2025 Pacific Operational Science & Technology Conference
Come visit Oceanit at the 2025 Pacific Operational Science & Technology (POST) Conference, hosted by NDIA and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
Oceanit's team is excited to attend and exhibit at this unparalleled platform for collaboration, innovation, and exploration of Department of Defense (DoD) opportunities for joint research, development, and experimentation. We will be located at booth #1520 on March 3rd and 4th (Monday-Tuesday) during the open sessions and exhibit floor times. Visit https://www.postconference.org/schedule-glance to see POST's agenda at a glance.
- Mon, March 3 - Exhibit Hall Open: 9:30 am - 6:00 pm
- Tues, March 4 - Exhibit Hall Open: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Attendees can visit Oceanit and more than 60 other industry companies showcasing cutting-edge technologies and services. Explore our latest advancements and engage with Oceanit's defense, cyber, energy, and innovation experts in thought-provoking conversations - and ask about opportunities to visit Oceanit's downtown Honolulu offices and laboratories.
IN THE NEWS | Patrick Sullivan on Hawaii Public Radio's Bytemarks Cafe
Oceanit's CEO, Dr. Patrick Sullivan joined Hawaii Public Radio's Bytemarks Cafe, episode 706 last week to discuss the progress made on the ASSURE-100 Rapid COVID-19 Tests. Dr. Sullivan spoke to host Burt Lum, providing the latest updates on ASSURE-100 and discussing the new COVID-19 variant, known as BA.2. The new strain is a highly contagious offshoot of the omicron variant that appears to spread rapidly — about 30% more easily. BA.2 quickly overtook the original omicron in South Africa and other countries and has even caused a second omicron surge in Denmark, researchers have been bracing for the same thing to happen in the U.S.
Even with the effectiveness and availability of COVID-19 vaccines, testing will remain vital to controlling the global pandemic and ongoing transmissibility of new variants. The current gold-standard for COVID testing is a Polymerase Chain Reaction test, or PCR. However, PCR tests can be expensive, require a lab to process, and can often take 24 hours or longer to return results. Simple, fast, accurate, and affordable rapid tests, like ASSURE-100, will enable wider testing with more regularity. Rapid tests, while less sensitive, can catch just as many infectious people and we don't have to be stingy with who gets tested. More frequent rapid testing across larger populations can help start our movement towards restoring normalcy.
Also on this episode, Burt Lum welcomed Ikaika Hussey who joined to speak about direct air capture technology that can convert atmospheric CO2 into jet fuel and his startup, Feather Fuels.
Click here to listen to episode 706 of Bytemarks Cafe featuring Dr. Patrick Sullivan. You can always catch up on past Bytemarks Cafe episodes on the HPR website, Google Podcasts, iTunes and Stitcher!
PRESS RELEASE | U.S. Dept. of Energy Selects Oceanit to Develop Disruptive Hydrogen Fuel Technology
HALO is part of Oceanit’s EDGE initiative to tackle an array of next-gen energy opportunities, such as enabling the hydrogen fuel-based economy.
15 March 2022 Honolulu, HI | Saving the planet from petroleum-induced climate impacts requires replacing our dependence on fossil fuels with equally compelling, but clean alternatives, such as hydrogen fuel. The DOE recently selected Oceanit to develop a breakthrough hydrogen production technology using directed energy to forward this mission.
Hydrogen (H2) is often produced through the cumbersome process of electrolysis of water – a technology invented over 100 years ago in the 1880s. The process has been fundamentally unchanged since then. Now, leveraging previous research with the US Department of Defense (DOD), Oceanit’s “HALO” system will utilize directed energy to produce clean hydrogen. The world needs to transition to “clean” fuels that work with existing global energy infrastructure. H2 can be that fuel.
Oceanit’s technique could be transformational for hydrogen production, enabling major international and national energy companies to accelerate their transition from petroleum to clean energy. The project has the potential to not only reduce water treatment costs and energy expenditure, but also create a source of clean power. Production of hydrogen, along with other value-added materials, would significantly reduce waste and offset the environmental impact of ongoing oil & gas extraction.
“We have great partnerships with international and national energy companies. In this project, we will collaborate with a major energy company,” said Oceanit CEO Patrick Sullivan, “Oceanit and this partner will work together as we develop a practical application of high energy physics to demonstrate a novel idea in H2 production. We can reduce impact immediately from current energy sources while simultaneously creating and developing new energy sources. HALO will deliver progress toward a sustainable hydrogen fuel-based economy of tomorrow.”
Hydrogen may well be the key to decarbonization because it is an extremely efficient, clean-burning fuel. HALO’s development is part of Oceanit’s EDGE initiative: tackling an array of next-gen energy challenges like nanoscale system efficiency, predictive and prescriptive AI, carbon capture technologies, functional metamaterials, and developing new energy sources, like “green” hydrogen. EDGE (Energy & Decarbonization for the Global Environment) has many moving parts, including work across production, transmission, refining, and distribution of energy.
