 Welcome to Think Tech on Spectrum OC16, Hawaii's weekly newscast on things that matter to tech and to Hawaii. I'm Arby Kelly. And I'm Cynthia Sinclair. In our show this time, we'll visit the 2018 Ellison-Onozuka Day of Exploration event presented by the Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts of America. It was the traditional Makahiki event of the Aloha Council, appropriately expanded to center on science, technology, engineering, and math, also known as STEM. The annual Makahiki of the Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts of America has been a tradition since 1911 and is the oldest and longest-running scoutshow in the country. Since last year, the Makahiki has been known as the Ellison-Onozuka Day of Exploration. It's a huge, full-day STEM event and is free and open to the public. It's named after the heroic Hawaii-born U.S. astronaut Ellison-Onozuka, who was lost in the tragic Challenger spaceship accident. The event is hosted by the 12,000 scouts of the Aloha Council as a scout service to the community and especially the Keiki, and is centered around STEM because so many of the scout merit badges these days are centered around STEM. It is the largest STEM event in Hawaii. So as we always do, we walk the floor and check the booths, workshops, and presenters. We talk to the scouts and their families and friends and to the officials and organizers who were there. As you can see, there was exploration in the air. Indeed, this is what the scouts and STEM are all about. Science, technology, energy, and mathematics, I mean, it's great stuff that they do down here to bring the community out and expose them to scouts, to expose them to, you know, science, technology, and be one big Aloha-hauna out here, if you will. We're out here to purvey, you know, the joy of scouting to everybody as well as further, you know, STEM because that's becoming an even bigger part of everyday life now. Especially, you know, hitting at the younger ages, you know, get kids involved in science and the technologies so they can build really, in essence, a better world for us. Mr. Kasaoka is mesmerizing when he teaches knots. Twenty years ago when I went to basic leader training, Mr. Kasaoka was teaching knots. So he's having a great time and the kids are having a great time. I want to be a kid again. It's clear. Don't you want to be a kid again? Been there, done that. We've got the old incandescent light bulb technology and of course the newer one, the LED technology. Of course the LED technology saves you energy and saves you money. It takes more effort to light up that incandescent light bulb so it's a good analogy to how much energy you're actually wasting by trying to power up an incandescent light bulb. Where did they get the Hawaiian electric hats? A booth right next to our booth. So this is what makes it turn and open so this goes up like when you press this one right here and then as you're closing it and opening you press the middle and then when you want to just rotate it you can just pull or push on it and it's going to go side to side. So when did you get the Hawaiian electric hats? I want to get one. The kids are building the racers and they race on one of these tracks and they're having great time. Why don't you make one? I may do that. Yeah. So who is winning? You know that boy kept challenging everybody. Did you see that? That one, that one is a really good one. What do you have to do to win? You get like a big wheels and then you just put a lot of legos on top of it and then it goes really fast. Yeah. I want to get my yellow hat. I understand you have yellow hats here. Yes, we do. Yeah, I think I might want one. Today we're helping out and showing some of our drones and some of our meteorological equipment. I'm sure you guys know about the weather forecast. They mentioned the probability that a chance is going to rain. For us as a utility, we use this MET station to kind of forecast how much power is going to be produced by renewable energy. This is one of the sensors that we have on the MET station. It's called a power denominator. It measures sun's intensity. So when the sun rise, it will show that much. And as the day goes by, the sun move, of course. And when you approach noon, you're going to notice it goes much higher. That's the reason why we have this MET station to kind of do a forecast so we can see what's going to happen before it actually arrives. This is the drone that we have in the area. And I believe they use this to do a survey of equipment on the field. Instead of some manly going out there and, you know, risking their life. Are you an Eagle Scout? I was, actually. Yes, I was. Because the theme of the Makahiki is Alessandro Nizuka, they've asked me to man this booth. And of course, doing STEM, we try to make it interactive. So when the kids come up, I ask them a question about Alessandro Nizuka. And if they get it right, they get a patch. If I'm one of those kids who doesn't know who Alessandro Nizuka was, can you tell me now who he was? What do you say to them? Well, basically he was an Eagle Scout and known as the first astronaut from the state of Hawaii. How is it working out? Are the kids able to answer your question? I try to make them age-appropriate. So sometimes you just ask them what their name is or if they're having fun. I run our outdoor program. So I'm actually looking for staff from my resident camps during the summer. I'm also talking with all the packs and troops to talk about outdoor opportunities here on Oahu for Camp Pupuket and also on the camp Honokaiya and on Kauai with Camp Allen Faye. So that's really why I'm