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Nicole Hamilton | University Relations | 8 February 2010

An electrical engineer for NASA on the Apollo Lunar Landing Program, Ray Thompson (at right), is known to BYU–Hawaii students simply as "Elder Thompson." Recently, BYU–Hawaii's Honors Program recently had the opportunity to hear from him personally at their weekly colloquia.

Thompson's duty at NASA was to make the initial design and organization of the equipment that would be involved in the lunar landing project. The Apollo 13 mission flew what Thompson and his group had designed and tested.

"None of the electronic equipment that went on the Apollo mission was [built yet], so, you can see it was a very challenging position to get men on the moon, which had never been done," said Thompson.

He also told students insider information about the astronauts, the moon, and the space mission.

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Carrie Collingridge | University Relations | 6 February 2010

BYU–Hawaii's new Physician's Assistant, Aaron Jensen (at right), is a graduate of the school. "I went to elementary, high school and college here, and now I work here," he said. Jensen earned a master's degree in Health Science from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. "[After college] I was in plastic surgery for a year and I enjoyed it," Jensen said.

Jensen explained that his desire to practice medicine was inspired by on-campus staff and that he always wanted to return to the school to work. "I have been waiting for the position to be open for a while ... [and] it was actually Dr. [P. Douglas] Nielson who called me about the job," said Jensen.

Another degree is still among Jensen's goals. "I am looking into a Ph.D. program with an emphasis in research and administration," he said. “I have an interest in always furthering my education. To get a Ph.D., it is another two years of school."

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Nicole Hamilton | University Relations | 4 February 2010

Liz Shropshire, Founder & Director of the Shropshire Music Foundation, spoke at BYU–Hawaii's devotional this past Tuesday about creating peace amidst countries ravaged by war. Her address centered on her own experiences in Northern Ireland, Uganda, and Kosovo, aside from other places she has traveled to.

Shropshire, a music major at BYU who later received her master’s from the University of Southern California, focused on how the gospel has been an integral part of her experiences on international shores.

Of her experience at a camp in Kosovo, she stated, "This camp, this place that had been so full of sadness, became this place that was full of so much life. It wasn't necessarily beautiful, but it was full of life. It took about forty minutes to walk to the camp. On the last ten minutes of that walk, all you could hear were these instruments—it was amazing." Through rudimentary instruments, a resurgence of hope pervaded in the camp.

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Amy Hanson | University Relations | 3 February 2010

Chad Ford, director of the David O. McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding, gave a recent entrepreneurship lecture sharing his extensive experience prior to teaching at BYU–Hawaii. He began by teaching the importance of fulfilling David O. McKay's vision—that from this school will go men and women whose influence will be felt for good toward the establishment of peace internationally.

Ford received his bachelor's degree from BYU–Hawaii (History and Political Science) and went on to do graduate work at both George Mason and Georgetown Universities in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and International Law. During this time, Ford and a friend started the popular website sportsTALK.com. Eventually sportsTALK was bought out by ESPN, and, shortly after, Ford began making appearances on ESPN Radio and ESPNEWS.

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Nicole Hamilton | University Relations | 29 January 2010

"As I looked around at all those descendants of Hyrum Smith, I wondered about the research I had been asked to do. Why me? With all those descendants, why should I be asked to do the work? In the midst of my contemplation, an unmistakable voice whispered to my soul, 'Because you are willing.' Looking back, I now see that message as typical of Hyrum's life. In fact, I came to feel that it was Hyrum's voice," said Jeff O'Driscoll, of his experience in preparing his book, titled, "Hyrum Smith: A Life of Integrity".

In his BYU–Hawaii devotional speech, aptly titled, "Hyrum Smith: An Example of Faithfulness", O'Driscoll gave personal insight on his research process and the personal gems he has gleaned from what has become his oeuvre.

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Lisa J. Fehoko & Ray Thompson | University Relations | 28 January 2010

HONOLULU—On Monday morning, January 18, the 22nd annual Martin Luther King Day parade began as participants slowly made their way through the streets to Kapiolani Park. In the midst of the march were BYU–Hawaii volunteers—students representing their school clubs and home countries of Africa, Samoa, the Philippines, Tonga, Tahiti, Japan, Fiji, Mongolia, and Indonesia. Whether in cultural garb or donning tee shirts with the 'Peace by Piece' slogan of the current BYUHSA presidency, these students personified Dr. King's statement of, "I have a dream that one day … little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers" (http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html).

While marching, student participants sang Called to Serve, Love One Another, and greeted onlookers in their various languages, garnering applause from the crowd. Adding to their unique mix were flags and banners that showcased the values and mission at BYU–Hawaii.

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Nicole Hamilton | University Relations | 22 January 2010

"The power to ask questions—and ask the right questions—is both formidable and fundamental. Think in the scriptures how often parables or sermons are the direct response to a really soul stretching question," said David B. Thomas, Deputy General Counsel for Brigham Young University, at the January 19 devotional held at the Cannon Activities Center.

He urged the audience to have a clear question, even when searching the scriptures, stating, "the fact that most if not all of the scriptures that we are to read and ponder are answers to specific questions leads to the simple matter of whether we actually recognize or have firmly in mind the questions that led to the answering scriptures. Simply put, in reading the scriptures do we get the questions? If in reading the scriptures we don't pay attention to or lose track of the questions, how helpful are answers, really?"

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Nicole Hamilton | University Relations | 20 January 2010

BYU–Hawaii's newly launched iLead website highlights one of the university's main goals—instilling leadership. Dr. Peter Chan, Associate Professor of Instructional Technology, was the brains behind this concept, which helps to fulfill President David O. McKay's prophecy. The website functions as a resource for current and prospective students, and faculty, highlighting professional cases as well as campus cases of leadership.

The date was December 10, 2009—when Dr. Chan, with the help of the IDD447 class, was able to launch the site. Details on launching began with a forum, which was held in the Aloha Center, but because of the interactive features, which currently include videos, speeches, training packages, and book reviews, iLead has since quickly evolved. Students can also upload their own videos to the website by logging on with their CES id.