Women are still underrepresented in science fields, but here’s an event that’s working to change that. Sacred Hearts Academy is offering a great opportunity for girls in high school and college to network with STEM professionals in an interactive format! Registration is now open for the 2nd Annual STEM Symposium 4 GIRLS, which aims to inspire students to embrace science, technology, engineering, and math! 

The CTAHR Annual Blood Drive is coming up, so if you’ve got some spare blood, this is a fabulous thing to do with it! The blood bank needs 200 donors a day to mee demand, and helping them out with that is a great way to give back to the community and those in need. Donors will be able to vote for the CTAHR department of their choice, and the winning department will receive $1000 for instructional use.

Every office needs someone to keep it running smoothly, which is why the Kamuela Cooperative Extension office is so glad that Raquel Stephenson has joined as the new office assistant IV. Raquel is originally from O‘ahu, but she and her family moved to agricultural land in Waimea on Hawai‘i Island several years ago. She is excited about learning more about the Big Island as well as agriculture on the island.

HNFAS alumna Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser has been appointed acting chair of the Hawaii State Board of Agriculture. Phyllis graduated with a BS in Animal Sciences from CTAHR and earned an MS in Poultry Science from UC-Davis. She has been the deputy chair of Board of Agriculture since 2015. Previously, Phyllis was the vice-president and CEO of Mikilua Poultry Farm. 

Grandparents who are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren face some unique challenges as well as the potential for special joys. Here to help them is the GRANDCares Project, which offers grandparents a variety of useful tools to cope with their unique family situation and added responsibilities. It also provides grandchildren with positive youth-development experiences through its Youth Club.