here. You're a good man to know, then. Maybe. We're having an awesome time. The kids already joined themselves and was opening up their imaginations, trying to get them going. And they're loving it. What kinds of things do they seem to like? They like more the robotic side and all kinds of stuff, actually. But yeah, mainly the robotics. So engineering for this guy. That's great. You want to encourage them to go into the Boy Scouts? Yes, sir, definitely. And I suppose to get into STEM, huh? Yes, definitely. Just a more hands-on education for them. And that's what I like about it. That's him thinking, gets me involved with his work also. So yeah. That's great. We learned through our kids, don't we? Yes, we do. We have the district runner, Pinewood Derby here at Makaiiki. He's been doing this for years, and he's helped many generations become full-legal scouts that can get one of them. Oh, that is impressive. So if you win, you get that, huh? You must be the most popular guys in town. Yeah, so this is a low-hawk council. So the Boy Scouts, the Cub Scouts of America, we're here putting on one of the largest STEM events in the country. Definitely the largest STEM event in Hawaii. So we got a lot of cool things. We got underwater robots. So they're kind of like little mini-summerines with cameras attached to them. So that's pretty cool. We got kids making slime. We got some cranes, like some robotic cranes. We got some model T-Rexes, some dinosaurs, some archaeology going on. We got some geography, kind of cool technology stuff that they have. So we got a lot of cool booths here today, kind of just trying to demonstrate to the kids and trying to inspire them so they can grow and provide more for the future for us. Yeah. Aloha, everyone. We have Think Tech here. Last year was the first year we had the Onizuka Day of Exploration. Used to be more like a scout festival. But because we weren't attracting the public, we changed it to a STEM team. And last year was great. We attracted over 7,000 people. And the nicest thing is that it's really a family event. You have whole families coming together. They're building things. And they're just having fun together. We just organize it. We just kind of have the format and put the booths up. But the families and the young people, they're the ones that make it. They actually come. They have fun, bring their energy. And this year, I think it's better than last year because we actually know what we're doing a little bit more. I think it was a smooth experience for the volunteers and for the public. I'm pretty sure we have quite a few more people than we did last year. I guess we'll get the final count afterwards. But the main thing is I see a lot of people having fun. So I think we've already achieved our goal. My favorite exhibit so far has been the rock wall. And I wonder if you've climbed that. And if you haven't, whether we could climb that together. OK, you're on. Fabulous organization. Great history in Hawaii, a great record. History, a very long history, a very long record. And that was definitely something that drew me to Boy Scouts here in Hawaii, which just, you know, there's this great depth. So many different people involved from so many walks of life. So I was excited to come on board. It's going to be good for you and good for us. So, you know, we walked around and we sealed these parents with their kids. Look, we have miles of film about parents and kids. And they're all like together. And you wonder if the parents spend that much time with their kids outside of the Boy Scouts here. You know, this is like a magnet draws families together. I'd notice that. It absolutely draws families together. And that's one of the great things. It's not an isolated activity where you drop your kid off, you know, for a few hours. And, you know, they are on their own. But it's something that entire families, you know, brothers and sisters, moms and dads, grandparents, the whole community can all get involved and participate in together. The selection of volunteers is really beautiful. And that's really key. And that's really what I'm starting to learn more about here with the Aloha Council at Boy Scouts of America is just how much the volunteers really contribute, how many volunteers there are. There are thousands of adult volunteers who really make the program possible. And I think that's what keeps it exciting. That's what keeps it relevant. Hawaiian Electric everywhere. That's it. They are sponsors of Hawaiian Electric. So Ben Franklin, Ace Hardware, they've all been very generous to us today to help put this event on for all the young people of Hawaii. I would imagine you have a lot of support from the community, from sponsors, from parents, from volunteers. I mean, you can't do this without that kind of support and you've done it. You look around you, this is a community coming out for the children of Hawaii and they're coming out here to put on a great program and help young people discover STEM education. There's 12,000 scouts in Hawaii. There's over 4,500 volunteers who make the program happen. So a great category of volunteers that come out and today here at the Blaisdale, we have community members, we have scouts, we have their friends. They've all come here to be part of this great day of scouting and this great day of STEM. Our underlying theme is hands-on learning. That everybody here should be able to do something. It's not about hearing or being talked to. It's about doing something. So that was our mantra that we put forth to all of our PACs and our troops. Make it an interactive hands-on learning activity. And they really rose to that and