Program Accomplishments

The 20 resulting Hawaiʻi-based science units from the Spring 2022 Teacher Professional Development Workshop Series underwent additional edits and resource building, and in the fall of the 2022-2023 school year, the RDC initiated a pilot program for a limited number of science units in classrooms around the state. Pilot classrooms provide feedback to track progress and impacts of Hawaiʻi-based science curriculum. All units are now freely available as living documents, with opportunities for community supported open-source development.

Our Fall 2022-2023 pilot program included the launch of the Campus Science Lab Network and community science projects. The RDC has supported the creation of 20 school campus labs by distributing science equipment, providing teacher and student training on equipment, data collection, data analysis, and citizen science partnerships. Digital support for these products is provided by the free RDC website, which houses and distributes the Hawaiʻi-based science units, connects students and science partners across the state through the data portal, and supports student research projects as a hub for resources, data entry and visualization. 

These initiatives create on-campus access to hands-on data collection and citizen science participation, while addressing access to experiential learning and professional collaboration without the financial and resource barriers that off-site field trips include. Our Campus Science Lab Network also resolves the lack of representation in citizen science by creating an inclusive network of participants.

Over an 8-week period starting in Spring of 2022, the students at The Volcano School of Arts & Sciences (VSAS) (Volcano/Kīlauea), Innovations (Kailua-Kona), and Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo (Keaukaha) Public Charter Schools had their masks screened for the virus by a COVID-19 scent-detection dog. Trained on a method developed by Florida International University’s International Forensic Research Institute with 95% accuracy, Cobra, a scent-detection canine from Innovation Detection Concepts (Redland Ahead, Inc.), and Tamar Elias, Animal Handler, will conducted weekly screenings and demonstrations during April and May 2022. Additionally, learning opportunities were offered surrounding canine scent detection science, detector dog handling and training, emotional intelligence and empathy, and animal career opportunities.