🪨 Amaze Amaze Amaze!

🪨 Amaze Amaze Amaze!

Words of GREAT encouragement!

You did it!  We did it!  Like Ryland Grace and Rocky, we’ve had a great school year collaborating with all of you, and now we are ready to capitalize on that momentum as we slingshot into the upcoming summer.

Special ho‘omaika‘i to all those that participated in the 2026 Hawaiʻi State Science & Engineering Fair, including the top winners and special awardees and those who went on to represent Hawaiʻi at the International Science & Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona! BTW, our lending library tools are available to use for Science Fair projects.
 

📊 Mission Log: Recapping a Stellar School Year

This year, we got a chance to take you to cool places, like the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology at Moku o Lo‘e and the Hōkūlani Imaginarium at Windward Community College!

We were happy to see you at the Schools of the Future Conference, the Hawai‘i Science Teaching Association Conference, the Hawai‘i STEM Conference, the HIDOE Computer Science Summit, and at the State Science Fair Expo!  Throughout the year, we also got to visit schools for planning, STEM nights, and special projects.

Maybe you saw us in the news?  We were featured in UH News for our role in STEM Night at Pu‘ohala and our support of Science Fair as volunteers and with resources.  The UHM College of Engineering news also highlighted our collaboration with Girl Scouts.

While we’re still crunching all of this year’s numbers, we are excited to share that we have expanded our community, doubling our active schools and growing our mailing list to over 1000 people!
 

🚀 Next Trajectory: Slingshotting into Summer and Fall

We’re continuing to add resources, make plans for workshops, and share the exciting science and innovation that are happening at UH and in Hawai‘i!  This newsletter has information that you can use THIS SUMMER and into the fall!  We hope you’ll find something useful!

 

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🧰 Planning Ahead? Check Out What’s New in the Lending Library!

Modeling Evolution Activity
https://stempreacademy.hawaii.edu/toolkit/modeling-evolution-activity/

Gravity Well
https://stempreacademy.hawaii.edu/toolkit/gravity-well/

Kinesthetic Model of the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth
https://stempreacademy.hawaii.edu/toolkit/kinesthetic-model-of-the-sun-the-moon-and-the-earth/

Insta360 Camera
https://stempreacademy.hawaii.edu/toolkit/insta360-camera/

Science Fair Photosynthesis Kit
https://stempreacademy.hawaii.edu/toolkit/science-fair-photosynthesis-kit/

Science Fair Water Quality Kit
https://stempreacademy.hawaii.edu/toolkit/science-fair-water-quality-kit/

 

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✏️ Pencil Us In

We are working on a STEM Pre-Academy lineup for next year that is multi-disciplinary and multi-island!  Pencil in these dates and keep your eye out for details as they firm up next year!  Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

🟧 July 22–23 – SciIC Virtual Unconference

🧪 August 29 – Science Fair Resources Workshop

🌐 September 19 – PCATT You’ve Got the Byte Stuff!  Networking Basics and Career Pathways in Hawai‘i 

🏠 October 2, 3, 5 – STEM Pre-Academy Open House

🟤 Fall TBD – SCOUTR Chemical Corrosion Workshop

🌊 Spring TBD – C-MORE and NOAA Workshop @Hilo

⭕ Spring TBD – Rapid ‘Ohia Death Workshop @Hilo

☕ Quarterly Virtual Teachers’ Lounge

 

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🫱🔬🫲 Sharing is Caring

We are grateful to the people and organizations that donated kits, supplies, and other great STEM stuff to the program. With those donations, we have started assembling new kits and activities to share with the community.  

Do you have anything you aren’t using anymore that you would like to donate? We can’t always take everything, but we would love to help redistribute resources to those who can use them. Let us know what you have!

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📍Opportunities for Teachers and Students!

 

Merchants Exchange Scholarship Fund – Deadline Approaching (5/31)!

The Merchants Exchange Scholarship Fund is designed to support students with a demonstrated passion and drive for the maritime industry. Students pursuing or advancing careers in the Maritime Field and/or International Trade at two-year, four-year, graduate programs, or US Coast Guard-approved programs are eligible to apply. Recent scholarship awards have ranged between $1,000- $4,000, and can be used for tuition, fees, and books. 

The 2026 scholarship application is currently available online: www.pdxmex.com/scholarship, and the application deadline is May 31, 2026. Please see the attached flyers for more information and encourage your students to apply!
 

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STEMS2 Symposium – June 23 – 25, 2026

The 8th Annual STEMS² Symposium – Building Now for the Future We Envision will have opportunities to engage both in person and online. In-person experiences will include activities that physically engage participants with people and places around O‘ahu. Whether you participate locally on Oʻahu or from a distance, join fellow STEMS² enthusiasts who share a passion for exploring the roles that place, culture, and identity play in interdisciplinary education. 

Information on earning FREE Professional Development Credits!

Register Here!
 

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PocketLab Science Is Cool Virtual Unconference – July 22 – 23, 2026

STEM Pre-Academy has been collaborating with PocketLab on this year’s ScIC Virtual Unconference!  This year’s event features everything cool happening in science in Hawai‘i! We will have many awesome presenters from UH, NOAA, and the State of Hawai‘i!

The event is being broadcast via Zoom. You can attend sessions that are of interest to you, and everyone who signs up will have access to all of the recordings afterwards. PD certificates are provided for viewing.

Confirmed sessions so far include:

• Astronomy — Inside Hawaiʻi’s world-class observatories on Maunakea
• Forestry & Wildlife — Virtual field trips to meet Hawaiʻi’s rarest snails, plants, and birds
• Volcanoes — Live eruption monitoring with USGS and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
• Coastal & Marine Science — Ocean literacy and marine ecosystems with UH Sea Grant
• Intertidal — Rocky shore science and citizen science with UH’s OPIHI program
• Deep Sea & Fisheries — Exploring what lives in Hawaiʻi’s deep ocean
• Wayfinding & Voyaging — Traditional star navigation and the art of celestial wayfinding

Ready-to-use lesson content inspired by each session will be provided.

