A Catalyst for Change: Indigenous Innovation at UH
A UH Innovation Conference
Presented by:
The GSI Family of Companies
As the state’s largest research institution, the University of Hawai‘i (UH) has an obligation to help improve the quality of life for its residents and to those around the world through innovative research and education.
For UH, success in promoting economic and intellectual competitiveness will be based around the uniqueness and excellence that is inherent to the islands. Hawai‘i’s unmatched diversity of environments that encompass snow-covered volcanic summits, tropical rainforests, desert canyons, coral reefs, deep blue ocean and untapped natural energy resources — mirrored only by the state’s ethnic diversity, has always been the foundation of UH’s world-class research. These strengths are derived from the precedent that the ancestors of these lands developed practical knowledge that was optimized for calibrating human society within the carrying capacity of the island ecosystems. Given the cascading socio-ecological challenges facing Hawai‘i, it is now of vital importance that these ancestral systems and the communities that hold them, develop equitable partnerships with UH in collective efforts to preserve the natural resources, environment, and way of life — not just at home, but across the world.
As the only R1 university in the nation that has an Office of Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation embedded within the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, UH is uniquely positioned to provide global leadership in developing an ecosystem of Indigenous innovations and practices to facilitate place-based research initiatives in Hawai‘i and beyond. Not only would this create incredible opportunities in novel research and funding for UH, but it can also lead to the co-production of research and innovation with and for Indigenous communities.
Sponsored by the University of Hawai‘i Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation and The GSI Family of Companies
Sessions**
- Establishing the Context for Regional Health by Restoring Indigenous Practices
- Weaving Ancestral and Contemporary Technologies: Indigenous Data Hubs
- Leveraging Indigenous Innovation to Drive Social Innovation
- Opportunities for the University of Hawaiʻi
Registration/Cost
$150/per person*
*includes continental breakfast, lunch and networking reception
Keynote Speakers/Panelists**
Kamuela Enos
Director
Office of Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation
University of Hawaiʻi System
Nikora Ngaporo
Director
Chief Executive Officer and Founder, NNMD and Young Animators
New Zealand
Kūhaʻo Zane
President
Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, Inc.
Participating Panelists/Speakers **
- Kelsey Amos, Co-Founder, Co-CEO, Purple Maiʻa
- Tracy Bui, Graduate Student, Laboratory for Advanced Visualization & Applications, UH Mānoa.
- Aimee Grace, Director, Office of Strategic Health Initiatives, UH System
- Donavan Kealoha, Managing Director, Startup Capital Ventures x SBI Fund; Co-Founder, Purple Maiʻa Foundation
- Puni Jackson, Hoʻoulu ʻĀina Program Director, Kōkua Kalihi Valley
- Shaelyn Loo, Indigenous Data Hub Fellow, Office of Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation, UH System
- Leimomi Mau, Professor, Center for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Health Disparities Research, John A. Burns School of Medicine, UH Mānoa
- Kari Noe, Indigenous Technology Specialist, Office of Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation, UH System
- Daniel Richardson, Founder, Makaliʻi Metrics
- Rachelle Robley, Director, Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity, UH System
- Vassilis L. Syrmos, Vice President for Research and Innovation, UH System
- Alec Wagner, Program Manager, Design and Innovation, Office of Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation, UH System
- And more..
Emcees**
- Moanike‘ala Nabarro, UH Mānoa Spokeswoman, UH Office of Communications
- Marc Arakaki, UH Spokesman, UH Office of Communications
** Program, content, speakers, and panelists subject to change