Passing the Baton
Keiki-Pua Dancil

Aloha mai kākou!

Mahalo nui loa to Lisa Gibson and the entire team for pioneering The Wave and establishing a solid foundation for all of us to perpetuate our mission.  With Lisa's encouragement, I now drop in on The Wave.  

I would like to briefly introduce myself to The Wave community.  Our website www.hiscitech.org will have much more information regarding my background; I encourage all of you to visit the website and become members of the Hawai`i Science & Technology Council and Institute (HSTC/HSTI).  

To properly introduce myself, I need to explain where I come from and my `ohana.  Like many other maka`āinana in Hawai`i, we have been blessed with Her many gifts and beauty, but we have also endured Her endless hardships.  My grandfather Frank Gouveia immortalized the importance of education and a strong work ethic for me and my siblings.  Through summer jobs at the Maui Pine Cannery since age 15 to my position as President and CEO of HSTC/HSTI, his words "work hard now, play later" resonate in my everyday life.  We were raised with an understanding of our kuleana, to leave the world a better place than we found it.  Although we all achieved degrees in different fields and pursued a western style of education, we always know where we came from, who our ancestors are, and what is expected of us.  These grounding roots and support give us the strength to continue to grow in our world today.

After graduating from Kamehameha Schools as a boarding student, I achieved a Ph.D. in Chemistry from UC-San Diego in La Jolla.  I returned home to work for a technology company. Through my experience as the Director of Research and Development, I was exposed to the business side of science for the first time.  I quickly realized that as a scientist I lacked many of the practical skills needed to commercialize a product.  I decided to resume my education and graduated with an MBA from Harvard Business School.  Following graduation, I worked as the Executive Vice President for a biotechnology company involved in the development and manufacture of an anti-bacterial raw material for various medical applications.  I was introduced to HSTC/HSTI and Lisa Gibson during a community service project.  After several months of working together on this initiative, Lisa asked me to join the HSTC Board of Directors.  I agreed and two years later find myself here, taking up the baton from Lisa.

As I mentioned earlier, Lisa has put together a remarkable team and built an organization able to capture the interest of many sectors of the technology industry.  As the new leader of this organization, I want to continue with the mission of HSTC, to wit: “the acceleration of Hawaii's science and technology economy through the provision of services to industry including advocacy, enterprise support, the enhancement of research collaboration, group purchasing, and sector research.” 

I also would like to re-engage our members and attract new members.  We simply cannot exist without members, and I want to personally reach out to individuals and companies who are engaged in or supportive of research, development, commercialization, and application of science and technology in Hawai`i. 

Lastly, I would like to encourage collaborations between other established groups in our community who have the common interest in the growth of the technology sector in Hawai`i.  I have received numerous invitations to engage in active dialogue since my position was announced. This is very promising because we cannot develop this sector alone.  My hope is to form strong relationships and achieve progress together.  

So I encourage everyone who is reading this to become members of HSTC (http://www.hiscitech.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=472).  We want to learn about you, your company, and your specific needs, so we can help each other succeed here in Hawai`i.  

As President John Kennedy said years ago, “a rising tide lifts all boats.”  Hawai`i’s science and technology sector has done much – and can do much more – to lift us up.  We are people who, by nature and training, delve into data, test assumptions, and embrace problems and seek to solve them.    We are prone to examine empirical evidence and ground truth.  We are hopeful and curious, but not wishful.  We look for proof.  Nowadays, we have a lot on our plate.  We are challenged to produce clean energy, create new transportation modalities, pioneer breakthroughs in the cure and prevention of diseases, revive agricultural productivity, and upgrade communications infrastructure.  In the end, these are not so much problems as they are opportunities. Like other sectors of our economy, we need a skilled and educated work force, working capital, and green lights to go forward.  

The Wave was launched to further a broad community discussion about what we can and must do.  In this issue: 

—  Tony Clapes wraps up his series on Economic Development.  He highlights three important aspects of economic development activity:  site selection criteria, incentives for locating in Hawai‘i, and ‘targeted economic development’.

—  Jim Karins, President and CEO of Pūko`a Scientific, introduces his company which develops next generation pattern-recognition technologies for military, security, medical , and industrial applications.

—  In July 2009, the board of directors of the TMT (Thirty Meter Telescope) Observatory Corporation selected Mauna Kea as the preferred site for the TMT.  Two Hawai`i Science and Technology Institute (HSTI) Board members, Larry Lieberman from Natural Power Concepts and Jacqui Hoover from Hawai`i Island Economic Development Board, introduce the TMT to our community.

—  Mike Rota, Chancellor of Hawai`i Community College, introduces a four-part series on workforce development.  Part 1, in this issue, addresses our pending workforce dilemma, “An Inconvenient Reality.”  Part 2 will examine our pending worker supply gap; Part 3, our worker preparation gap; and, finally, Part 4, where do we need to go from here.

I encourage you to take a few minutes to watch our video offerings.  They include: (1) a superb introduction to the planned TMT telescope; (2) a glimpse of the ongoing search for “exoplanets” like our own; (3) a winning White House address by President Obama on science and math education; and (4) a preview of a remarkable new energy lab at Hawai`i Preparatory Academy on the Big Island.    

In March, we will switch from a monthly to a bi-monthly publication (six editions per year).  If you wish to submit an article for publication or comment on an article, please contact us at editor@TheWaveHawaii.comYour browser may not support display of this image. .  I look forward to hearing your feedback as I drop in on The Wave.

Me ka 'Oia’i’o,

Keiki-Pua Dancil