On Saturday, November 22, 2025, the Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium held its Fall 2025 University Research Internship Symposium at Leeward Community College, where undergraduate interns and trainee interns from across the University of Hawai'i system presented work in rocketry, CubeSats, astronomy, rover systems, and advanced materials research.

Projects on display included efforts to improve hybrid rocket engines, design CubeSat propulsion systems, and develop payloads for national programs such as NASA's RockOn workshop, RockSat, and the American Astronautical Society's CanSat Competition.

Students also presented on star formation in distant galaxies using Keck and JWST data, redesigning the control system for the Helelani rover, and engineering satellite platforms and resin components for future space missions.

The symposium highlighted the range of hands-on aerospace and research activity happening across the HSGC network, from community college project teams to upper-division university research groups. It also gave students a chance to present progress, explain technical challenges, and share how their internship work connects to future mission opportunities.

This symposium was amazing, and we hope to see everyone again at the next symposium.

Brief List of Student Presenters

Windward Community College

Continuing Project Imua Efforts at Windward Community College
  • Christopher Klapperich
  • Chase Fox
  • Beckham Richards
  • Ryan Vanairsdale

Honolulu Community College

Project Imua Mission 15: Muon Detection for RockSat 2026
  • Kara Walker
  • Ryan Vanairsdale
  • Kristen Chang
  • Teal Hoffman

UH Maui College

RockOn Workshop 2025
  • Joshua Moralez
  • Forrest Stolmeier

UH Maui College Trainee Interns

CanSat 2026 Competition
  • Elijah Custer
  • Zachary Montondo
  • Sebastian McDougal
  • Jordan Dalessandro
  • Rell Fitch (volunteer)
  • Joshua Moralez
  • Forrest Stolmeier
  • Julian Malecha

UH Hilo

Determining Star Formation Rates in Medium Redshift Galaxies Using OSIRIS IFU Spectra
  • Paige Matheson

UH Hilo

Helelani Rover Control System Redesign
  • Joseph Winkie

UH Manoa

Regression Rate of CAMUI Hybrid Rocket Engines
  • Joaquin Natividad

UH Manoa

Hybrid CubeSat Propulsion System
  • Sean Raymund Palacay
  • Lance Bacalso
  • TJ Magofna

UH Manoa

AERIS: FARAAD - Fabrication of Additive Resin Apparatuses for Advanced Detectors
  • Kaolin Randall
  • James Chang
  • Jai Ceraso

UH Manoa

AERIS: SPATIUM - Satellite Platform for Attitude, Telemetry, Integration, Uplink, and Management
  • Kenoi Salvador
  • Keegan Canine
  • Charlotte Downie
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