ABOVE: HISE students tour Captura, a NELHA-based carbon-capture program to reduce emissions from the upper ocean and atmosphere. Credit: HISE
We were proud to sponsor and support the first-ever Hawaiʻi International Science Experience (HISE) last week! Nearly 40 high school students and nine educators from Japan, New York, and Hawai‘i gathered on the Big Island from July 16–20, 2025 for the inaugural event designed to inspire young minds through STEM exploration, cross-cultural connection, and hands-on learning in Hawai‘i’s unique scientific landscape.
The program was hosted and led by a team of students from Waiākea High School, Hilo High School, Parker School, Kamehameha School Hawaiʻi, and Kealakehe High School, with support from Waiākea High School faculty. The visiting students included classes from Ritsumeikan High School in Kyoto, Japan, and Lewiston-Porter High School in New York.
HISE student leadership team at ʻImiloa Astronomy Center (L-R): Sarina Lam, Azalea Thorp, Benjamin Tang, Louis Perroy, and Ethan Loo.
“HISE was an incredible success,” said Louis Perroy, a Waiākea High School graduate and HISE student committee leader. “This was our inaugural year, and going into our planning phase, the student board really had no idea what to expect. Despite this, I am very proud to say that we put together a program that achieved everything we wanted it to.”
Throughout the week, students engaged with topics like astronomy, marine science, planetary geology, space exploration, and entrepreneurship, while learning about a variety of science and career opportunities in Hawaiʻi. They visited key science and cultural sites including the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, UH Hilo’s College of Natural and Health Sciences, NELHA, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Haʻena Beach, and Puʻukoholā Heiau. The program also featured science workshops, conservation hikes, and cultural exchange activities, including traditional Hawaiian practices and stargazing on Maunakea.
“Hawai‘i has so much to offer as a hub of culture, research, and innovation,” said Perroy. “We wanted to share that potential with students while building connections across borders.”
A central theme of the HISE program was integrating science and technology with indigenous wisdom to create modern solutions. In the opening keynote, Dr. Doug Simons, director of UH Institute for Astronomy, helped set the tone for the program by exploring the connections between modern cosmology and the Native Hawaiian creation chant, the Kumulipo— an oral tradition capturing Hawaiian genealogy and the origins of the universe.
Dr. Simon Kattenhorn, Dean of the UH HIlo College of Natural and Health Sciences, gives a planetary science talk focused on Jupiter’s moon, Europa.
UH Hilo’s College of Natural and Health Sciences (CNHS) was an active supporter of the program. On day 1, UH Hilo Dean of CNHS Dr. Simon Kattenhorn gave a talk to the students about planetary geology with a focus on his favorite world, Europa. PISCES Research Director Christian Andersen followed with a presentation on space resource utilization and Hawaiʻi’s ongoing role in space exploration. Dr. Steven Colbert, associate professor of Marine Science, discussed the marine science program and ongoing research projects.
HISE was inspired by Hawai‘i students who previously participated in the Japan Super Science Fair (JSSF), a global STEM program hosted annually by Ritsumeikan High School. HISE Co-founder and NexTech Hawai‘i advocate Gail Takaki, along with Waiākea High School alumnus Micah Tajiri, developed the program in early 2024 with support from Waiākea High School faculty, Rotarian leaders in youth services, and Rotary District 5000 Youth Service Director Jen Tanouye.
“HISE isn’t just a summer program—it’s a statement. The community wants more support for local education and we’re on a mission to provide that,” said Tajiri, who will lead HISE in 2026. “The HISE team is and always will be driven by the idea that the community we deserve is the one we help create.”
The program was made possible through support from local businesses, community members, and a dedicated team of student organizers: Louis Perroy, Rylan Colbert, Sarina Lam, Benjamin Tang, Azalea Thorp, and Ethan Loo.
“HISE 2025 is only the beginning. We set up our leadership structure in a way that allows us to iterate and expand our program each year,” Perroy added. “In this way, we hope to reach hundreds of students and expand across more and more schools each year.”