Read this article in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
By Lauren Kaupp, Ed.D. a me Nicole Saito
ʻOhana from Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻO Pūʻōhala gathered on November 7, for their annual STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) Night, a hands-on evening rooted in immersive ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and strengthened this year by a special partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi STEM Pre-Academy.
About 270 people came together to explore science and engineering through activities led by students, kumu, UH and other community organizations.
UH STEM Pre-Academy program specialists guided participants through a rocket launch activity, building and testing small paper rockets. Keiki rolled paper tubes, adjusted the fins, predicted the rockets’ paths and experimented with different launch angles to see how science and engineering principles shaped each flight.
To support the school’s mission of Hawaiian language immersion, Pūʻōhala Kumu Kalani Kuloloia created ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi versions of the rocket-making instructions, forces of flight and rocket parts.
Haumāna, mākua (parents) and kūpuna worked together in Hawaiian as they rolled the kino (body), twisted the ihu (nose cone) and attached the ʻēheu (wings) of the rocket.
“Having a common and widely understood vocabulary when it comes to science and technology is still a work in progress,” said Kuloloia, who earned a BA in Hawaiian studies at UH Mānoa.
“I appreciate opportunities like this to have materials available in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to foster conversations about STEM-related terms from different Hawaiian perspectives. I ola ko kākou ʻōlelo makuahine ma nā pōʻaiapili a pau o Hawaiʻi a puni ke ao. (May our mother tongue thrive in all contexts of Hawaiʻi and around the world).”
As part of STEM Pre-Academy’s mission to connect UH research and innovation to K–12 teachers and learners, STEM Night participants also had an opportunity to learn more about rocket- and space engineering-related programs across the UH System.
Highlighted programs include Wind- ward Community College’s Center for Aerospace Education and the UH Space Science and Engineering Initiative.
UH STEM Pre-Academy is a program of the UH Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation. This article was originally published by UH News on November 18, 2025.
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