep on Mars with similar isolation and living condition. One condition that the research group cannot replicate on Mauna Loa, is that Mars has a third of the gravity pull found on Planet Earth, the story noted.
The reporter quoted the biodome crew saying that volcanic rocks found on Mauna Loa are nearly identical to volcanic rocks that the rovers find on Mars.
NASA funded the experiment to also help reduce the risk to space travelers to Mars. The journey from Earth to Mars is projected to take two and a half years and is planned for sometime after the year 2030.
This Mars experiment and other getting-ready-for-space exploration experiments are not new to Ka`u. Testing of space suits and equipment for moon landings was conducted in the Ka`u Desert. Earlier Mars biodome experimets have been conducted. One of the Mars mission scientists comes to Ka`u every year and stays in Pahala with his students from University of Washington at Saint Louis to study the geology of Ka`u that is similar to Mars. See the NBC Today Show report at http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/realistic-martian-colony-set-hawaiian-volcano-n66851. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL 2014 is firming up participants for its annual Ho`olaulea on May 10 at Pahala Community Center. Ka`u Coffee farmers will show off their world class beans with tasting and sales at their booths. The Ka`u Coffee Experience will present the taste and aroma of select Ka`u Coffees, prepared by trained baristas, in a program organized by Ka`u Farm Bureau President Ralph Gaston, Joan Obra and Miguel Meza.
The reporter quoted the biodome crew saying that volcanic rocks found on Mauna Loa are nearly identical to volcanic rocks that the rovers find on Mars.
NASA funded the experiment to also help reduce the risk to space travelers to Mars. The journey from Earth to Mars is projected to take two and a half years and is planned for sometime after the year 2030.
This Mars experiment and other getting-ready-for-space exploration experiments are not new to Ka`u. Testing of space suits and equipment for moon landings was conducted in the Ka`u Desert. Earlier Mars biodome experimets have been conducted. One of the Mars mission scientists comes to Ka`u every year and stays in Pahala with his students from University of Washington at Saint Louis to study the geology of Ka`u that is similar to Mars. See the NBC Today Show report at http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/realistic-martian-colony-set-hawaiian-volcano-n66851. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL 2014 is firming up participants for its annual Ho`olaulea on May 10 at Pahala Community Center. Ka`u Coffee farmers will show off their world class beans with tasting and sales at their booths. The Ka`u Coffee Experience will present the taste and aroma of select Ka`u Coffees, prepared by trained baristas, in a program organized by Ka`u Farm Bureau President Ralph Gaston, Joan Obra and Miguel Meza.
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| Halau Hula O Leionalani, with dancers from Pahala, will be in the lineup. See www.kaucoffeefestival.com |
The Ka`u Coffee Festival has grown to ten days of activities.
Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative President Gloria Camba is heading up the Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant to be held on Sunday, May 4 at Ka`u Coffee Mill. She said the young contenders for Miss Peaberry and the Miss Ka`u Coffee candidates are working hard on their talent under the direction of Nalani Parlin. Tickets for the event are being sold throughout the community and scholarships are rolling in, said Scholarship Chair Julia Neal. To donate for scholarships, call 928-6471.
In charge of entertainment is coffee farmer Jamie Kailiawa and Kumu Hula Debbie Ryder who have lined up such talent. Entertaining will be Demetrius Oliveira and Keaiwa, Keoki Kahumoku & the Ukulele Kids, Hands of Time, Moses & Eunice and Miss Ka`u Coffee 2013 Tiare-Lee Shibuya, accompanied by Bradley Llanes. Bolo will play his new rendition of the song Kaiholena about the misty mountain of Ka`u, written during a songwriting workshop for an earlier Ka`u Coffee Festival. Dance will be by Halau Hula O Leionalani, of Pahala. and Halau Hula Kalehuaki`eki`eika`iu, of Volcano.
Ka`u Coffee Growers Cooperative President Gloria Camba is heading up the Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant to be held on Sunday, May 4 at Ka`u Coffee Mill. She said the young contenders for Miss Peaberry and the Miss Ka`u Coffee candidates are working hard on their talent under the direction of Nalani Parlin. Tickets for the event are being sold throughout the community and scholarships are rolling in, said Scholarship Chair Julia Neal. To donate for scholarships, call 928-6471.
