The Vulcan and the Volcano
The Office of Maunakea Management is proud to work with Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES), a project-based internship program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. The PIPES program is committed to recruiting and retaining local students, particularly Native Hawaiians, into fields of study, and ultimately careers, related to natural resources. PIPES connects underrepresented undergraduate students to internship opportunities with agencies engaged in research, management and environmental issues in Hawaiʻi.
The 11-week internship program requires candidates to develop a written project pre-proposal, attend pre-internship orientation, commit to 10-week full-time employment, submit progress reports, attend the Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference, submit a written final project report, and participate in the final student symposium.
Kuʻupuamaeole Kiyuna's PIPES Journey
In the summer of 2016 Kuʻupua Kiyuna accepted a PIPES internship with the Office of Maunakea Management. In addition to helping with biological monitoring, research projects, and community outreach events, her internship project involved reviewing OMKM's draft administrative rules for consistency with DLNR's Forest Reserve and Natural Area Reserve administrative rules, a requirement of the statute authorizing the university to promulgate rules.
Kiyuna's diligent work was helpful to OMKM, Kahu Ku Mauna and the Maunakea Management Board (MKMB) in their review of the draft administrative rules. The MKMB recommended to the UH Board of Regents that it approve the draft rules and forward them to the governor, requesting authority to conduct public hearings.
Kiyuna's Journey Continues
Kiyuna was admitted into the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law in the fall of 2016 where she also worked as a law library assistant. Following the completion of her first year, Kiyuna served as a 2017 summer law clerk for United States Senator Mazie K. Hirono in Washington, D.C.
Kuʻupua returned to Hawaiʻi this past fall for another invigorating year of law school.
Source: Office of Maunakea Management News