Hawai’i Island’s largest astronomy education program, Journey Through the Universe (Journey), is returning for its 21st year this week, 3–7 February 2025 (Journey Week). Throughout this week, volunteer educators will share exciting hands-on experiences and inspire students to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in Hilo-Waiākea classrooms ranging from 2nd to 12th grade.
The International Gemini Observatory, funded in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab, as well as the Department of Education Hilo-Waiākea Complex Area, partner every year to bring the goals of Journey Through the Universe to life, endeavoring to foster curiosity about our Universe, create awareness about diverse careers, and share the cutting-edge research and technology taking place on Maunakea and beyond.
While individual classroom science presentations make up the majority of Journey programming, career panels are also an impactful part of Journey Week. These panels allow students to discover the wide range of career opportunities available both at observatories and within the wider STEM fields. They also provide an opportunity for students to engage with professionals in their fields of interest. Some career panelists are alumni of the schools they will be visiting, some have flown in to Hilo just for the Journey program, and others are a mix of global and local. Our volunteer educators come from the Maunakea Observatories, NASA, various universities and more.
Therese Sampaia, Human Resources Manager, has participated in the Journey program for the past 10 years and will present in this year’s career panels. “As a kama’aina of Hilo and a Hilo High School alumni, I am honored to share my personal career journey with students,” she says. “If I can inspire local students to pursue careers here in Hawai‘i, or make a positive impact on their personal journey post-high school, my time will be well spent!”
Journey Week already saw its first event, ʻOhana Stargazing on Saturday, on 1 February at Liliʻuokalani Park and Gardens. The event was co-hosted by the Friends of Liliʻuokalani Gardens, ʻOhana Kilo Hōkū and International Gemini Observatory. It featured Hawaiian star stories with Kumu Hula Leilehua Yuen, telescope viewing, and hands-on activities for the whole ʻohana (family) to enjoy.
On 3 February a special Journey Through the Universe Community Welcome Reception, hosted by the Hawaiʻi Island Chamber of Commerce and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Hawaiʻi, will be held at the Gemini Hilo Base Facility from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event will feature ʻono food from Pacific Mix Catering, short talks about education and science on Hawaiʻi Island, and rotating stations of hands-on activities to give our community a taste of what students experience in the classroom.
On 6 February the monthly Astronomy on Tap program hosted by the Maunakea Observatories will take place at the Hilo Town Tavern from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. This month’s Journey themed event features three speakers who are visiting Hilo specifically to participate in Journey Week and share their passion and knowledge in astronomy with our keiki. Their names and presentations are as follows: Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan, Cultural Sharing: Astronomy through Tohono Oʻodham Storytelling; Raja Guhathakurta, Complex Life on Earth and Dark Matter in the Milky Way Galaxy; and Jocelyn Ferrara, Telescope Dating Game, Find your Perfect Match.
On 8 February a virtual Shadow the Scientists program will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Zoom. This program allows anyone with an internet connection to connect to the Gemini Hilo Base Facility control room where scientists are conducting real-time observations. Register for this free program through the Shadow the Scientists website.
For more details on these public events and the Journey Through the Universe program please visit our website.
More information
NSF NOIRLab, the U.S. National Science Foundation center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the International Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC–Canada, ANID–Chile, MCTIC–Brazil, MINCyT–Argentina, and KASI–Republic of Korea), NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory (in cooperation with DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.
The scientific community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on I’oligam Du’ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai‘i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence of I’oligam Du’ag to the Tohono O’odham Nation, and Maunakea to the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) community.
Journey Through the Universe is organized by NSF NOIRLab/International Gemini Observatory and supported by the following partners (listed in alphabetical order): Bank of Hawai‘i, Basically Books, Big Island Candies, Big Island Toyota, California Institute of Technology, Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, DeLuz Chevrolet, Hawai‘i Community College, Hawai‘i Electric Light Company, Hawai‘i Island Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i Island Economic Development Board, Hawai‘i State Department of Education, Hawai‘i Science and Technology Museum Hawai‘i Tribune-Herald, ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, East Asian Observatory, Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, KTA Superstores, KWXX Radio Station/New West Broadcasting, Maunakea Astronomy Outreach Committee, Maunakea Observatories, Maunakea Support Services, Maunakea Visitor Information Station NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Center for Earth & Space Science, National Radio Astronomy Observatory National Solar Observatory, Pacific Science Center, Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, Project Astro/Family Astro, Rotary Club of Hilo Bay, Smithsonian Submillimeter Array Subaru Telescope, TMT International Observatory, Thirty Meter Telescope–Japan, UH Hilo College of Pharmacy, UH Institute for Astronomy, United Kingdom Infrared Telescope, University of California–Los Angeles University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, University of Oregon, Very Long Baseline Array, and W.M. Keck Observatory.
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