In charge of entertainment is coffee farmer Jamie Kailiawa and Kumu Hula Debbie Ryder who have lined up such talent. Entertaining will be Demetrius Oliveira and Keaiwa, Keoki Kahumoku & the Ukulele Kids, Hands of Time, Moses & Eunice and Miss Ka`u Coffee 2013 Tiare-Lee Shibuya, accompanied by Bradley Llanes. Bolo will play his new rendition of the song Kaiholena about the misty mountain of Ka`u, written during a songwriting workshop for an earlier Ka`u Coffee Festival. Dance will be by Halau Hula O Leionalani, of Pahala. and Halau Hula Kalehuaki`eki`eika`iu, of Volcano.
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| Ka`u Coffee Experience brings experts to pour the brew for tasting on May 10. See www.kaucoffeefestival.com |
Bolo will kick off the first weekend of the festival at a Pa`ina, Open House and CD Release fundraiser for Miss Ka`u Coffee scholarships at Pahala Plantation House on Friday, May 2 from 5:30 to 9 p.m., co-hosted by Ka`u Chamber of Commerce. On Saturday, May 3, an evening called Taste Success: 3rd Annual Ka`u Farmers Table will be held at the Inn at Kalaekilohana. On Sunday, May 4 will be The Triple C Recipe Contest at Ka`u Coffee Mill at noon, followed by the Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant at 6 p.m. On Wednesday, May 7 from 9 a.m to 2 p.m will be the Ka`u Mountain Water Systems Hike at Ka`u Coffee Mill. On Friday, May 9 at 10 a.m. will be Coffee & Cattle Day with lunch at Aikane Plantation Coffee Farm. On Friday, May 9 will be Ka`u Star Gazing from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., starting at Ka`u Coffee Mill. Farm and Mill tours will be all week with special tours on Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11, starting from Pahala Community Center. On Sunday, May 11, farmers and other coffee industry enthusiasts can attend the Ka`u Coffee College from 9 a.m. to noon.
For more on each of the events, and fee schedules, see www.kaucofeefestival.com. To sign up to have a booth at the Ho`olaulea, call Brenda Iokepa-Moses at 928-0550. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
For more on each of the events, and fee schedules, see www.kaucofeefestival.com. To sign up to have a booth at the Ho`olaulea, call Brenda Iokepa-Moses at 928-0550. To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
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| Judges rate the many recipes made with 100% Ka`u Coffee. See www.kaucoffeefesitval.com |
THE TRIPLE C RECIPE CONTEST, where amateur and professional cooks and chefs employ Ka`u Coffee to create cookies, candies and cakes, is open for registration. Register by April 25 to win up to $500 at the competition on Sunday, May 4 at Ka`u Coffee Mill. An official event of the Ka`u Coffee Festival, Triple C is sponsored by the Edumund C. Olson Trust II. During the competition there will be music with Keoki Kahumokku & the ‘Ukulele Kids. Meet the current Miss Ka`u Coffee Tiare-Lee Shibuya. Tour Ka`u Coffee Mill and Farms and enjoy Ka`u Coffee tasting. The Triple C Recipe Contest will be followed by the Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant, also at Ka`u Coffee Mill.
Last year's winners of the Triple C Contest were Gwen Edwards with Coca Mocha Roca, Masako Sakata with Ka`u Coffee Cookie Delights, Lisa Dacalio with Ka`u Bull Crackers, Aikane Plantation and Kapolei High School Culinary Program with Ka`u Coffee Brownies, and Trinidad Marques with Ka`u Coffee Melts. Student winners were Sarah Beth Passarelli with Ka`i Coffee-Chocolate Bites and Lorilee Lokelani Lorenzo with Ka`u Coffee Macnut Candy,
Pick up registration forms at Ka`u Coffee Mill on Wood Valley Road above Pahala, open 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, or download from www.kaucoffeefestival.com.To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
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| Pam Barton and Caren Loebel-Fried celebrate Kapa Rhythms. Photo from Volcano Art Center |
KAPA RHYTHMS is the title of the new exhibit at Volcano Art Center Gallery that opens next Saturday, April 5 with a reception from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. The exhibit runs through May 18.
"Rich traditions and alegends surround kapa, or Hawaiian bark cloth. As a material kapa can transform into an opaque or gossamer fabrid, and lends itself to being woven, sculpted and draped. Traditionally, it served functional purposes, but was often adorned with highly decorative patters," says a statement from VAC. The artists are Pam Barton and Caren Loebel-Fried.
The gallery is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"Rich traditions and alegends surround kapa, or Hawaiian bark cloth. As a material kapa can transform into an opaque or gossamer fabrid, and lends itself to being woven, sculpted and draped. Traditionally, it served functional purposes, but was often adorned with highly decorative patters," says a statement from VAC. The artists are Pam Barton and Caren Loebel-Fried.
The gallery is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
