“For the first time since the inception of the Lucy Enos Memorial Scholarship, we have received so many outstanding applications that we are awarding two scholarships instead of one,” said Space Foundation Chief Executive Officer Elliot Holokauahi Pulham. “We are grateful to Ball Aerospace & Technologies for providing a matching grant to the Space Foundation, making this year’s dual award possible.”
Pulham and his wife, Cynthia, fund the annual scholarship, which honors the memory of Pulham’s grandmother, Lucy Enos, who was born in Pahala, Hawai’i, in 1898.
Recipient Jessica Kamalu graduated with honors from Kamehameha Schools in 2003. She received her bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian language in 2008, and is working toward a master’s degree in education.
In her application, Kamalu expressed a desire “…to be able to relate rockets and space exploration to Hawaiian navigation, which is a fascinating aspect of Hawaiian culture and science. I would like to teach an elective course about rockets, including the history, evolution and science behind them.”
Rod Floro received a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences from the University of Hawai’i, Hilo, and a B.S. degree in environmental sciences, minor in chemistry, from DePaul University, Chicago. He also expressed interest in integrating space studies with Hawaiian navigation tradition.
“Over the past eight years, I have had the opportunity to sail on the voyaging canoes Makali ‘i, Alingano Maisu, and Hokule ‘a,” wrote Floro in his application. “We are taught how to navigate using only the natural elements…but I feel that I need to integrate this traditional knowledge with a Western perspective of astronomy. I feel that by interfacing the Western/Polynesian perspective of astronomy, I can present science lessons with a more holistic approach.”
The Enos scholarship provides professional development opportunities for educators of Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian ancestry, or who work with PreK -12 students of Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian ancestry. It covers tuition, fees, travel expenses, and lodging for recipients to travel to Colorado Springs and participate in one of the Space Foundation’s week-long Space Discovery Institute courses.
The Space Discovery Institute offers six separate graduate-level courses: You can learn more at this site.