Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 5, 1 May 2010 — TOP IN TECH [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TOP IN TECH

By Kathy Muneno Keiki-Pua Dancil has the titles "Ph.D.," "CEO" and "president" attached to her name in a typically male-dominated industry. In January, she heeame the president and CEO of the Hawai'i Science and Technology Council, whieh represents many companies in the state's science and technology industry - companies involved in everything from biotechnology and astronomy to hlm, oeean sciences and aerospace.

HISciTech provides advocacy for its member companies, but, Dancil says: "Sometimes I feel like I'm working for Hawai'i. I find myself in situations where I'm trying to set the stage or make the situation better for our keiki where science and technology are concerned. I'm working on the State Science and Technology Strategic Plan. I'm assisting with workforce development, trying to connect our technology companies with children so that if they are interested in science or technology, they ean make the eonneehon." Dancil admits to having had "no idea there was a technology industry here in Hawai'i." But now she's the first to remind us that technology is a tool in our toolbox and it's everywhere - from the tourism industry to construction and emergency services. "Poliee officers and firemen need to understand analyzing a crime scene, utilizing DNA discovery technology and hazardous materials." She sees "tremendous opportunity" for the growth of loeal alterna-tive-energy companies and says, "We need to eonhnue to discover new tools, techniques, solve new problems. That being said, education is essential now more than ever." Education eame first in Dancil's home in Makawao, Maui. She's one of six children and says her parents and grandparents made it clear, "The deal was, 'If you get in (to school), we'll figure out a way to pay for it.' Trust me, we wrote scholarship letters, filled out numerous hnaneial aid forms - it was nonstop." While boarding at Kamehameha Schools-Kapālama "every letter signed by my mom, dad, grandpa, grandma, aunty or unele always ended in 'God Bless, Study Hard' - without fail." Her roles and accomplishments read like, well, a chemistry formula to the rest of us who did not excel in the sciences. "To be honest, most of my friends or family have no idea what exactly I do. They do know I went away to school, I studied hard and made a ton of sacrifices," says Dancil, who has several patents, is published in journals including Science, and was involved in developing the manufacturing of a raw material derived from shrimp shells for antibacterial applications. Dancil earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Santa Clara University and took the MCAT to enter medical school because she knew she could find a job in Hawai'i if she was a doctor. But a mentor suggested heeoming a scientist. "I quickly said, 'What am I going to do in Hawai'i as a scientist?' " But again she applied for and received scholarships and fellowships and earned her doctorate from the UC-San Diego Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. She joined a company that was expanding to Hawai'i and eame home, but then decided to learn how to commercialize her research projects so she got her master's from Harvard Business School. "Upon graduation I was asked, 'Why Hawai'i? Why are you going back home?' It's amazing how many times I need to explain this to people who are not from Hawai'i," she says. "Sometimes they get it and sometimes they don't. Hawai'i is home. I cannot imagine myself anywhere else. I am not Keiki-Pua if I am not home. I want to be part of the community that raised me, that helped shape my thoughts. I want to give back to that very same community." ■ Kathy Muneno is a contributing writerfor Ka Wai Ola. She is a weekenā weather anchor at KHON2.

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