The Sheraton Waikīkī’s conference venue was packed with middle and high school students, including many from Maui Nui, for the 17th annual Hawaiʻi STEM Conference on April 15th and 16th. Organized by STEMworks™, a program of Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), the 2-day event is the program’s largest student career awareness and teacher professional development event of the year. The 2026 conference welcomed a total of 612 attendees from all across the state despite moving to a smaller venue due to the closure of the Hawaiʻi Convention Center. Many of the workshops were standing room only, showing the high demand for engaging, industry-led STEM education opportunities among both students and teachers.
One of the highlights of the conference this year was the interactive exhibit hall, referred to as the “playground.” Over 30 companies and organizations tabled in the playground, representing a wide range of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) career pathways and educational opportunities, including healthcare, engineering, computer science, aviation, ocean science, and natural resource management.
Students and teachers benefitted from the expertise of over 60 STEM industry guest speakers who led 38 student sessions and 9 teacher workshops. Keynote addresses were also presented by Caitlin Sarian, a global cybersecurity expert known as @cybersecuritygirl online, and Maile Miyake, a graphic designer and entrepreneur from Kauaʻi.
In light of this year’s conference theme, “Navigating Change,” many guest speakers focused on helping students learn about artificial intelligence (AI) tools and how to use them effectively and responsibly. One student attendee commented, “I learned about how AI can be used for chatbots and to improve our time efficiency when it comes to repetitive actions.” Another student shared, “My favorite session was creating a custom AI. It was cool to be able to create an AI that I could make do anything.”
Over 40 industry professionals also joined the students for an hour of speed networking. Students were encouraged to ask the professionals about their careers, educational backgrounds, and paths to their current roles. One teacher observed, “The best part of the event is being able to take my students to experience avenues of career choices connected to STEM. It was great to see how much they took in from this conference.”
Students traveled from all islands to participate in the event, with 196 of the 366 student participants coming from Maui County, including Molokai and Lānaʻi. Among the 82 teachers at the conference, 50 were from Maui County. STEMworks is proud to offer financial support to neighbor island students and teachers for travel costs thanks to the program’s many donors, grant funders, and event sponsors.
Bringing together leaders, policymakers, cooperatives, and energy innovators, the 2026 Hawaii Energy Conference will discuss pathways to resilience and sustainability using firm (dispatchable source) power, while incorporating the lessons learned from successful indigenous projects.
From geothermal in Hawaii to energy projects on tribal lands and cooperative models across the U.S. and New Zealand, participants will share experiences and strategies for advancing energy solutions while maintaining harmony with local landscapes and traditions.
A deep dive session will explore the topic of Water & Energy in a more intimate setting for up to 40 people. A panel will discuss current and emerging options for seawater desalination, the status of desalination plans on Oahu and Maui, and the energy challenges that influence the feasibility and cost of these technologies.
Attendees at HEC2026 will engage in meaningful dialogue on how policy, technology, and cultural wisdom can shape a resilient and more affordable energy future across all generations.
In its most recent Maui Tech ʻOhana, a business support and networking opportunity, Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) offered an interactive gathering with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI). During the session, guest speaker Doug Nelson, founder and CEO of Kinection and an AI consultant with The Prompt, explored some of the human skills that matter most for effective collaboration, even as AI becomes an increasingly important part of the workforce.
Based on Maui, Nelson has successfully produced over 20 interactive courses, simulations, and games in the eight years since he founded Kinection. At The Prompt, he trains corporate and nonprofit teams to use AI to enhance creativity and impact. Nelson has also worked to prioritize cultural diversity and community-building throughout his career.
“My job is to help people understand AI innovations and how to succeed in an AI world,” he said. “It’s time for a different way to think, a new mindset. While AI is rapidly changing how tasks get done, strong human connection remains essential for communication and collaboration. We need to learn how to use AI, not as a replacement for people, but as a way to free up valuable time and resources.”
Nelson used structured games and playful activities during the session to help attendees connect and share in ways that felt natural, energizing, and meaningful. He explored three human skills—presence, risk-taking, and adaptability—to show how to build safety, trust, and connection.
Participants offered their takeaways from the event. Jerry Isdale from Maui Techies noted, “I’ve noticed that people are hungry for more AI discussion at all different levels. MEDB presented a vital topic at the right time.”
Tech consultant Sarah Tomascik said, “This Tech ʻOhana offered an interesting dynamic in an experimental way to think about how human connection and AI can be used in cooperation with each other, instead of in opposition. I saw what we can gain from interpersonal relationships and the interconnectivity that forms from networking. This was a great experience!”
