Moani Pomare, a scholar at Kapiʻolani Neighborhood Faculty, gained a 2024 National Conference of Undergraduate Research Presentation Award for her work in arithmetic, mixing Hawaiian cultural information with educational inquiry. She was one in all solely two college students nationwide to obtain the award and chosen for the excellence of her work within the Mathematical, Computing and Statistical Sciences Division.
Pomare’s mission, Kākau and Arithmetic: A Multicultural Perspective on Conventional Hawaiian Tattoos, examines the mathematical rules embedded in kākau, the normal Hawaiian tattoos. These kākau, vital in Native Hawaiian tradition, symbolize family tree and stability, utilizing geometric shapes resembling equilateral triangles.
“My analysis journey has been a deeply private exploration of my heritage and the way conventional Hawaiian practices, like kākau, are inherently linked to mathematical ideas,” stated Pomare. “By uncovering these connections, I hope to display the methods by which tradition and training can intersect, providing new views.”
Hawaiian storytelling frameworks
As a returning grownup scholar, Pomare is beginning the radiologic know-how program. Her mentors, Assistant Professor John Rader and Li-Anne Delavega, undergraduate analysis experiences coordinator, helped information her mission, which uniquely used Hawaiian storytelling frameworks to current her findings.
“We’re pleased with Moani’s success, which underscores the significance of integrating Indigenous views into training,” stated Delavega. “Her analysis showcases the distinctive contributions of Hawaiʻi’s college students and the potential for cultural practices to encourage and improve mathematical understanding on a nationwide stage. Her achievement highlights the worth of interdisciplinary analysis and the contributions of Native Hawaiian college students in educational discourse.”
Pomare’s work and journey had been supported by three grants—Nationwide Science Basis Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Bridges-to-Baccalaureate, Title III Advancing Indigenous Students and Title III Strengthening Neighborhood Faculty Partnerships grants.
