Education

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo assistant professors Kekoa Harman and Elisabeth “Lis” Gallant, and Hawaiʻi Community College assistant professor Pele Kaio are among the 25 honorees this year.

The program is designed to teach children essential swimming skills, promote water safety and build confidence; it will be offered in June and July at county pools around the island island.

Troy Branco-Liu for most of his life never imagined leaving Lahaina. However, after the 2023 Maui wildfire upended his community, a University of Hawaiʻi scholarship opened a door the Lahainaluna High School graduate never expected, an opportunity to start over at Hawaiʻi Community College in Hilo on the Big Island, which would ultimately change the course of his future.

Hawaiʻi’s Preschool Open Doors program opens applications on May 29, offering tuition assistance for families with children ages 2 to 4 for the 2026-27 school year.

“Mahalo to the faculty and staff recognized at University of Hawai‘i at Hilo’s 2026 End of the Year Awards Celebration for their excellence in teaching, service, innovation and care for our campus,” says a post on the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Facebook page, adding it’s their work that makes a lasting impact every day.

The visit, coordinated through the U.S. Department of Defense’s annual Defense Attaché Orientation Program, gave the 50-some diplomats a chance to learn how University of Hawaiʻi researchers and international partners help drive some of the world’s most important astronomical discoveries.

A multi-university team — including University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center — developed a simpler way to find and track inflammatory breast cancer.

After decades of sharing them with students, friends and the community, Richard Stevens finally puts his stories of adventure, hardship, discovery, resilience and people and places that shaped his life into ‘Storyland,’ available now on Amazon.

This weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer, with Memorial Day on Monday, May 25, and the Big Island, especially Puna, has plenty to do for revelers looking to celebrate during the long holiday break.

Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center Executive Director Julie Mitchell will provide those who attend with some practical tools they can immediately put to use to become more effective individually and collectively on a nonprofit board.

Deadline to apply is May 29 for Cohort 22: Culinary Foundations through partnership between Culinary Institute of the Pacific and Culinary Institute of America; but don’t wait, seats are limited.

A brief look at several stories from throughout the state.

The volleyball player is the second student-athlete to serve as commencement student speaker in the past two years, following former Men’s Soccer student-athlete David Mayser in spring 2024.

Queen’s North Hawai‘i Community Hospital has unveiled a range of scholarships for Hawai‘i Island students eyeing careers in healthcare.

The 65th annual Business Night honored student achievement with awards totaling $122,500 and provided mentorship opportunities with business professionals.

Hiring Blitz events help expedite the hiring process for high school juniors and seniors by connecting them with available opportunities.

Observations suggest the comet’s chemistry changed as it passed near the sun, providing new clues to how materials in interstellar comets differ from those in comets formed in this part of the cosmic neighborhood.

Hawai‘i public schools, beginning with the class of 2030, will require the completion of financial literacy education to graduate, with implementation starting in the 2026–27 academic year; Junior Achievement of Hawai‘i provides a ready-to-implement solution, with proven curriculum and volunteer support.

The event, highlighting the institution’s role in preparing the Big Island’s workforce, drew more than 100 supporters on April 18 to the I Ola Nō Ke Kino Dining Room at the Manono campus in Hilo.

A quick look at news happening throughout the island, state and nation.