Organizers of an exposition featuring about twenty of Hawaii’s top high technology companies and organizations launched the display today at the Hawaii Convention Center where it will receive worldwide exposure during this Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.

The SEE-IT project, aimed at encouraging Hawaii’s youth to pursue careers in Hawaii in the fields of science and technology, will occupy 12,000 square feet on the main floor of the Convention Center during the weeklong APEC conference before being relocated to the mezzanine level for 18 months.

“This is an important milestone in our three-year plan to create a permanent discovery exposition to motivate young people in Hawaii to embrace technical careers,” said Galen Ho, president of SEE-IT. Ho, a retired BAE Systems executive, was joined by SEE-IT co-founders Henk Rogers, chairman and CEO of Avatar Reality Inc., and Peter Crouch, dean of the University of Hawaii School of Engineering.

SEE-IT stands for Science, Engineering Exposition — Innovative Technologies.

The 19 participating companies and organizations are: Avatar Reality Inc. BAE Systems Inc., Hawaiian Electric Co., Makai Ocean engineering, Natural Power Concepts Inc., NOAA Pacific Islands Region, Oceania, Pacific Biocides, PISCES/International Lunar Research Park, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipward, Referential Systems Inc., Robotics Organizing Committee, SEE/Rescue Corp., Skai Ventures, Sopogy Inc., University of Hawaii College of Engineering, University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, W.M. Keck Observatory, and Williams Aerospace Inc.