'Voice of the Sea' TV series debuts in January
December 23, 2013 December 23, 2013 Hawaii Star Wire	1
A new television show highlighting ocean and coastal scientists and cultural experts from Hawaii and the Pacific will debut on January 5, 2014. "Voice of the Sea" will be broadcast on on KVFE (Channel 5 and 1005) on Sundays at 6:00 p.m. The show is hosted by Dr. Kanesa Duncan Seraphin, world paddleboard champion, shark researcher, and science education expert. Dr. Seraphin, director of the University of Hawaii Sea Grant Center of Excellence in Marine Science Education and associate professor at the Curriculum Research & Development Group in the College of Education at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, has traveled across the Pacific to bring stories of relevance to Hawaii. Each half-hour episode profiles local science and cultural celebrities and presents thought-provoking information in an exciting, original, reality-based way. [...]
HIFF names new Executive Director
December 19, 2013 December 19, 2013 Hawaii Star Wire	Comment
As part of the Hawaii International Film Festival's (HIFF) business continuity strategy, the HIFF Board of Directors announces that, effective January 1, 2014, [...]
Local startup aims to help other startups
August 12, 2013 August 12, 2013 Hawaii Star Wire	Comment
Is it possible to grow a bootstrapped tech startup in Hawaii? A new boutique solutions and product-focused tech business, Sudokrew Solutions, is looking to answer this question. Sudokrew is led by local talent Jason Sewell and Spencer Toyama. Sewell is the former lead developer for Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, and Toyama is the former operations director of Kinetiq Labs and the Pele-Award winning Agency Collaborative. "There are many incredible web developers and designers in Hawaii building the front-facing websites for our local community, and we really want to differentiate our services by focusing on development and enterprise solutions." stated Spencer Toyama. [...]
State launches app for electric vehicle charging stations
July 12, 2013 July 12, 2013 Hawaii Star Wire	Comment
The State of Hawaii has launched a new mobile app designed to help drivers locate publicly available electric vehicle charging stations statewide. The free "EV Stations Hawaii" app is available for Apple and Android smartphones and mobile devices. "The EV Stations Hawaii app is a great example of our state using new technology to advance the widespread use of electric vehicles in Hawaii," said Gov. Neil Abercrombie. "Convenience is key to further the adoption of EVs, which are part of Hawaii's clean transportation future and move us toward reducing our dependency on imported oil." [...]
Early Childhood Education Discussed Using Google+ Hangout
Honolulu– Early childhood education providers and stakeholders from across the State, along with lawmakers, Early Childhood Coordinator Terry Lock and Governor Neil Abercrombie, participated in a roundtable discussion on early childhood education in Hawaii today. Stakeholders from Maui, Kauai, Waimea, Kona and Hilo participated in the discussion via Google+ Hangout, hosted by Senate Committee Education Chair Senator Jill Tokuda. U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono's Chief of Staff Betsy Lin also linked in, via Google+ Hangout from Washington, D.C. [...]
Guy Toyama Memorial Fund to support sustainability, entrepreneurship
A new memorial fund seeks to raise $1 million to honor the life and legacy of Hawaii visionary Guy Toyama. Sustainability grants and scholarships will foster positive change worldwide. [...]
Honolulu Theatre for Youth Presents 'Hold These Truths'
February 4, 2013 Hawaii Star Wire	Comment
Actor Daniel Dae Kim is part of the team bringing the acclaimed Off-Broadway drama "Hold These Truths" to Hawaii. Dedicated to the memory of the late Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, the show tells the true story of second-generation Japanese American Gordon Hirabayashi, who resisted the Japanese American internment during World War II in the famous case, Hirabayashi v. United States. Set in Seattle during World War II, "Hold These Truths" follows Hirabayashi, then a University of Washington student, as he fights to reconcile his country's betrayal with his passionate belief in the U.S. Constitution. President Obama posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hirabayashi (1918-2012), the nation's highest civilian honor, in April 2012. Kim said: "I was deeply moved by 'Hold These Truths' when I saw it in New York. Having lived in Hawaii for almost nine years now, I recognized how inspiring Gordon Hirabayashi's story would be to our community." [...]
Entrepreneur, Deal of the Year awards announced
January 25, 2013 January 25, 2013 Hawaii Star Wire	Comment
The Hawaii Venture Capital Association awarded its 2012 HVCA Deal of the Year to Darren Kimura, CEO of Sopogy, maker of concentrated thermal solar collectors. In addition five local entrepreneurs were acknowledged in various categories with the HVCA Entrepreneur of the Year award. The Young Entrepreneur award went to Scott Mercer of Volta Industries, makers of advertising driven free electric vehicle charging stations. Dan Leuck, co-founder of CONTIX and CEO and founder of Ikayzo won the Software Entrepreneur award. Ken Berkun, founder of Labels That Talk won the Inventor Entrepreneur award for his patented invention, Soundpaper. Winner of the Socially Responsible Entrepreneur of the Year award is Elyse Petersen, founder of Tealet, a social enterprise that connects tea drinkers with small tea growers around the world. David Watumull, co-founder of CARDAX Pharmaceuticals and former CEO of Hawaii Biotech was acknowledged for his many years of devoted entrepreneurship in biotech as the 2012 Legacy Entrepreneur. "These entrepreneurs are local heroes and role models. They have worked long hard days, made personal sacrifices and taken extreme risks that prove there are people in Hawaii that have what it takes to build great companies," said Bill Spencer, President of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association. [...]
Second annual STEM Week in the works
The Hawaii Academy of Sciences (HAS) this week is putting out an early call to the state's most innovative companies and organizations to help set the stage for the second annual STEM Week Hawaii. STEM Week Hawaii is a multi-day celebration of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) education across the state, organized by HAS and supported by the Hawaii State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). The 2013 program will expand upon the first STEM Week Hawaii, held in April. Scheduled to run concurrently with the 56th Hawaii State Science & Engineering Fair (HSSEF), several special events will culminate in a gala awards dinner. These events include an Industry Exposition and Job Fair, which gives local businesses and organizations an opportunity to demonstrate their technology and services, and two fast-paced "Ignite STEM Week" presentations that will showcase some of the cutting-edge research and development taking place in Hawaii. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye was on hand to present the inaugural STEM Week Hawaii awards, which recognized STEM programs at 14 local schools. Mililani High and Highlands Intermediate schools took statewide honors, and Hawaiian Electric Company received the first Daniel K. Inouye Award for Commitment to STEM Education. [...]
BizGym partners with Hong Kong accelerator
BizGym.com, an online rapid business plan building program based in Hawaii, has formed a partnership with CyberPort, the largest information technology accellerator in Hong Kong. The relationship was sparked by BizGym.com's recent partnership in "Hawaii Tech Asia," a business development tour organized by Hawaii Business and Entrepreneur Acceleration Mentors (HiBeam). The two companies will create a Chinese language version of the BizGym online entrepreneur's toolset, branding it as the "Cyberport Business System powered by BizGym." It will feature team-matching, collaborative business planning and a direct link to Cyberport's micro-fund application process. Operations will begin by year-end in Hong Kong and mainland China. Cyberport is a government-owned enterprise, and when breaking news of the partnership on Hawaii Public Radio's Bytemarks Cafe show last week, BizGym.com founder Steve Sue said that the co-branded arrangement with a prominent Hong Kong organization will likely discourage copycats from diluting the BizGym.com model in Asia. [...]