Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science - PIPES

Each summer at PIPES starts and ends with a prompt that opens the heart and mind to genealogy of people, ʻāina, and community. A 10-week paid summer internship can do so much for someone, but this is where we hope the real work begins: the coming together of those genealogies in the person you are and will become. Honoring the collective starts there.

And before you know it, 10 weeks fly by and it is time to say a hui hou… until next time.

Our final week of PIPES programming is dedicated to celebrating the 35 interns, mentors, staff, funders, ʻohana, and kaiāulu who made this summer possible. From two days of sharing their work and kaʻao at our Intern Symposium at UH Hilo to closing together at Reflection Camp in Keaukaha, our interns had one final opportunity to look back on a summer of huakaʻi, learning, challenges, laughter, new pilina, and all that they will carry forward from here.

Mahalo nui to the UH Hilo Coral Nursery and PACRC facility for allowing us to close our summer together in Keaukaha, and to every mentor, community partner, funder, and supporter who poured into our interns throughout these 10 weeks.

Hūlō, hūlō, to the PIPES 2026 cohort! Mahalo for continuing our kaʻao. We can’t wait to see where you all go from here.

Happening next week!

Join us for our annual PIPES Intern Symposium on July 29–30, where all 35 interns from our 2026 cohort will be sharing the work they’ve accomplished throughout their 10-week kaʻao journey with their host sites and communities across Hawaiʻi Island.

This event is free and open to the public, and we’d love to have you there to support our interns and learn more about the amazing projects they’ve been working on all summer. A livestream will also be available for those who can’t attend in person. We’ll share the livestream link soon on our story!

Week 6 already?! 🤯 PIPES Summer 2026 is flying by, and our interns have been making the most of every week. From getting their boots muddy in the field to connecting with communities and advancing their projects, it’s been amazing to see all that’s been accomplished so far. Check out some highlights from the past six weeks. Only 4 more weeks to go!!

🗓️Save the date! Our annual PIPES Intern Symposium is happening July 29–30, with both days kicking off at 8:00 AM.

Come support our 35 interns as they share what they’ve accomplished throughout their 10-week kaʻao journey. From restoration and research to community engagement and storytelling, each intern has a unique story to tell, and we can’t wait for them to share it with you.

We hope to see you there! If you can’t make it in person, don’t worry a livestream will be available both days. We’ll share the livestream link soon!

“E nihi ka helena i uka o Puna, mai pūlale i ka ʻike a ka maka.” (ʻŌ.N. #360)

This past weekend marked our first overnight huakaʻi with the 2026 cohort in the moku of Puna! From Kaʻakepa to Makuʻu, and ending the day with Kīlauea carrying us into the pō, interns spent the weekend building pilina, giving back to the ʻāina, and learning from the many poʻe and places that make Puna so special.

Centered around Naʻau, one of the pillars of the PIPES Moʻo ʻĀina Framework, this huakaʻi focused on the seat of our thoughts, emotions, intuition, and lived experiences. The ʻōlelo noʻeau “E nihi ka helena i uka o Puna, mai pūlale i ka ʻike a ka maka” teaches us to move through Puna with intention and care. By slowing down and paying attention beyond what first meets the eye, we allow our naʻau to guide the way we build pilina with ʻāina, kaiāulu, and one another.

What a special way to begin this summer’s overnight huakaʻi in the moku where the sun rises at Haʻehaʻe.

Mahalo nui loa to our Puna hosts: Aunty Leila, Aunty Makani, and Uncle Mikey with Pōhaku Pelemaka, Lis and Natalia with the UH Hilo Geology Department and USGS Hawaii Volcanoes Observatory, and last but certainly not least, ʻO Makuʻu Ke Kahua with Lauaʻe and Mele Kekahuna, and past Puna alumni, for welcoming our entire cohort and allowing us to explore our naʻau through ʻāina work. Can’t wait for the next one!

We are pleased to introduce the 2026 PIPES cohort: 35 interns representing their places and communities from Hawaiʻi and across the honua! 

Last week, our cohort gathered at Kahaluʻu Manowai for Orientation before heading off to their host sites. It was filled with sunsets, special ʻāina and kūpuna experiences, oli and mele, new pilina, lots of laughter, and moments that reminded us of why we do this work.

They had their first week on-the-job with their host organizations and we can’t believe next week is already week 3! We hope everyone is settling in, connecting with the ʻāina and communities they’ll be working alongside, and embracing all the experiences this summer has to offer.

Swipe through to see where each intern is placed across Hawaiʻi Island and the mentors they’ll be spending their summer with!

Mahalo to our host organizations, partners, funders, mentors, and supporters who make PIPES possible and continue to invest in the next generation of aloha ʻāina.

Kaulana Nā Kona

We had an incredible week with our 2026 cohort. From service learning to our first ever PIPES oli competition, spending time with kūpuna of place, and learning about one another and the ancestors we aspire to be,… we draw inspiration from the ʻāina of Kahaluʻu kai, uka, and Kekahawaiʻole.

Mahalo palena ʻole to Uncle Māhealani Pai, aunty Kalani Kahulamū Hamm, aunty Val, and aunty Lei Lightner, for letting us share in the experiences of their home, and prompting us to hone in on our pōtential by connecting to ʻāina. Many thanks to our alumni and kākoʻo who also helped to make this past week a wonderful success.

Interns are off on their new journeys! We can’t wait to share more as the summer unfolds… 

Naʻū…!

Graduation season is upon us! We’d like to take this moment to say HOʻOMAIKAʻI, Congratulations, to all of our PIPES interns and alumni who have reached this milestone.

Your hard work, growth, and dedication have brought you to this point, and we’re so proud of all that you’ve accomplished along the way.

This is truly just the beginning of your kaʻao, and we look forward to witnessing your continued growth and the paths you create for yourselves and your communities. No matter where life takes you next, PIPES will always be here to support you.

The Mauna Kea Forest Restoration Project (MKFRP) has been a host organization for PIPES interns for over 12 years. Their mālama ʻāina efforts are integral to the longitudinal well-being of our mauna-centric native species who are the cornerstones of Mauna Kea’s precious watershed. We’re grateful to have continued this partnership throughout the years, as they have been consistent supporters of PIPES’ mission and students. Mahalo MKFRP for our continued pilina and all that you collectively do to grow ʻāina and people abundance!

KAʻAO MOMENTS OF ʻAPELILA
April flew by for our PIPES team, and now there’s less than a month before PIPES Summer 2026 is in motion! This month brought more amazing opportunities for some of our moʻo ʻāina interns and team.
Kamaka Frasco and Kamaile Scholtz, with PIPES alum ʻĀina Perry, presented their work with the UHH Coral Nursery and Keaukaha community at the UH Hilo TCBES Symposium. Their connections to the keiki and ʻāina/kai of Keaukaha were displayed so clearly and we are proud of their dedication.

Moʻo ʻĀina interns and staff also joined this month’s food distribution with huiMAU! Getting to assist the Paʻauilo and Hāmākua community in this way helped us to deepen our understanding of kaiāulu as a support system.

Leinalu also had the beautiful opportunity to participate in the Waimānalo Limu Festival. Being surrounded by people of all ages brought together for one purpose: limu! Mahalo to Uncle Wally, Aunty Pam, and Uncle Aliʻi for the new memories, laughter, and incredible hospitality. He ʻono maoli nō!