For Dr. Kanoho Hosoda, receiving the American Indian Science and Engineering Society’s (AISES) Blazing Flame Professional award marked a full-circle moment in a career devoted to mentoring Indigenous students in STEM.
“I’ve been a part of AISES since I was an undergraduate, and they have really helped me flourish, from undergraduate all the way through graduate school and now in my professional career as well,” Hosoda said. “So this award, to me, is more than just an award for the national organization. It also means a lot for Hawaiʻi.”
AISES focuses on encouraging Indigenous students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Blazing Flame Professional award recognizes her decades-long efforts to expand opportunities for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students within the organization.
Early in her career, she and her husband launched the first student chapter at the University of Hawai‘i, bringing local students into a space historically dominated by Native American and Alaskan Native students.
“There was no student chapter at Mānoa, so my husband and I started the first AISES chapter as undergraduates, and it’s still there,” she said. “The premier event is the national conference. It is a nice marriage of all things STEM and Indigenous knowledge. There’s an elders council, an industry council, a research council, and so much mentorship.”
Hosoda has also played a key role in policy changes that broadened access to scholarships, internships, and professional development for Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students. “We rewrote that policy,” she recalls. “All the scholarships and resources were only allocated to those mentioned in the mission. In order for these opportunities to be provided to other students who are Indigenous, we needed to rewrite the policy.”
It wasn’t a hard sell.
“AISES wanted us there, which was a good stepping stone because, when you say a ‘policymaker’ or a ‘policy changer,’ it was something that I wasn’t comfortable with,” Hosoda said. “Politics always scared me, it was a good stepping stone because they wanted us to be at the table. They wanted us to be present at AISES.”
Now, more than 12 years later, her efforts with AISES have reached at least 100 students. Many students who first participated in AISES programs have gone on to careers in research and medicine, staying connected to mentor the next generation.
“ I play the role of networking hub, encouraging students to stay connected to Hawaiʻi,” she says.
Hosoda likes to stay out of the spotlight, so having the AISES team on campus last week, shadowing her, was a unique experience, but one she realizes is important.
“It’s for posterity. It’s to show the community what you do and how others can be inspired by it. That was more motivating than the award itself,” she said.
Reflecting on her mission, Hosoda emphasized the importance of bringing the whole self to work. “Being around AISES taught me to bring my whole self to work. You are a whole person. Sometimes things are going great at work, but not at home, or vice versa. The mentorship at AISES allowed me to see that from a very early stage.”
Now, with programs like the Kauhale Medical Scholars, which helps pre-med undergraduates, Hosoda continues her focus on building strong foundations for Indigenous students from Hawaii’s neighbor islands and public schools.
“I want them to see the medical school as a pass-through to get those degrees and go back and serve their community and be with their family,” she said. “Not just as a physician or career scientist, but supporting the community as a whole.”
The Blazing Flame Professional award underscores Hosoda’s enduring dedication to bridging STEM and Indigenous knowledge, mentoring the next generation, and creating pathways for students to thrive while honoring their culture and identity. It will be presented to her at the AISES National Conference in Minneapolis in October.