Nelson concluded, “This interaction provided a fresh appreciation for why human skills are critically important in an AI-driven world. We also discussed how to bring these activities to the workplace and build these new skills.”
More information about MEDB’s Maui Tech ʻOhana program and to sign up for MEDB’s newsletter, visit https://www.medb.org/techohana/.
My hope is that people understand that, while AI will lead to change, we need to remember essential human qualities are still needed for success.
Doug Nelson, Founder and CEO, Kinection, Partner, The Prompt
Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) STEMworks™ education program is continuing to expand its paid summer internship options this year to meet growing student demand for meaningful, on-the-job training in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. After hitting an all-time high last summer with over 120 interns across the state, STEMworks aims to accept at least 170 high school and college students this summer. The success of the program rests on STEMworks’ role as matchmaker between interns and host companies, ensuring that students enrolled in the program gain experiences that align with their interests and skills.
STEMworks offers three different options for students interested in STEM summer internships. The first is STEMworks Innovation Internships, a statewide program focused on placing students with cutting-edge STEM companies, covering fields such as cybersecurity, aerospace, manufacturing, medical research, and aquaculture. The application form is online here: https://bit.ly/STEMinno26. The deadline to apply is April 3.
For Maui County students interested in agriculture, STEMworks Agriculture Business and Technology Internships offer hands-on experience in a wide variety of agriculture-related professions, not just traditional farming. Intern program manager Britney James explained, “While the careers are based in the agriculture sector, students can apply the skills they learn to other fields. Students come away with the understanding that the agriculture sector has many different types of industries that can fulfill their career aspirations.” Students can apply online here: http://bit.ly/2026SummerAgInternships. Applications are due May 8.
New this year, STEMworks is also launching the Maui County Healthcare Student Placement program. After working with the MEDB-facilitated Maui County Healthcare Partnership, STEMworks staff decided to create a paid work-based learning and job-shadowing program specifically for students interested in healthcare careers to meet the growing need for more healthcare workers in Maui County. Students interested in healthcare job shadowing can find more information here: https://forms.gle/5ktgisJzSqGgmFNq9. The deadline to apply is April 3.
This is a valuable opportunity for students to build their resumes, explore career options, gain new skills, and grow their networks. I’ve never had any students walk away from their internship experience disappointed.
Britney James, Agriculture Program Manager, Maui Economic Development Board, STEMworks
Ted and Ann Anderson started Venture Physical Therapy (VPT) in 2008. They wanted to launch a program that improved island residents’ health while also building infrastructure to train therapists to bring the highest level of care to Maui and the state. Today, VPT has three locations on Maui and one on Lānaʻi. Knowing how hard it is to attract kamaʻāina back to the islands after they complete college on the continent, the Andersons also became interested in launching an internship to support Maui County’s healthcare workforce needs.
“We’ve been developing our internship program for over 15 years,” Ted explained. “We include internships for high school students to introduce them to healthcare fields, plus, we also offer undergraduate internships for students who need clinical observation hours when applying to physical therapy school. Additionally, internships are offered for graduate students in the final rounds of their doctoral programs.”
Thanks to their commitment to local healthcare workforce development, this year the Andersons hired two new local physical-therapy graduates who both went through their VPT internship program. VPT’s winter 2026 cohort of interns will also be their largest locally-connected group ever. Three of the seven interns have a direct connections to Maui, and the others also grew up in the islands.
“We try to give interns a wide breadth of what healthcare practice and our business model look like throughout the islands,” Ted said. “When interns excel, we create opportunities for them to spend time learning specialties in our other Maui clinics. We also send them to other islands to see how we practice in more rural communities. We believe creating a well-rounded experience, where someone can truly see how they can develop a career on Maui and in Hawai’i, is essential for long-term economic development.”
Ted added, “I’ve been working with Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) through the Maui County Healthcare Partnership (MCHP), and I’ll be interacting with MEDB’s STEMworks internship program this coming summer. We share many of the same values and perspectives on internships, specifically that interns should be given real, meaningful tasks focused on helping them understand and build a career, while also learning how to train and collaborate with colleagues.” VPT is one of 35 healthcare organizations and 20 community organizations that commit to regular MCHP discussions and coordinated action, focused on priority areas like growing our own healthcare workforce here in Maui Nui.
Along with MEDB, we believe that investing in students is one of the best ways to strengthen long-term health and wellness in our community.
Ted Anderson, PT, DPT, Owner and Physical Therapist, Venture Physical Therapy
