Above: PISCES team member Ashley Truchan invites visitors to design rockets during AstroDay in Hilo.
We were excited to join our community on Saturday, May 3 at the annual AstroDay event in Hilo—the largest annual astronomy and STEM outreach gathering in East Hawaiʻi. The event brought scientists, educators, and community organizations together to celebrate and share some of the leading research and innovation happening on Hawai‘i Island. Roughly 1,000 people of all ages showed up to participate in the many interactive booths, science demonstrations, hands-on activities, and prize giveaways.
Our team showed up to help keiki stoke their creativity and interest in space by designing straw rockets. We also provided a virtual reality tour of the International Space Station—an immersive look into living and working in microgravity. Big mahalo to the Maunakea Observatories for bringing the community together every year to celebrate local science!