#stem works

Council members ended their work on the fiscal 2026 budget Tuesday, giving final approval to a $1.558 billion spending plan that sets the course for Maui County government beginning July 1.

High school students from across Maui County explored careers in health care at the inaugural Career Exploration Day, hosted by Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi in partnership with Maui Economic Development Board’s STEMworks™ program.

Returning for its 20th year, the STEMworks Excite Camp program wrapped up its four days of student activities on June 6. The day camp, which started in 2000 and focuses on the intersection of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and Hawaiian knowledge and culture, welcomed 19 middle school girls this year from across Maui County, including students from Hāna, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi. The free summer program aims to support and inspire young women, especially those of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander descent, to pursue post-secondary education and careers in STEM while staying connected to Hawaiʻi. 

Maui Economic Development Board’s STEMworks program announced that Grammy award-winning Maui High alumnus, Jason Baum, will be one of the keynote speakers for the 15th Annual Hawai’i STEM Conference, which will take place on April 4-5 at the Hawai’i Convention Center in Honolulu.

MEDB will be awarded $300,000 to scale-up its successful STEMworks program to provide hands-on training for Maui residents in focus areas considered vital to the future of Hawaiʻi’s economy, including renewable energy and artificial intelligence.

The Maui students developed an app that allows people with Cystic Fibrosis to communicate directly with their doctors, other patients and keep track of their daily pulmonary health.