they've really delivered, it's been great. Zach, what do you think about what's going on in this big room? What do you notice here? We're having fun. Okay, what do you think about the program? Do you like being here? Yeah. You like scouting? Yes. Luke, what do you think about scouting? It's fun and I like playing with my friends also. What do you think about PAC 311? It's really fun. I like all events also. What do you think about Zach? He's your brother. All these different badges are for all sorts of little skills and topics that you can learn in Boy Scouts. See, the green ones are the normal ones and then the ones with silver lining. Those are ones that you need to be an Eagle Scout. See this one here is first aid. There's cooking, which became an Eagle-required one but luckily I got it before it got the silver. So I'm happy about that. There's disability awareness, camping, oceanography, all sorts. I'm here with my Troop, Troop 201. We're setting up a Da Vinci bridge. It's really cool and I love this event, man. Like you got all sorts of troops all coming together. We just love scouting. I really love it. What's a Da Vinci bridge? A Da Vinci bridge is this bridge design that was devised by Leonardo Da Vinci where it's all these different beams that come together with no glue, no rope, no nails, just tension. And it was designed for soldiers to set up a bridge very cheap and very efficiently and very safe during times of war. So we set one up there and all the kids are climbing over it. Can I take a look at it? Is it there now? Can you walk us over? You got competing Da Vinci bridges, it's crazy. Like here it is right next to the T-Rex. Okay, is this a scout we see in front of us? Yeah, it's one of our own scouts. This is another scout volunteer. Are you a scout? Hi. All right, Aloha. Yeah, that's impressive. Yeah, you should get a merit badge for today. That's what, yeah. We set up various planks and various bars up in such a way so that all the weight is supported on all the other bars. Excuse me, we're looking for a volunteer who would walk across the Da Vinci bridge. Would you be up for that? It's either you or me and I don't think it should be me. You don't want a youth going across the Da Vinci bridge? No, but while we're here, let me ask you, what do you think of this event? Oh, I think it's awesome. It's just a lot of fun. Good opportunity to show off scouting to the community. Good opportunity for the scouts to see what it's like to get back to the community and to really introduce STEM to the youth. So, yeah, it was a great event. How do you feel? Oh, great. Do you get a merit badge for that? No, I wish we had, we need someone that surfed that has a little balance and can actually walk across the bridge I know I can practice. What's the difference between the Cub Scouts and the Boy Scouts? First to fifth grade and Boy Scouts are, they transition in fifth grade into Boy Scouts through 18-year-olds old. They always go into the Boy Scouts when they're done with Cub Scouting. You have a pretty good transition rate, yeah. So, a lot of them transition in fifth grade and they go over to the Boy Scouts at 11. Are you a parent of a Cub Scout? Not anymore. But you were, weren't you? I was. I have an Eagle Scout who's 16 and I have a second-class Scout who is 12 and they're both at Troop 75 in Pearl City. It's great to be a volunteer, isn't it? It is wonderful to be a volunteer. They do two crafts a day for those two hours and they come all week. It's a great, fun time for them. They make new friends this way and yeah, who doesn't love arts and crafts? Where is it? Is it in many places or one place? This is at Ben Franklin's crafts in here in Hawaii. This is a Velociraptor that Kalani Robotics made out of a material called Gatorboard. It's basically a material with foam on the inside and it's layered with paper on the outside to make it a little bit tougher. The kids are trying to use the rulers to get the balls in the cups. Suppose I win, what happens? Nothing. This is a great thing to have in your backyard or in your living room. If you have a really tall ceiling, that is. Or you don't mind punching a hole in the roof. What fun. You got exercise, you got coordination, you got confidence, confidence. That's what it's all about. Best thing you can do is teach a young kid confidence. That's what the Boy Scouts does. The line was actually much bigger when we first came in but it's still pretty big and it still reminds me of TSA at the airport. And the kids climb through the tunnel. I used to do that when I was a kid. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do it now. Are you a Boy Scout or a Girl Scout? Boy Scout. Oh, in the day, in the day, yeah. In the day and the night. So what do you think of this event today? Oh, I think this is a very important event for the boys, especially, you know, with whatever they have, you know, with the STEM and things like that. I think this is a terrific, you know, I haven't been to Makahiki for two years and I think this is a terrific idea. I'm actually the president of the Western Region of Venturing. So, Venturing is a co-ed program for those 13 through 21. I've been in Scotting for, yeah, about 10 years. So I started as a Cub Scout. I got my Ego Scout Award and then two years ago I joined Venturing. I was hoping we'd run into you, yeah. Yeah. So what do you think of this today? It was a wonderful day. I think the unofficial count right now is about 10,000 guests and families that have come down to experience Onizuka Day of Exploration. So for the council and all of the volunteers that are helping out with this, we're more than