Founded in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1985, Oceanit is a privately held ‘Mind to Market’ company, developing award-winning disruptive innovation that endeavors to solve important problems across sectors like aerospace, energy, environment & climate, ocean sciences, health, and materials. Oceanit employs the unique discipline of ‘Intellectual Anarchy’ to transform fundamental science developed in the lab into impactful technologies for the market. Oceanit creates cutting-edge solutions, services, and products.
No Limits Featuring Aaron Robinson, on Sustainability at United Airlines
On July 29th, 2021, Oceanit welcomed the Aaron Robinson, United Airlines’ senior manager for Environmental Strategy and Sustainability, as a No Limits Speaker Series guest. Mr. Robinson manages United Airlines’ Eco-Skies program, focusing on sustainable aviation fuel development, corporate customers, emissions reductions, and external communications. Oceanit colleagues and several external guests joined to hear his presentation titled, “Innovation Toward a Decarbonized Aviation Industry.”
During Aaron’s time leading the program, United has been recognized as Air Transport World’s Eco-Airline of the Year – twice, Newsweek’s highest ranked airline globally for environment, and the highest rated U.S. airline by Carbon Disclosure Project each year. After leading the fuel conservation program at Northwest Airlines, he transitioned to environment at post-merger Delta Air Lines, where he oversaw all aspects of compliance with the EU ETS, represented the airline in developing its climate change strategy, led numerous internal sustainability programs, and published the airline’s emissions and sustainability reports.
Aaron has also worked in airport operations, financial analysis, operational reliability, and cargo safety. In addition to serving at Air Transport World, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, and Rolls-Royce, he also founded SimAirline.net, an online flight simulation organization. He holds a BA in Economics from Carleton College, an MBA from The University of Texas, and a private pilot’s license.
The aviation industry is a highly visible emitter of carbon, accounting for approximately 2.5% of global CO2 emissions. Ironically, the very industry that has brought enormous prosperity to places like Hawai’i since the early days of trans-pacific flight, is now at risk of negatively impacting the same communities via the unintended consequence of climate impact and sea level rise. United has committed to being 100% green by 2050 – reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 100%, without relying on offsets.
Oceanit has been working with United Airlines since 2018, testing advanced icephobic and omniphobic surface treatments developed by Oceanit’s Nano Materials team.
Enjoy the video of Aaron Robinson’s presentation below and be sure to read more about United’s sustainability efforts by clicking here.
No Limits Featuring Noam Chomsky, the Father of Modern Linguistics
On July 8th, 2021, Oceanit welcomed the venerated Dr. Noam Chomsky as a No Limits Speaker Series guest. For over one hour, Dr. Chomsky spoke to a live webinar audience of nearly 400 as he delved into the deep fundamentals of language in his presentation entitled: “Know Thyself: Language, Creative Intelligence, and the Fate of the Human Experiment.”
During his presentation, Dr. Chomsky spoke extensively on the concept and quandaries of Universal Grammar (UG)—a theory that posits there are innate human factors that underlie every language and make language acquisition possible. Upon first examination, UG seems to be impossible with goals that appear to be contradictory. However, over the course of the hour, Dr. Chomsky demonstrated that a paradigm shift—regarding language not as a system of communication but rather as a system of thought—is all it takes to see the biological basis of human language.
As Dr. Chomsky drew connections between language and thought, he touched on evolutionary biology, history, philosophy, mathematics, and political science, wrapping up with a discussion of the paradox that is the human mind. “Following this path of inquiry,” Dr. Chomsky said, “we might hope to get real insight into the nature of language and thought, fundamental features of the human capacity. Fundamental, but of course, not all-inclusive. When we look around us, we see other striking features of this strange creature that recently appeared on Earth.” Features such as the self-destructive tendencies that have led us to the brink of nuclear war, climate emergency, and gross inequality.
Oceanit has been working with Professor Chomsky for around five years, developing a linguistics-based Artificial Intelligence that we affectionately called NoME. NoME stands for Noetic Mathematical Engine, but is pronounced in the same way as its namesake. NoME is an Anthronoetic, or human-style, cognitive engine with a linguistics-centered approach to strong artificial intelligence.
Enjoy the video of Professor Chomsky’s No Limits presentation below and be sure to visit his website to learn more about the father of modern linguistics.
