Federal Grant Funds Education Project
at Waihee Coastal Dunes Refuge
Some 200 students from Maui Waena and Kalama intermediate schools have visited the Waihe`e Coastal Dunes and Wetlands refuge this year as participants in a high-tech scientific and cultural program expected to reach some 600 students from across Maui in the next three years.
The curriculum includes in-classroom preparatory lessons, field research at the refuge and additional classroom training in data compilation, analysis and multimedia presentation.
At the end of each session, the grade 6-8 students will make a formal presentation on the results of their research project to other students, educators and the community.
The Waihe`e Watershed Workshop project, using tools such as hand-held GPS and digital cameras, microscopes and water testing equipment, helps kids learn valuable skills for the future.
The project is sponsored by the Maui Coastal Land Trust and Digital Bus, an outreach education program of Akimeka, LLC, a Maui-based information technology company, and is funded by a $165,000 federal grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The first phase of the educational program saw a dozen teachers participate in a five day workshop at the refuge to provide them with tools they can use to help their students in a series of projects at the Waihe`e refuge during the school year.
"Akimeka and the Digital Bus program are proud to be able to cultivate skills and interest in the fields of science and technology", said Diana Papini Warren, Educational Outreach Coordinator for Akimeka. " The Waihe`e refuge is an ideal location for Maui's youth to engage in technology-rich, field-based studies of a watershed."
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