Kohala Center creates scholarship to honor Earl Bakken

The board of the Kohala Center celebrated Dr. Earl E. Bakken's 85th birthday on Jan. 10 by establishing a scholarship program for Hawaii Island high school students. The Earl E. Bakken Science and Engineering Scholarship Award for gifted Hawaii Island youth will support high school students who attend high school science, engineering, and mathematics programs at universities affiliated with center, such as Brown and Cornell Universities.

"This scholarship award allows talented Hawaii Island youth to learn with others from a select pool of young leaders in the national and international arena,” said Matt Hamabata, executive director of the Kohala Center.

For more information about these scholarships, contact Samantha Birch at sbirch@kohalacenter.org, call (808) 887-6411 or visit www.kohalacenter.org and click on “Programs.”

Bakken, a noted philanthropist who supports education and healthcare on Hawaii Island, led island visionaries in 2001 to create the Kohala Center, an independent academic institute with a focus on research and education. "Dr. Bakken has been enormously generous to island communities, and we want to extend that generosity by supporting his interest in recognizing excellence among our high school students, especially in the sciences," said Roberta Fujimoto Chu, board president. To review Bakken's life and work, see earlbakken.com.

The Kohala Center builds teaching and research programs that help communities on Hawaii Island, in the Pacific and around the world, ensuring that its Western teaching and research programs are oriented to the spiritual and cultural landscape of Hawaii Island.