Kaneohe Bay, HI — August 9-10, 2025 The skies above Marine Corps Base Hawaii weren’t the only place buzzing with excitement during the Kaneohe Bay Airshow. Inside the STEM Zone hangar, young minds were launching into a world of discovery.

The HSGC booth was a hive of activity, featuring a fully interactive robotics field designed to spark curiosity and creativity in children. Kids were immersed in the world of robotics and engineering.

This initiative is part of HSGC’s broader mission to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education across Hawaii. By offering hands-on experiences, the consortium hopes to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators—starting with the youngest attendees at the airshow.

Just a few steps away, the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory captivated visitors with its Straw Rocket station. Children crafted their own paper rockets and launched them using straws, learning about aerodynamics, propulsion, and trajectory in the process. Each launch became a mini physics lesson, with kids adjusting their designs to improve flight distance and stability.

The simplicity of the activity belied its educational depth. Concepts like Newton’s laws of motion and air resistance were brought to life in a way that was both fun and accessible. HSFL’s team emphasized that even basic materials can be powerful tools for learning when paired with curiosity and imagination.

Together, these booths transformed the STEM Zone into a launchpad for learning. By blending play with education, HSGC and HSFL demonstrated how early exposure to STEM can ignite lifelong passions.