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The inaugural Makerspace Competition brought together 30 students from across the University to compete in 16 teams.
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The Makerspace Competition was held at HPU's Aloha Tower Marketplace campus.
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Clarissa Burhan and Tensuke Sakura's project, 'Lei Mau Loa,' won first place in the Cultural Creativity category.
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Kylee Torres and her teammates won first place for their massage roller in the Community Impact category.
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KeAlohi Young won first place for her tampon dispenser in the HPU Inspired category.
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Arrix Rios (dressed in blue) showcased his rain monitoring system project, winning first place in the Smart Living category.
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Natasha Kosevych won second place for her project, 'Cultural Upgrade for Cars,' in the Cultural Creativity category.
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Jerel-Dayne Duque won second place for his pencil grip product in the Community Impact category.
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The 'Hawaiian Issues Awareness T-Shirts' project team took home second place in the HPU Inspired category.
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Jaron Maekawa and Todd LeRoy won second place for their portable trash can project in the Smart Living category.
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Jeffrey Rich was emcee for inaugural Makerspace Competition.
Innovation is a core part of HPU’s identity, and the talent within the University is remarkable. Students consistently demonstrate ingenuity, creativity, and an entrepreneurial spirit. On March 14, that spirit was on full display as the winners of HPU’s inaugural Makerspace Competition were announced before a packed auditorium at Aloha Tower Marketplace. The event brought together 30 students comprising 16 student teams, each presenting their innovative product designs in a hands-on competition. The Makerspace Competition was made possible by a generous donation from an anonymous donor.
Students competed individually or in teams for cash prizes, including a $1,000 first-place award in each of the competition’s four challenge categories: community impact, smart living, cultural creativity, and HPU inspired. One first-place and one second-place team were selected per category, with second-place winners receiving $500.
Judges for the Makerspace Competition were Joachim Cox (second from right), Naomi Hazelton (third from right), Iven Sugai (fourth from right), Georja Skinner (fifth from right) with HPU staff members Mark Nitta (far-left), Amy Nguyen-Chyung (second from left), and Maureen Silva (far-right).
The competition was judged by local leaders and HPU partners, providing students with a valuable opportunity to connect with key figures in the community. Judges evaluated projects based on originality, marketability, profitability, and their ability to solve a specific problem. Additional considerations included ease of manufacturing and potential for expansion. HPU Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jeffrey Rich was this year’s emcee.
The panel of judges included Joachim Cox, former HPU trustee and partner at Cox Fricke LLP; Naomi Hazelton, founder and CEO of Pacific Edge Magazine; Georja Skinner, chief officer of Creative Industries at the State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism; and Iven Sugai, HPU trustee, global portfolio manager and chief of staff at Meta.
Also in attendance was HPU’s incoming Dean of the College of Business, Amy Nguyen-Chyung, Ph.D., who praised the competition and all the student innovators. "This year’s competition is amazing to see. There are so many great products with just a few months to create working prototypes. I’m glad to be here today, to see the entrepreneurial spirit thrive at HPU."
Winners of this year’s Makerspace Competition and their category are:
Community Impact
First Place
- Kylee Torres, Aileen Huerta, Raiden Cachola, Haku Makishi for “Massage Roller”
Their portable massager prototype, created using 3D printing technology, offers college athletes an affordable and accessible solution for muscle recovery.
"This started as a mid-term project, and we wanted to figure out what would be effective for students and student athletes," said Torres, a nursing major from Ewa Beach. "This led us to create a portable heated and cooling roller that can be put in our backpacks to relieve muscle tension. This product would help relieve muscle tension for nurses, who stand on their feet all day, or anyone who is standing on their feet."
Second Place
- Jerel-Dayne Duque for “Pencil Grip”
A reimagined pencil grip made of silicone that offers additional finger support, helping children maintain a tripod grip with ease.
Cultural Creativity
First Place
- Clarissa Burhan and Tensuke Sakura for “Lei Mau Loa”
Burhan, an electrical engineering major from Las Vegas, explained the concept behind their project:
"We know that lei are single-use and die quickly. We wanted to create a product that allows people to remember those moments, so we created a 3D-printed lei with different flower elements that include kukui nuts and plumeria and ti leaves. This allows children to learn the importance and symbols behind making leis while also promoting sustainability."
Second Place
- Natasha Kosevych for “Cultural Upgrades for Cars”
Kosevych repurposed old rugs, quilts, and mattress toppers to create a culturally inspired car interior, turning waste into something beautiful and marketable as an eco-friendly car customization option.
HPU Inspired
First Place
- KeAlohi Young for “Tampon Dispenser”
A transparent blue acrylic tampon dispenser engraved with the HPU logo and absorbency information, designed to improve accessibility and awareness.
Second Place
- Montserrat Ruz, Jazlyn Harbor, Sophie Bulatovic, Maddison Cahill, and Naomi Travis for “Hawaiian Issues Awareness T-shirts”
A student-led initiative to design a t-shirt collection raising awareness about plastic pollution, native species conservation, fisheries management, and other environmental issues.
Smart Living
First Place
- Arrix Rios for “Wai Pono”
A rain detection and water quality monitoring system designed for weather tracking, gardening, and environmental awareness, providing useful data for irrigation control and sustainability.
Second Place
- Jaron Maekawa and Todd LeRoy for “Portable Trash Can”
A compact, 3D-printed trash can, about the size of a medium cup, designed to provide a convenient way to store trash in vehicles.
Congratulations to everyone who participated! Each project was inventive and showcased the talent and entrepreneurial spirit at HPU. For more information on the HPU Makerspace and how students can get involved, click here.
All photos by Michael Matsushita.
