Dec 10, 2014 | Education
A commitment to invest 60 minutes of time and energy into computer science has landed Iao Intermediate School a $10,000 prize and a chance to participate in an international campaign. The program is called Hour of Code and describes itself as a one-hour introduction designed to demystify computer science and show that anybody can learn the basics.
“It teaches the processes of thinking through problems and persevering to solve them,” said Steve Qunell, the Iao math and technology teacher who took the lead to apply for Hour of Code. Iao School participates in Maui Economic Development Board’s Women in Technology Project program STEMworks™, which has been encouraging local schools to participate in Hour of Code. Iao School is the only campus in Hawaii chosen for the 2014 Computer Science Education Week program. “I was floored. I couldn’t believe it,” Qunell said in reaction to Hour of Code’s approval. “This is a fun event. I think everyone should be trying it.”
As this year’s data coordinator at Iao School, Qunell organized a plan that will allow for all 900 6th, 7th and 8th graders to participate in Hour of Code during their math classes. Students enrolled in technology courses will spend an additional 45 minutes in Hour of Code. Special education teachers have volunteered to continue an Hour of Code in their study skills classes, and faculty will use professional development time to engage in the program. Qunell has also reserved two computer labs for parent and community Code nights. “For our students, what we’re trying to do is make them college and career minded,” Qunell said. “All of us will have a chance to participate in Hour of Code and just improve our overall skills.” Qunell said he’s working with the Iao Math Department to identify needs that might be covered by the $10,000 prize. Some of the money may also be used for a Maker Lab and a Robotics Program.
Nov 26, 2014 | Education, Stemworks
Lanai middle and high school students appear to have a fast-growing interest in science and technology following a STEM camp held on their home island. “I would say the STEM Camp and experience has opened our students’ eyes to something they haven’t seen or experienced before,” said Counselor Beth Conroy Humphrey of Lanai High and Elementary School. “It’s definitely got them interested.”
Approximately 20 elementary and middle school students attended a two-day event spotlighting science, technology, engineering and math. Maui Economic Development Board’s Women in Technology Project organized the event earlier this fall in partnership with Lanai School. “It was great and it gave our students a new interest and skills in something they didn’t even know they had,” Humphrey said. Students engaged in breakout sessions that included lessons on drones, coding and programming, Website development and recycling sustainability. A STEM Family Night was incorporated into the event with parents and students participating in hands-on, learning-based activities such as Ice Cream Engineering, iPad ScratchJr Coding and Mobile Proscope. Airport firefighter George Purdy helped facilitate the session on drones while his wife, Stacey, participated in STEM Family Night and supported their two children at the camp.
Purdy said the opportunity to participate in a STEM Camp like the one in October was a rare occurrence for Lanai families. “There’s just not that many activities readily available for Lanai children,” Purdy said. The camp provided students a chance to apply their classroom lessons in science and math to the STEM activities provided at the camp. “It just took our students’ learning to a whole new level.” Humphrey said the STEM camp has been influential on teachers who are incorporating more STEM-related activities in their classrooms. The interest is so great that Humphrey is planning a STEM Day for middle school students and families in December. “The parents and the students are both wanting to be more involved and get more STEM opportunities. It’s quite exciting,” she said.
Nov 14, 2014 | Education, Innovation
Lahainaluna High School arts and communications teacher Nancy Young used her Ke Alahele Education Fund grant to create a new environment in her classroom. Now, instead of the traditional classroom setting with rows of desks for students, Young’s created more of an inspirational space for creativity and innovation. “The center of the room has a conversation area with upholstered benches, a table for art and design books and a set of drawers for cameras and iPads. I wanted my students to experience a taste of an inviting, stimulating room and to know what a career in the arts can offer. This is not just a classroom anymore. It is an environment and the kids love it and they produce really amazing work.”
Young said her second-year students are doing college-level work. They do commercial graphics projects, including banners for other schools. They’ve won awards for PBS HIKI NO television segments, and last year her students received special recognition on their diplomas plus placed second in the state in graphics. Young and her students have come a long way, with the help of Ke Alahele grants. When she began teaching full-time more than six years ago, she had only six large tables and 25 old 12-inch iBooks in a cart. But, by her third year, she had accumulated approximately 20 21.5-inch iMacs, a number of digital SLR cameras and a Canon 5100 17-inch printer that accepts roll paper or canvas. Still, there’s more to do, Young said. “What is missing is a pipeline to future education,” Young said. “I plan on visiting California design schools in the spring to see what I can do to connect us with advanced programs.” MEDB established the Ke Alahele Education Fund to power up STEM Education in Maui County.
Oct 8, 2014 | Education
Kihei Charter High School technology and engineering teacher Evelyn Zayas intended to use a Ke Alahele Education Fund grant to expose her students to electronics, but they received much more as she was able to leverage her grant to get more than $1,000 in store credit to buy more equipment. “I wanted a fun, hands-on way to introduce my students to the world of electronics, and to learn a bit of computer programming to make the electronics do cool things,” she said.