No Limits at Oceanit presents: Aaron Robinson
No Limits: Innovation Toward a Decarbonized Aviation Industry
As practitioners of disruptive innovation through our Intellectual Anarchy discipline, Oceanit forges partnerships with some of the most innovative organizations and thinkers in the world – covering a wide range of industries -- from medicine and aerospace, to energy and cosmetics. All share the (un)common thread of innovation, a thread that runs through intelligence, risk-taking, and perseverance, which informs our philosophical foundation of new breakthroughs and discoveries. Through our No Limits speaker series, Oceanit is delighted to share fascinating stories from people who move beyond what’s thinkable, sometimes what’s considered impossible – until it’s not.
Oceanit is honored to welcome Aaron Robinson, Senior Manager of Environmental Sustainability at United Airlines, as our new No Limits speaker. No Limits™ at Oceanit is a speaker series designed to stretch our imaginations and examine how vision and risk stimulate discovery and achievement. We aspire to host the most interesting thinkers in science, engineering, business, and community to share their creative genius and innovative mindsets on problem solving – beyond the limits of traditional thinking.
The aviation industry is a highly visible emitter of carbon, accounting for approximately 2.5% of global CO2 emissions. Ironically, the very industry that has brought enormous prosperity to places like Hawaii since the early days of trans-pacific flight, is now at risk of negatively impacting the same communities via the unintended consequence of climate impact and sea level rise. United has committed to being 100% green by 2050 - reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 100%, without relying on offsets. To accomplish this lofty goal, United is embracing innovations in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), carbon capture and sequestration technologies, alternatively-powered aircraft, and more. The Eco-Skies program and its Eco-Skies Alliance, a first-of-its-kind program, serve that goal by supporting innovation and involving global partners to help make sustainable aviation not just a reality, but the new normal. We are happy to welcome Aaron Robinson, United’s champion for the Eco-Skies vision, as our No Limits speaker on July 29th, 2021.
Please email [email protected] for more information.
No Limits at Oceanit presents: Noam Chomsky
Know Thyself: Language, Creative Intelligence, and the Fate of the Human Experiment
Noam Chomsky explores questions from philosophy to science; confronting problems from alternative facts and social media to inequality and climate change
Oceanit is honored to host our colleague, Professor Noam Chomsky, and excited to invite you to this virtual event as he explores deep questions on the nature of mind, language, and creativity. Taken together with inequality, the emergence of alternative facts, social media, and climate, he will discuss how this all informs current actions and challenges, as well as the fate of the Human Experiment.
No Limits™ at Oceanit is a speaker series designed to stretch our imaginations and examine how vision and risk stimulate discovery and achievement. We aspire to host the most interesting thinkers in science, engineering, business, and community to share their creative genius and innovative mindsets on problem solving – beyond the limits of traditional thinking.
Regarded as the founder of modern linguistics and philosophy, Dr. Chomsky is one of the most cited scholars in modern history, whose more than 100 groundbreaking books have revolutionized our understanding of language and the mind. The impact of his work extends to cognitive neuroscience, evolutionary biology, mathematics, computer science, anthropology, and education.
In parallel, as one of the most influential public intellectuals in the world, his critical analyses of public and private power have inspired many for more than half a century. Dr. Chomsky served as Institute Professor of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1955 to 2017, when he joined the University of Arizona as Laureate Professor of Linguistics and the Agnese Nelms Haury Chair in Environment and Social Justice.
No Limits™ at Oceanit Presenter Bill Burnett Shares Insights on Creative Competency in Education
Creative competency – a set of attitudes, resources, and behaviors that enable individuals to apply their creativity and knowledge to solve a broad range of issues – is critical to creating breakthrough innovations. Thinking creatively, cultivating a supportive environment with radical collaboration, and building on those values enhances traditional academic pursuits, stimulates effective problem solving, and fosters new ideas.
No Limits™ at Oceanit was pleased to host Bill Burnett, Executive Director of the Institute of Design at Stanford University, an innovative program that has created international awareness of “human-centered” design. Bill shared Stanford’s insights on creative competency in education, and why it is essential to building a competitive 21st century workforce. The Stanford D-School has pioneered a teachable approach to creative problem solving that has been applied to a broad range of issues, including evolving technology to benefit humans and society, organizational change management, and process re-engineering.
No Limits™ at Oceanit is one of the premier speaker series program in the State of Hawaii. Designed to stretch the imagination and examine how vision and risk stimulate scientific discovery and engineering advancement, No Limits™ at Oceanit is proud and honored to sponsor the greatest thinkers in science, engineering, and business to share their creative genius and mindset to problem solving. Speakers have included Chris Lee, former head of Columbia/TriStar and founder of the University of Hawaii’s Academy for Creative Media; John Dean, former Chairman and CEO of Silicon Valley Bank; and Roz Savage, the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
For more information about the No Limits™ speaker series, please visit https://oceanit.wpengine.com/no-limits. A list of previous speakers, topics, and links to video presentations are available for viewing on the webpage.