Honolulu, HI, July 30, 2024 – The 2024 Oceanit Summer Intern (OSI) Innovation Summit will take place next Wednesday, August 7, at Oceanit’s offices in downtown Honolulu. Each summer, OSI welcomes a handful of talented young minds, selected from over a thousand applicants, to join Oceanit’s team and apply their academics to real-world problems. The student interns are mentored by a dedicated Oceanit scientist or engineer who works alongside them throughout the summer. While the interns work on actual Oceanit projects, their Innovation Project is an individual effort spawned by personal interests or passions.
Each summer, Oceanit asks the interns to develop an idea for something that will make the world a better place. Their projects can be anything from any field or subject. The interns identify the problem, research, and conceptualize and develop an innovative solution. As work progresses, the interns are empowered to seek help from inside the company or outside. The Innovation Summit is the culmination of their work, where they present findings, prototypes, or concepts to an audience of their peers, Oceanit’s team, family, special guests, and many more.
This year’s Innovation Summit will take place on Wednesday, August 7 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m, followed by onsite tour of Oceanit’s corporate office and labs, and a reception.
This year’s attendees will include honored guests, Hawaii State Senators Troy Hashimoto and Glenn Wakai, and State Representatives Daniel Holt and Scot Matayoshi. The 2024 Interns and their Innovation Projects include:
Kyle Buche is a Computer Science major at the University of Hawaii Manoa. His Innovation Project is an application that uses algorithms to produce more efficient photorealistic renderings for videos and movies.
Keoni Han recently graduated from the University of Portland with a B.S. in Computer Science. His Innovation Project provides accessible tablature to ease guitar learning.
Joel Kiernan is a recent graduate of Stanford University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and is currently working towards a Co-Terminal M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. His Innovation Project explores the use of Orbital Transfer Vehicles to redirect orbits of space junk to prevent internet loss and satellite collisions causing space to be impassable.
Remi Kuba is pursuing a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her Innovation Project is a low-cost alternative to current Braille displays.
Stephanie Linn is a student at Boston University aspiring to earn a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. Her Innovation Project is a dynamically optimized soft exoskeleton to prevent ankle injuries.
Keenan Millikan is an Aerospace Engineering major at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. His Innovation Project focuses on creating a gyro-based heat exchanger.
Aaron Murai is a recent graduate from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and will be pursuing his M.S. in Ocean Engineering at Texas A & M University . His Innovation Project is a sustainable way to create durable material for geotextile construction BMPs and coastal erosion control.
Oliver Nishikawa is working towards a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at Cornell University. His Innovation Project is an organically resourced corn herbicide.
