Students from the Hawaiian islands havebeen attending the 2010 HI-STAR program at the University of Hawai`iat Mānoa.The program pairs students with researchers at the University ofHawai`i to work on research projects. Topics include “Young HotStars”, exoplanets, asteroids detection, comets, nebulae, and CVstars. The program has an impressive track record. Students areencouraged to enter the engineering and science fair. Approximatelyone third of the students who go to the program enter the sciencefair and have their project recommended by local judges for the statescience fair.
Theattitude of the students is incredible. As many students stay awakeuntil the wee hours playing video games or watching TV, students atHI-STAR stay up late working on their projects. At 12:30 in themorning, one student asked, “Why is it so much fun to work onthis?” Early next morning the same student commented, “It's toobad that this can't go on for another week.”
LCOGThas been supporting the program for 3 years. Talking about thefinancial support, staff support, and telescope time which LCOGT hasprovided in support of HI-STAR over the years, program director MaryKadooka said, “We couldn't have done it without you.”