It didn’t take long for the initiative to have an effect in the classroom. “The impact on the students was immediately evident,” Zayas said. “The boys, and especially the girls, were at first apprehensive when they saw the kits filled with electronic components that they knew nothing about. The kits contained ‘inventor guides’ that provided enough instruction and pictures so that the students could complete the projects on their own after brief instructions from me. To watch them complete the projects and then modify the computer programs to make the electronics work, such as lighting LEDs or making the buzzer play a song – the looks of pride on their faces were priceless.” Zayas said teaching science, technology, engineering and math yields an “authentic, useful education that requires students to use both their minds and their bodies to learn how the world around them works. A STEM education can provide the hands-on, thought-provoking activities and projects that lead to authentic, useful education.”
With the Maui Economic Development Board Ke Alahele grant, Zayas was able to buy 20 Sparkfun electronics inventors’ kits. Sparkfun ran a national contest and as a final project for the quarter, Zayas had the students work in pairs to create a unique project for the contest. “We were ecstatic to learn a pair of girls won first place in the contest, and two pairs of boys took 5th and 10th place,” she said. The contest winnings gave Zayas and her students $1,050 worth of store credit at sparkfun.com. From there, she bought more electronics. To learn more about the Ke Alahele Education Fund, visit www.medb.org
Sep 24, 2014 | Education, Stemworks
Pukalani Elementary School second-grade teacher Betty Brask found a great deal of inspiration and a renewed drive to teach science, technology, engineering and math while attending “Space in the Classroom” at the annual Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance (AMOS) technical conference. “It’s a fabulous opportunity,” she said. “Every teacher should attend. It will get you connected and so excited about STEM teaching.”
Among the program highlights was a “talk story” session with former NASA astronaut and International Space Station Commander Leroy Chiao, she said. “He gives you real life experiences that you can relate to. It was so inspiring,” Brask said. Sponsored by the Maui Economic Development Board, the four-day AMOS conference brought together scientists and experts in the fields of optics, imaging, space situational awareness, space weather and related specialties in astronomy to offer updates and assessments of current research. This year’s program for teachers focused on Earth science, Brask said, with attendees evaluating maps of the planet taken from space. Teachers from a variety of grade levels from across the island networked and engaged in activities including how to plot and track storms and how to categorize and assess damage.
Brask has been to at least three AMOS teacher workshops and has been an active participant in MEDB’s Women in Technology Project for more than a decade. Every time she returns from a workshop or training, Brask said she’s been able to incorporate new lessons into her classroom. This time around, Brask’s 2nd graders will be learning to track storms. “For kids, it’s going to be a blast. I’m sure of it,” she said. “Anytime you can get them doing hands-on learning with science, they’ll go crazy with it.” “Space in the Classroom,” co-sponsored by Space Foundation, consists of two main elements – one for students and the other for teachers. Three hundred Maui middle school students and nearly 30 island teachers took part in the full-day programs this year. The AMOS Conference is described as the premier technical conference in the nation devoted to space surveillance.
Sep 17, 2014 | Education, Stemworks
Da Kitchen part-owner Mariah Brown said her restaurant continues to thrive after partnering this summer on a STEMworks™ internship. “At first I just wasn’t sure about it,” Brown said. But since then, interns Renezel Lagran and Justin Jackson have proven to be “extremely helpful. They’re very talented and they’ve helped us to keep trendy and updated.”
The Women in Technology Project, a statewide workforce initiative at Maui Economic Development Board, placed about 30 students in a variety of six-week internships throughout the state. The STEMworks™ program provides students with access to high-tech tools, software training, project design, career exposure and internship opportunities to learn from mentors and gain the real-world job experience, knowledge and skills they’ll need when they join the 21st century workforce. The internship at Da Kitchen was unique in that the students worked for a restaurant, instead of a high-tech company. Still, they got a lot of practice with using high-tech technology in updating menus, logos, charity event posters and social media sites. “Da Kitchen is all about changing with the times. We like to work with the interns on keeping our look modern,” Brown said. “Our society and our business is very social media oriented,” Brown said. “We have to keep up with graphics, with Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.”
Lagran, a sophomore at Maui High School, called the STEMworks™ internship “one of the greatest experiences she’s ever had.” She said she helped to update restaurant menus, advertising pieces and business cards. As a result, Lagran said she’s built confidence in her work skills and has learned “that I’m able to do a lot of things if I put my mind to it.” She’s also discovered what she’d like to do after high school graduation. “I am determined to find myself a role in the marketing field whether it’s designing or even the mathematics aspect of it since I do like math.”
