Posted on: Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Governor names winners of first Innovation Awards
Advertiser Staff
Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday recognized three recipients of the first Governor's Innovation Awards for their "ingenuity and commitment to developing creative ways to improve Hawai'i and help the state meet the challenges of the 21st century."
The first honorees of the monthly award are:
Innovation by an Individual: Kelson Lau. Lau, a junior at Waiakea High School, has used his knowledge and expertise in robotics to help further science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, education at his school.
Innovation by an Organization: Pacific Biodiesel Inc. This Kahului, Maui, business was created in 1995 by Robert and Kelly King in response to environmental and health concerns surrounding unmanageable quantities of used cooking oil and grease trap residue at the Central Maui Landfill. The company now has two plants — one on Maui and one on O'ahu — that process more than 1 million gallons of waste cooking oil per year.
Innovation in Government: Department of Accounting and General Services, Information and Community Services Division. The ICSD created the "Stay Connected to Your State Government" feature of the state government Web site, building an easy-to-use system for Hawai'i's residents and visitors to access government information.
Governor's Innovation Award nominees were evaluated by a 15-member selection panel comprised of industry, education and government representatives statewide.
The selection committee provided final recommended nominations to Lingle for her selection.