happy with the results that we got. You know, this is the first year that the Boy Scouts of America are beginning to have girls be part of the Cub Scout program. So this is a good opportunity to outreach to the community, make everyone aware that we're making this change for the Boy Scouts and hopefully recruit a whole bunch of new girls as tigers or whatever rank they wanna be into the Boy Scouts. And then year after, it'll be even at the Boy Scout level. So I think it's a great opportunity to share STEM with everyone. Your name? Jacob. Jacob. My name's Jacob too. What is this? I never met a Jacob. I didn't like. We met so many interesting people. We met so many interesting families and kids from every part of the community. I was really impressed at the kind of people who attended the Ellison Onizuka Discovery Day program. One thing is clear. It was a great idea. Neil Adubara had that idea a couple of years ago and it was wonderfully executed here today. I think it's only gonna be better and better in the future. I think it's gonna be a huge statement of STEM and a huge statement of family and sort of a special coming together of the community of parents and children and Scouts in Hawaii. The event was Chaka Block. It had over 100 STEM activity boots and over 50 hands-on workshops. This kind of event is totally relevant and important to the community, the kids and the Scouts. Good for the Scouts. Good for STEM and good for Hawaii. Want to know more about the Aloha Council and the Ellison Onizuka Day of Exploration? Check it out at aloha-council-bsa.org. Get your kids involved and celebrate Scouting and STEM in Hawaii. And now let's check out our ThinkTech schedule of events going forward. ThinkTech broadcasts its talk shows live on ThinkTechHawaii.com, live stream.com and facebook.com from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Then we broadcast our earlier shows all night long and on the weekends. And some people listen to them all night long and on the weekends. 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We wanna stay in touch with you and we want you to stay in touch with us. Let's think together. And now, here's this week's ThinkTech commentary. How involved do you think China is in the decision that Kim Jong-un has taken? Very strongly. Well, look here, China has bought United States debt. I don't know if people are remembering back as far as 2008 but when our economy collapsed, China used American dollars, which yes, does Trump say they have too many of ours? Maybe they do, but they basically gave it back to us and took over these massive debts. We are indebted to China financially. Now, it's true that if China called in that debt, they'd sort of be out of luck because all we have to say is no. But then it lends itself to economic chaos internationally. So China has vital interest in the continued survival and expansion of the United States economy because if it doesn't, it won't get its interest payments. And as people should know by now, these international loans are never based on ever being paid off. They're based on continual interest payments. If I were China's leadership and I had just secured for myself an ongoing control of the country, which the current head of the Communist Party in China has done, then I would sit down and say, what China cares about owning the world's economy? China would like to surpass America in that. The best way to do that is make sure that anyone threatening United States economy is dampened down. And so it's possible that Kim was more open to suggestions that were being made from his only trading partners, all right, and maybe did not have to fight so hard to win in this case. Again, people keep thinking one person controls everything. Kim Jong-un does not control North Korea. His generals control North Korea. And they are protecting their interests. So that's, I mean, that's reality. And people have an interesting false vision of how things work because we're in America and we have a very isolated view of world politics. We'll be right back to wrap up this week's edition of Think Tech. But first, we want to thank our underwriters. The Atherton Family Foundation, Castle and Cook, Hawaii, the Center for Microbial Oceanography Research and Education, Collateral Analytics, The Cook Foundation, the Hawaii Council of Associations of Apartment Owners, Hawaii Energy, the Hawaii Energy Policy Forum, the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, Hawaiian Electric Companies, the High Tech Development Corporation, Galen Ho of BAE Systems, Integrated Security Technologies, Kameha Meha Schools, Dwayne Kurisu, Calamon Lee and the Friends of Think Tech, MW Group Limited, the Shidler Family Foundation, the Sydney Stern Memorial Trust, the Volo Foundation, Yuriko J. Sugimura. Okay, Cynthia. That wraps up this week's edition of Think Tech. Remember, you can watch Think Tech on Spectrum OC16 several times every week. Can't get enough of it, just like Cynthia does. For additional times, check out oc16.tv. For lots more Think Tech videos and for underwriting and sponsorship opportunities on Think Tech, visit thinktechhawaii.com, be a guest or a host, a producer or an intern, and help us reach and have an impact on Hawaii. Thanks so much for being part of our Think Tech family and for supporting our open discussion of tech, energy, diversification and global awareness in Hawaii and of course the ongoing search for innovation wherever we can find it. You can watch the show throughout the week and tune in next Sunday evening for our next important weekly episode. I'm R.B. Kelly. And I'm Cynthia Sinclair. Aloha everyone.