Sep 3, 2014 | Education, Innovation
AJ Ramelb’s tenacity and technological innovation gave disabled students an independence they don’t often experience. “I really wanted my students to be able to paint their own pictures, and AJ made that possible,” said Hillary Watt, a special education teacher at King Kekaulike High School. Watt and an audience of 600-plus applauded Ramelb, a 2014 Kekaulike graduate, following his selection for this year’s Daniel K. Inouye Innovation Award from Maui Economic Development Board. Ramelb, now enrolled as a freshman at the University of Hawaii Maui College, was chosen for the award established to commemorate the late Sen. Inouye’s legacy. The honor, presented at the recent Ke Alahele Education Fund Dinner, recognizes an exceptional student-led project that applies science, technology, engineering and math solutions to community improvement.
MEDB gave Ramelb $3,000 for college and a pledge to assist him in applying for a U.S. patent for a special paintbrush grip design. King Kekaulike will also receive $7,000 for its STEMworks™ lab. There last school year, Ramelb studied and created the paintbrush grip design for students with severe and multiple disabilities. “In a STEMworks™ lab, you have so many resources at your disposal,” Ramelb said. “I’m really grateful for my teacher, Emily Haines, and for STEM because it really opens up your mind and allows you to think about what you can do for your community.”
Ramelb created two different styles of grips, accommodating both inward and outward wrist turns of students with disabilities. They mainly use the grips for art paintbrushes, but recently used it to hold mini-maracas for music. “These kids are used to having things done for them, but these grips have given them the opportunity to do something on their own, to express themselves through movement and through art,” Watt said. She said she was impressed by Ramelb’s dedication and attention to testing the grips and adjusting the design so it could fit her students’ needs. “He really went above and beyond. I really appreciated it and couldn’t be more proud,” Watt said.
Aug 20, 2014 | Education, Stemworks
Programs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math take center stage this week as Maui Economic Development Board rolls out its annual Ke Alahele Education Fund Dinner & Auction. Hundreds of supporters are expected to raise money Saturday at the Grand Wailea Resort for innovative STEM programs in schools and communities on Maui, Molokai and Lanai. “We are grateful to our generous businesses and community stakeholders for rallying behind our young people’s passion and pursuit of STEM learning and careers,” MEDB President and CEO Jeanne Skog said.
Lt. Governor Shan Tsutsui and his wife, Lyndelle, and Mayor Alan Arakawa and his wife, Ann, are the 2014 Distinguished Educators for the annual gathering. Tsutsui called the Ke Alahele dinner a worthwhile event that recognizes the need to support and expand STEM programs. “We are nurturing budding scientists, engineers, and mathematicians who will create new ideas, new products and new industries,” he said. “The ability to understand and use STEM facts, principles and techniques are skills that can enhance an individual’s ability to succeed in school and beyond in a wide array of disciplines.”
In the most recent school year, the Ke Alahele Education Fund awarded nearly $175,000 to support robotics team competition locally, statewide and nationally; equipped digital media labs and engineering programs with updated tools, software and training; and organized the annual Science Olympiad. This year’s dinner will also feature the presentation of the annual Daniel K. Inouye Innovation Award. It’s given in honor of the late U.S. senator’s vision for Maui as an innovative center for scientific and technological advances. The student team will be recognized for innovative use of STEM tools and capabilities to serve and improve the community. Donations for the education fund are still being accepted. Call 875-2300, or visit www.medb.org
Aug 6, 2014 | Education
In her role as a STEM coach, Jenn Whitted said she’s seen Molokai students flourish in the area of science, technology, engineering and math. “The new computers, robots, computer software really open their eyes to projects they can do and learn from,” Whitted said. She said she’s thankful for the support from Maui Economic Development Board and the grants both Kaunakakai Elementary and Molokai Middle School have received from MEDB’s Ke Alahele Education Fund. “I feel like there is no better way for a child to learn than in a hands-on learning environment.”
On August 23, MEDB will host its annual Ke Alahele Education Fund Dinner & Auction at the Grand Wailea Resort Ballroom. Proceeds from the event help to power STEM Education programs throughout Maui County. Whitted has been involved in STEM supported grants at Kaunakakai Elementary and for FIRST Lego League Robotics at Molokai Middle School. She said the Ke Alahele grants opened opportunities to expose students to a variety of science based activities in and outside of the classroom. “Our hope is to spark an interest within the individual students that will drive them to pursue higher education,” she said. Ke Alahele grants have covered travel expenses to FIRST Lego League Robotics competition and equipment and material for STEM elementary and middle school programs. “Without the funding we would never have been able to offer these opportunities,” she said.
Whitted said she’s seen students use creativity and team work to complete projects. When the middle-schoolers travel to Maui for Lego competition, they also tour STEM companies. “Getting the opportunity to speak with STEM professionals is an incredible resource for our island. These STEM visits show them that their future is in their hands and they can dream big,” she said. For more information about the Ke Alahele dinner, call 875-2300, or visit www.medb.org
