Making real impact in Hawaiʻi science education.
Since Maunakea Scholars started in 2015…
1000+ students have participated in the program
250+ students have received telescope time on Maunakea
100+ school programs have received telescope time
1st Maunakea Scholar graduated with a degree in astronomy in 2023 with more to come
4 Maunakea Scholars currently enrolled in undergraduate physics or astronomy programs…and counting!
Maunakea Scholars and Educators say…
“[Maunakea Scholars] opened doors of interest and opportunities to me which I would have never experienced without this program. Not only did Maunakea Scholars encourage me to pursue a higher education, it gave me unconditional support...in my career...as an educator.”
“My [MKS] project...aimed to study the accretion disks of supermassive black holes when compared to stellar mass black holes to determine if the chemical composition of the accretion disk itself was enough to allow for supermassive black hole formation. It was a project that I worked on for years - in science fairs, for school projects, and alongside help from CFHT. ”
“The Maunakea Scholars program...has proven to be a groundbreaking initiative. By pairing high school students with mentors and allowing them to design and execute their research projects using observatories on Maunakea, the program empowers students to envision themselves as future leaders in STEM professions.”
“[Maunakea Scholars] gives kamaʻāina opportunities in STEM. It encourages us to find jobs here and help our community. Additionally, I believe that by offering this program, it may allow the local community to connect to astronomy. [Maunakea Scholars] made me feel very supported in following my passion to become an astronomer. In the future, my goal is to become a researcher and professor and teach here in Hawaiʻi.”
“In high school, I felt lost...I had no real goals or motivations for myself and I was...blindly following in the steps of my family, knowing I wasn’t happy. It wasn’t until the Maunakea Scholars program... that I would give something new a try and I haven’t regretted that decision ever since.”
“I have always wanted to explore different career fields relating to astronomy and the Maunakea Scholars program allowed me to do just that. I never thought that I would be able to collect real time data about a celestial object in space and then learn how to analyze that data into something that people can understand. ”
Notable Projects
Jean Claude Dumaslan
Waipahu High School
Project: “WNh Stars: Possible Precursor to the Mysterious LBV Stars”
2018-2019 telescope time recipient
2019 Hōkūala Scholarship Winner
First MKS student to graduate with a degree in astronomy. UH Manoa, class of 2023
Ciana-Lei Bence
Kamehameha Schools Keaʻau Campus
Project: “Analysis of Active Galactic Nuclei Mass Across Varying Redshifts”
First Maunakea Scholar to advance to the International Science Fair, 2023
2023 Hōkūala Scholarship recipient
Mallory Go
Molokai High School
Project: “Horsehead Nebula”
2019-2020 telescope time recipient
Co-author of “Magnetic Fields in the Horsehead Nebula” in The Astronomical Journal
Spencer Young
Kalani High School
Project: "Star Forming Regions and How they Retain their Shape"
2017 telescope time recipient
Spencer’s data used and cited by professional astronomers
Hoku Sanchez and Keilani Steele
Honokaʻa High School
Project: "LON 483"
2017 telescope time recipient
First students to attend the Hawaiʻi state science fair from Honokaʻa High School
Keilani Steele
Honokaʻa High School
Project: 'The Key to Detecting Dark Matter"
2018 telescope time recipient (first two-time winner)
First Hōkūala Scholarship recipient
Laura Daclison
Waipahu High School 2018
Project: "The Planet of Two Suns"
Second Keck Telescope time awardee