Register Here!

 

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Symphony of the Hawaiʻi Seas Returns!  

Tuesday, June 30, 2026 | 6:00 PM
Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall

Back by popular demand, Symphony of the Hawaiʻi Seas returns this summer for an encore presentation and best of all, it’s free and open to the public with reservations.

The enchanting world of Hawaiʻi’s seas comes to life in this captivating experience that intertwines projected animation, evocative music, storytelling, and hula. Featuring original compositions by renowned local talents Michael-Thomas Foumai, Herb Mahelona, Takuma Itoh, Logyn Okuda, and Justin Park, vibrant animations bring to life powerful stories that highlight our fundamental connection to the ocean.

From the first spark of life, they travel through time alongside native sea life and ʻaumakua, guiding their human friends to understand their vital role in protecting our cherished waters. Join your Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra for this unforgettable free performance!

Want to learn more? Watch the Voice of the Sea TV Episode

Concert is FREE but RSVP is required for guaranteed seating.

Get tickets here!
 

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Introduction to Marine Energy

The Hawaiʻi Marine Energy Center (HMEC) will offer a one-week introductory short course on marine renewable energy from August 17–21, 2026 at UH Mānoa (Oʻahu). The course is designed for individuals with little or no prior experience, including advanced high school students, college students, and professionals interested in marine energy in Pacific Island contexts.

Participants will gain exposure to core concepts in marine energy, with an emphasis on wave energy, through a combination of lectures, numerical modeling, laboratory activities, and nearshore and offshore field experiences.

There is no registration fee, and travel support is expected to be provided for selected participants. Space is limited, and participation will be determined through an application process.

https://www.hmec.us/short-courses

 

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NMEA 2027 Conference in Honolulu

We will be hosting the NMEA Annual Conference at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu in July 2027. Conference committees are formed and our sponsor package is ready to be sent out. If you have any ideas for sponsorship or would like to help in any other way, please reach out to our conference chairs Joanna Philippoff (philippo@hawaii.edu) or Lauren Van Heukelem (laurendv@hawaii.edu).
 

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🔍 UH Research Highlight

Coral Health Atlas – University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

The Coral Health Atlas is a collaborative effort based at UH Hilo that provides rich data on coral health, primarily around Hawai‘i Island and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The interactive map allows you to explore images, coral health data, panoramic videos, and 3D reef models for a number of sites. The site also provides an overview of research methods used to study coral and general information about coral health. Are you interested in incorporating coral health into your classroom teaching and learning?  Here are some possible connections! (Note that while these data have not been updated particularly recently, they can still be used as a basis for discussion and learning with students.)

Can different organisms living in the same changing environment have different responses (3-LS4-3; HS-LS4-5)?  Use the interactive map to look at the reef data and panoramic video at one site or multiple sites. Use this information to compare how different organisms, specifically different species of coral, respond to different stressors in the environment.  For example, at the Kailua Kona site, select “Disease” and “Bleaching” to see the differences in bleaching between species.  See if you can spot visual differences in the 360 Pano Video.

How do scientists use different methods to monitor coral health (5-ESS3-1; MS-ESS3-3)?  Read about the different methodologies that scientists use to conduct coral health research.  Use this information to understand how coral health is monitored in order to inform solutions for minimizing human impact on the environment.
 
How do changes in the ecosystem affect coral function and reproduction in Hawai‘i (MS-LS1-5; MS-LS2-4)?  Learn more about coral health and use this information to support explanations of how environmental factors affect organism growth and coral populations.
 
Related lesson resources  If standards are not noted, the lesson may not be fully aligned to NGSS and may need to be adapted. 

Innovation or Extinction GRC Lesson (HS-LS2-7)

Sea-seriously, Saving the Reef Can Save Us All! GRC Lesson (HS-LS4-6)

C-MORE Marine Mystery Kit (Grades 3–8)

Coral Bleaching Kit (Grades 3–12)

Corals – Exploring Our Fluid Earth (Grades 6–12)

Kinder Corals – PRISM (Grade K)

Hawai‘i’s Coral Reefs – PRISM (Grade 4)

The Coral Checkup Lesson Series – NOAA Papahānaumokuākea (Grades 3–10)

These resources can be used to support standards-based teaching and learning.  They are not lesson plans and are not intended to meet the full scope of any given standard.  Only some standards are highlighted; the resources developed by UH may be connected to many more standards!  We encourage you to explore and to let us know if you have any questions!
 

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📰 UH Research and Innovation News

Fungi found on coconut husks can decompose plastic, sunscreen

Vera Wang, a senior at Kaiser High School, won multiple categories at the 2026 Hawaiʻi State Science & Engineering Fair for her research on fungi.

 

Simple ocean model predicts El Niño 15 months in advance

Researchers can now skillfully predict El Niño and La Niña 15 months ahead of time using observations of the ocean surface temperature and height.
 

Tiny robots, big impact: UH lands nearly $1M for new research

The funding includes a five-year, $659,613 CAREER award and a two-year, $299,997 EPSCoR Research Fellows grant.
 

UH discovery on Maunakea sheds light on brown dwarfs

The discovery by IfA astronomers offers new clues about how brown dwarfs grow and change over time.

 

Native forests could help protect Honolulu from flooding

A significant reduction in flood damage and erosion across urban Honolulu can be achieved by protecting native forests and controlling invasive species in the Ala Wai watershed, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization.