The primary goal of Excite Camp is to excite, educate as well as expose middle school students to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers. Because of their under-representation in these fields, Native Hawaiians, girls and other minority groups are given preference.
Over the course of the three days, 20 middle school girls from Maui County are invited to participate in fun and challenging hands-on STEM projects, as was well as take onsite tours of our high tech organizations and companies.
Recent industry partners have included Maui Community College, the UH Institute of Astronomy, Akimeka, Monsanto, Maui High Performance Computing Center, Northrup Grumman, Oceanit, Pacific Disaster Center, and the US Air Force. The highlight of the camp is a rare visit inside the Haleakala Observatories to view the Faulkes Deep Space telescope and the AEOS telescope, both operated by the University of Hawaii and U.S. Air Force.
In addition to the learning experience, WIT believes it is important for the girls to see the connection between our cultural heritage and science and technology. MEDB Cultural Advisor, Kawai Kuluhiwa, has been providing that insight the last few years, by integrating Hawaiian traditions and history into the activities.