Education Activities

EA04 Bishop Museum Navigating with the Stars

Date and Time: 2/24/2022, 6:00:00 PM to 7:00:00 PM
Location: Room 06

For thousands of years people have navigated the Pacific Ocean traveling island to island using only the waves, winds, stars, and other signs of the natural world around them. In this presentation, Hōkūleʻa navigator and Honolulu Community College Hoʻokele Instructor Kaʻiulani Murphy and Bishop Museum Planetarium Supervisor Tony Smith will introduce Hawaiian non-instrument navigation and how it is used today by modern voyagers. Learn the story of this nearly lost art and science and connect to the waves, winds, and stars in a whole new way. Tony Smith is the Supervisor of the J. Watumull Planetarium at Bishop Museum. Tony holds a Bachelor of Science degree in General Science, Pre-Education and a minor in Environmental Geosciences from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. He’s worked at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, OR, Pacific Science Center in Seattle, WA, and now Bishop Museum in Honolulu, HI. As Planetarium Supervisor, Tony oversees the day to day operation of the Planetarium including presenting shows, planning new shows, coordinating with local schools and other groups, staff management and training, maintenance of the Planetarium, and more. Tony cares deeply about increasing scientific literacy in our society and making science accessible to everyone. Kaiulani Murphy was born and raised in Waimea and Waipiʻo Valley on the island of Hawaiʻi, Kaʻiulani Murphy developed a passion for voyaging while a Hawaiian Studies student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Since 1998, she has served as a crew member with Hōkūleʻa and the Polynesian Voyaging Society, participating in voyages to Rapa Nui, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Micronesia and Japan, and the recent Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage. Kaʻiulani feels privileged to share her experiences with students at Honolulu Community College and UH Mānoa where she teaches courses in Hawaiian astronomy, navigation and voyaging.

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