A Sense of Place – with Ka’iu Kimura
Our first webinar was such a huge success, we’re going to do another one! Mark your calendars for June 18th at Noon, Pacific Time , for our second Sense of Place webinar, with guest Ka’iu Kimura, the Executive Director of the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai’i, University of Hawai’i – Hilo!
Click here to register now!
Ka‘iu Kimura is the executive director of ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center located in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. Previously ‘Imiloa’s associate director, Kimura has been with the organization since September 2001. A graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, Kimura earned her bachelor’s degree at UH-Hilo in Hawaiian studies, and her master’s degree in Hawaiian language and literature. While at UH-Hilo, she participated in the first UH-Hilo student exchange program with the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand where she spent a semester abroad studying Maori language and culture. Kimura has also worked for ‘Aha Pünana Leo in various positions including serving as the facilitator for Hale Kipa ‘Ōiwi, an outreach program to other Native American communities and indigenous groups worldwide. She has also worked towards language and culture revitalization, and has developed a language curriculum now offered to Hawai‘i’s business community. An avid canoe paddler with the Keaukaha Canoe Club in Hilo, Kimura was given the honor of being selected as a member of the Hokule‘a long-distance voyaging crew. The Hokule‘a is a full-scale replica of a Polynesian voyaging canoe, which has sailed worldwide without the use of modern navigational instruments. Kimura sailed on the Okinawa to Japan leg of 2007 Voyage to Micronesia and Japan: One Ocean, One People. She is a 2009 alumni of the Pacific Century Fellows program, in which 32 of Hawai‘i’s top individuals are engaged to gain a broader view of civic duty through direct contact with the senior community, and social and government leaders. Kimura was also one of eight members selected to the inaugural First Nations Future Indigenous Leadership Program offered by Kamehameha Schools and Stanford University. She is currently a member of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association and Nä Lau Lama Advocacy Group. Kimura’s cultural heritage, life experiences and educational background are the perfect tools to help guide ‘Imiloa’s programs forward to continue providing a holistic view of traditional Hawaiian star navigation and today’s astronomy findings.https://www.hawaiibusiness.com/20-for-20-kaiu-kimura/