HONOLULU, HI, April 01, 2010
/24-7PressRelease/ -- The Honolulu Rail for Growth (HRFG) team of companies will be collectively donating $25,000 to the Hawaii Academy of Science to support the Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair (HSSEF). Each member of the Honolulu Rail for Growth team is contributing $5,000 to the donation. The team is led by Sumitomo Corporation of America (SCOA) and includes partners Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc. (MHIA), KINKISHARYO International, LLC (KI), Thales Transport & Security, Inc. and Wasa Electrical Services, Inc.
The Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair is an enrichment program that stimulates interest in science and encourages students throughout the islands to enter science and engineering-related careers. Now in its 53rd year, the science and engineering fair is the oldest and largest science education program in Hawaii with nearly 12,000 schoolchildren participating each year statewide. The science fair will take place next week at the Hawaii Convention Center on April 6 & 7th.
Recent reports that the state legislature had cut funding for the HSSEF due to the state's budget deficit prompted this donation. Chairman of the Hawaii Science Academy's fund-raising committee, eye surgeon Dr. Neal Atebara, who was co-winner of the 1981 fair, called it the biggest crisis in the science fair's history.
Commenting on HRFG's decision to respond to this need, Vice President of Transportation Systems and Equipment for Sumitomo Corporation of America, Gino Antoniello, said, "I am proud that our team has come together in support of such an important issue, I have two daughters and throughout their scholastic years, I have helped on many science projects. "Besides the reward of spending time with my daughters, I believe science fairs can help bring out the potential in our future scientists and engineers."
Other team members agree that business has a vested interest in nurturing learning that will steer young people to careers in science and engineering. According to Hiromichi Morimoto, President of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, "We have participated in youth education events around the country for years, and are very proud to be able to contribute to the ongoing success of the Hawaii State Science and Engineering Fair."
"Bringing a state of the art METRO Rail system to Honolulu will present career opportunities for local engineers and technicians for generations to come. This is not only an investment in the Hawaii Science Academy, but also an investment in the future success of our team, the City, and most importantly the Island's youth," said Rainer Hombach, vice president and general manager of KINKISHARYO International LLC,
Students will have the opportunity to interact with professional scientists and engineers at the fair. Antoniello will serve as one of the fair's celebrity judges this year. "We are very grateful to get this kind of support from the Honolulu Rail For Growth team and look forward to more businesses following their lead. Our students need this kind of experience to stimulate them to achieve academic success," said Dr. Gareth Wynn Williams, the Hawaii Academy of Science President-elect.
"Student achievement is recognized and rewarded at the science and engineering fair," said Carolyn Kaichi, Executive Director of the Hawaii Academy of Science. "This donation will help us sustain the event."
From Honolulu to the World Stage
As they've done in the past, this year about 20 students from HSSEF will be awarded the opportunity to visit the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair from May 9-14 in San Jose, California. It is the world's largest pre-college science and engineering competition and brings together 1,500 young scientists and engineers from up to 50 countries annually.
"This kind of exposure for these young students is vital to educational and economic growth and to building for the future," added Antoniello.
Hawaii Academy of Science
The Hawaii Academy of Science (HAS) is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1925. The mission of the HAS is to promote scientific research and education in Hawaii and the Pacific Region. The purpose of the HAS is to contribute to Hawaii's future through the promotion of scientific knowledge. The Academy is particularly interested in linking organizations with research, educational, and business interests related to science and technology. The Pacific Symposium for Science & Sustainability (PS3) is another program of the HAS that provides a unique educational experience by bringing students from Hawaii & other Pacific Islands together to explore their common interest in the sciences. The PS3 is patterned after professional conferences & includes field trips & social events along with the presentation of papers. The PS3 serves as a regional competition for students to advance to the Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (JSHS). The JSHS is a national program funded by the US Departments of the Army, Navy & Air Force & sponsored by the Academy of Applied Science.
Honolulu Rail For Growth
Honolulu Rail For Growth is a team bidding to serve as the core systems prime contractor to supply vehicles and provide systems integration, automatic train controls and electrical services, as well as manage the operations and maintenance of the Honolulu rail transit project.
Sumitomo Corporation of America
Established in the U.S. in 1952, Sumitomo Corporation of America (SCOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation (SC). Headquartered in New York City, it is an integrated global trading firm with 10 offices nationwide and over 80 subsidiary and affiliate companies. SCOA has more than 25 years experience delivering transit systems in the U.S. In addition to Automated People Mover (APM) systems they have installed in airports in Atlanta, Washington-Dulles and Miami, SCOA has developed, managed and delivered transit systems for Chicago's METRA, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, the Maryland Mass Transit Administration, California's CALTRANS Peninsula Joint Powers Board, the Los Angeles County MTA, the New York City Transit Authority and the Virginia Railway Express.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc. (MHIA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI). MHI was founded in 1870 and offers 40 years of experience in the design, construction, testing and commissioning of Automated Transit systems. MHIA is a global leader in delivering proven transportation solutions, with several decades of experience successfully supplying a broad range of advanced transportation systems for urban (intra- and inter-city) and airport applications including in Atlanta, Washington-Dulles and Miami. MHI's transportation systems have already safely and effectively transported hundreds of millions of passengers worldwide.
KINKISHARYO International, LLC
KINKISHARYO International, LLC (KI) is a subsidiary of The Kinki Sharyo Company, Ltd. (KSJ), which has been designing and manufacturing safe, comfortable and reliable rail transit vehicles worldwide since 1920. Since the 1980s, KI has grown to become the number one supplier of low-floor light rail vehicles in North America by implementing a customer-focused philosophy with a full range of services and product customization. KI successfully delivered custom designed vehicles for New Jersey Transit (Hudson-Bergen, NJ), Dallas Area Rapid Transit (Dallas, TX), Valley Transit Authority (Santa Clara, CA), Valley Metro Rail (Phoenix, AZ), and Sound Transit (Seattle, WA).
Thales Transport & Security, Inc.
Thales Transport & Security, Inc. is a unit of Thales USA, and belongs to the Thales business line that has been providing the world's leading Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) solution for the better part of 30 years. As the pioneering innovator of the moving block concept as well as the transmission-based train control technique, Thales has implemented CBTC systems in over 20 cities around the globe. The company has customized its CBTC technology to more than a dozen different types of passenger carrying vehicles, making the Thales CBTC solution the most revenue proven and application-diverse technology in the world. Thales is also a leading supplier of transport communications, SCADA, fare collection, and operations security applications.
Wasa Electrical Services, Inc.
Founded in 1949 and incorporated in 1959, Wasa Electrical Services, Inc. is Hawaii's largest full-service electrical contracting company. Wasa Electrical Services specializes in the installation of high voltage systems including power station, substation, and overhead and underground distribution systems. The company also specializes in the installation of industrial, residential and commercial work including hospitals, hotels, airports, schools, roads, factories and refineries, as well as high-rise multi-family and office buildings. With nearly 300 field personnel, including electricians, equipment operators, masons and carpenters, and 50 office staff including engineers, accountants, warehousemen, CDI, drivers and clerks, Wasa Electrical Services is equipped to handle even the most demanding electrical design.
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