Journey Through the Universe Inspires Students with Science from Maunakea and Beyond

Journey Educator Hannah Blue inspires students to imagine their own exoplanets with a homemade worksheet. Credit: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. Pollard

A keiki (child) at the Journey Through the Universe ʻOhana Stargazing event learns about constellations and how they appear to move around the Earth with Hawaiʻi Education and Engagement Manager, Leinani Lozi. Credit: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. Pollard

During the first week of February, NOIRLab’s Journey Through the Universe returned for its 21st consecutive year! Journey Through the Universe, or Journey, is a weeklong educational program that aims to inspire Hawaiʻi’s students to explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Throughout the week, volunteer educators visited 2nd through 12th-grade Hilo-Waiākea classrooms to take students on an educational journey full of hands-on experiences.

Journey Through the Universe programming aims to foster students’ curiosity about the universe through individual classroom science presentations. During these sessions, volunteer educators shared the latest research and technology taking place on Maunakea and beyond. Volunteer educators from Maunakea Observatories, NASA, various universities, and more brought a wide range of knowledge and perspectives, giving students space to find their niche.

"We are so proud of our Journey Through the Universe ʻOhana sharing their aloha and knowledge with our students," said Leinani Lozi, Hawaiʻi Education and Engagement Manager at Gemini/NOIRLab. "Every year our ʻohana grows, and our students get to experience many different perspectives on science, technology, and culture. This year, my good friend, Jacelle, shared stories from her tribe, the Tohono Oʻodham Nation in Tucson, Arizona, and it really impacted the students to learn from other indigenous sky stories." 

Classroom presentations build curiosity and interest in astronomy, but Journey Week also invites students to consider a future in STEM through career panels. During panels, students were able to engage with professionals in their field of interest. Both local and global professionals join in, with some panelists being alumni of the schools they visit. By sharing their experiences, they hope to encourage students to explore STEM career options here in Hawaiʻi. Each professional's unique perspective brought different career paths to the table, showing students what options exist and encouraging them to pursue their interests in the long term.