The Harrison and Helen Miyahira STEM Center at Maui High School recently hosted Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) STEMworks™ Innovators Summer Camp program. Camp Kauwela, named after the Hawaiian word for summer, is a place for middle school students to learn, grow, and explore. It blends STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education with Hawaiian culture to inspire students to discover new ideas and potential career paths. Using 3-D printers and Microbit processors, 38 middle-school students and nine high-school STEM experts produced 14 Hawaiian-themed projects done over a period of five days, with a showcase held for families and friends on the last day.

“Camp Kauwela is based on scaffolding mentoring: a teaching method where a mentor breaks complex skills into smaller steps providing support until the mentee grows more confident while completing tasks above their current skill level,” explained Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President & CEO. “Together, the younger students are learning from the older students how to use these tools to improve our community.”

Lalaine Pasion, STEMworks Program Specialist, shared, “Camp Kauwela blends STEM education with Hawaiian culture to inspire students to look to the past to shape solutions to solve current challenges. Through hands-on learning, students developed skills, connected with local stories, and deepened their understanding of Hawai‘i’s land and people. More than anything, they left with a stronger sense of identity, heritage, and the power they have to make a difference, all while exploring how science and technology can help shape a better future for Maui.”

“I made life-long friends at Camp Kauwela,” said Alexis, one of the students. “Our Hawaiian word was Kupuna. We were able to express a deeper pride and understanding of our heritage as we worked on our project titled Medminder, a wrist device using Microbits to help kupuna remember to take their meds.”

Madison, in another group of participants, used a 3-D printer to make a ‘Charger Weight’. “Our Hawaiian word was Malama (to care),” she said. “Our team built a device to connect to phones that would solve the problem of chargers getting lost, falling or breaking. I also learned about different careers and how to work together on challenges and share creative solutions that can make an impact for our community. Thank you, MEDB!”