PISCES Welcomes Team of Summer Interns

E komo mai!

This summer we’re hosting a crew of new high school and college students who are helping us advance our materials science research and robotics development. One team is studying how to create durable geopolymers using Hawaiian basalt; another is remodeling our Helelani rover’s hardware and software systems. Mahalo to STEMworks Hawaiʻi for connecting us with these capable future scientists and engineers.

Zak Tamimi – Engineering

Zak Tamimi is a Waiākea High School alumnus who is joining our team to work on robotics and engineering projects. Zak is currently tackling the complex task of rewiring and organizing the spaghetti bowl of wires connecting our Helelani rover’s hardware systems. He says working in the tight spaces of the rover frame can be a challenge, but he enjoys seeing how all the system components are connected and working together. In the fall, Zak is headed to UH Mānoa to study Mechanical Engineering with the goal of landing a career in HVAC systems.

Cory Aukai – CAD Design

Cory Aukai is a sophomore at Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi who is returning for his second year as a STEMworks intern. Cory loves design work and is helping improve our rover by creating a sleek new housing for the CPU components. The housing will be constructed with a 3D printer and, once installed, save space and give our rover a facelift. Cory says his project is helping him learn how to use Blender, a CAD program that he’ll be using in college and his future dream job in architecture. He plans to attend Washington State University to pave the way.

Za-Ting Huang – Geopolymers

Za-Ting Huang is an incoming senior at Keaʻau High School who is helping us research and create a durable geopolymer concrete using Hawaiian basalt. She has been studying the chemical properties of geopolymers together with her partner, Raiyan, and will mix three samples to test their durability in humid conditions. Geopolymer research is an emerging field and Za-Ting says she is excited to be contributing to cutting-edge science. “I think it’s very cool for someone my age to be doing stuff that even adults may not yet have the solutions for,” she says.

Joseph Winkie – Software Development

Joseph Winkie is a fourth-year Computer Science major at UH Hilo. His PISCES project involves a large task: redesigning the software architecture for the Helelani rover from scratch. Joseph says he’s not used to working with hardware, so this project is challenging him to understand how software interacts with physical components. He loves to build things and hopes to one day use his skills and education to make a meaningful contribution to society—whether through open-source coding or public service.

Raiyan Rahman – Geopolymers

Raiyan Rahman is a Waiākea High School senior who is part of our cohort of STEMworks interns this summer. Raiyan is helping us develop a durable geopolymer concrete using Hawaiian basalt together with with his partner, Za-Ting. Together they’ve been sifting regolith and hand-mixing geopolymer samples for testing. The samples will be strength tested at different intervals during their curing process which takes about four weeks. Raiyan’s favorite part of the internship is talking to knowledgeable people and learning new things about space and science. He’s been enjoying seeing how his classroom learning applies in the real world and credits our research director Christian with inspiring him to pursue Earth and Planetary Science studies.