MANA — More than 40 young people from different countries had the exhilaration of pressing the button launching their own model rockets Friday. The young people were part of the Young Presidents Organization which toured the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile
MANA — More than 40 young people from different countries had the exhilaration of pressing the button launching their own model rockets Friday.
The young people were part of the Young Presidents Organization which toured the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands here, the model-rocket launching a part of the afternoon tour that ended at Shenanigan’s restaurant.
“The young people are here primarily to learn math and science with the help of the PMRF,” said Sheri Updike of Texas, YPO tour coordinator.
“Today we have about 80 people in the tour with the majority being young people. They come from Taipan, Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States. We have some parents, too, but most of the tour is young people.”
Updike said the Young Presidents Organization is 18,000 members strong internationally, and the children are from parents who are company presidents and chief executive officers.
Drawing on the launching of model rockets to learn science and math is no foreign territory to Jerry Nishihira, who coordinates launches for high-school students in an attempt to get students more interested in math, science and other high-technology fields.
“We’re lucky because we have help from the Kaua‘i Community College electronics department,” Stu Burley said.
“There are four NASA interns and two interns from the college helping Dr. Francis Takahashi.”
Burley said the students at the college are also involved in getting hands-on experience in the high-technology field.
“Two of the students, Shaun Koide and Kalen Adachi, are majoring in electrical engineering at Oregon State University,” Takahashi said. “The others are majoring in the sciences.”
Burley said the students at the KCC summer program have four major initiatives, including rocketry, building an underwater remotely operated vehicle, working on a telemetry station, a weather station and a Can Satellite, with the acronym CANSAT.
These students mingled with the Young Presidents Organization’s members, answering questions, helping young hands build rockets and, following the launches, repacking the rockets for the young students to take with them.
“In addition to the rockets, we also have static displays of the different areas the PMRF is involved in,” said Jay Pugh of the base communications office.
Most of the displays centered around items appealing to young children including a target boat that is remotely operated, a dummy target missile, the new rescue and firefighting vehicle from the base’s fire station, and some of the security department’s offerings.
“This is in line with the mission of the Young Presidents Organization of building better leaders through education and networking,” Updike said.
The Young Presidents Organization includes about 18,000 members around the globe, and events like Friday’s tour are possible because of the work put into the organization by its members.
“I’m a member,” Updike said. “Members help other members.”
• Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
