About HI-MOES
The Kohala Center is currently working with fifteen intermediate and high school teachers from Kona, Kohala, and North and South Hilo for a one-year environmental education program.
HI-MOES (Hawai‘i Island Meaningful Outdoor Experiences for Students) aims to support teachers on Hawai‘i Island with meaningful outdoor research experiences for their students, while meeting Hawai‘i Content and Performance Standards.
Research will be focused on three key ahupua‘a on the island: Kohala Mountain, Kahalu‘u Bay (Kona), and Hilo Bay Watershed. An outdoor educator from The Kohala Center or the Kohala Watershed Partnership will provide technical, logistical and programmatic support to classroom teachers throughout the program.
Throughout the year, teachers and their students will design, create, and implement outdoor research projects in ecosystems of their choice. The program will culminate in the Hawai‘i Island Environmental Education Conference in May 2011 at which students will share the findings of their research projects. This year will be the second year of HI-MOES, and has expanded to include Hilo schools and more teachers.
Participating teachers receive:
- Year-long consulting support from outdoor educators from The Kohala Center or the Kohala Watershed Partnership for both classroom and field activities;
- Classroom presentations on oceans, bays, and watersheds and the scientific method;
- Presentations or site visits from cultural practitioners and scientists working in the area;
- Assistance with organizing and carrying out field trips to sites chosen for the research projects;
- Mini-grants to support project-related supplies and substitute teachers;
- Coverage of transportation costs for field trips;
- Assistance with implementing a year-long, hands-on, investigative research project from outdoor educators and scientists;
- Access to curricular resources compiled to support the program;
- Access to a Web site and blog that will facilitate information sharing between participants.
Examples of scientific research projects that may be done through HI-MOES:
- Comparing water quality parameters in different locations, or over time;
- Calculating and comparing the amount of marine debris/trash in nearshore areas;
- Risk assessment in coastal hazard/tsunami evacuation zones;
- Comparing nutrient input to algal cover on coral reefs;
- Species abundance and comparison in ecosystems such as reefs, tide pools, or forests.
Please click here for examples of projects undertaken by participating groups in 2009-2010.
Project Timeframe:
- September 3, 2010: Registration deadline; notification of participation by September 10;
- September 2010: Participating teachers meeting and orientation;
- October–December 2010: Identification of class research project; mini-grant applications due; classroom presentations by outdoor educators and scientists;
- January–April 2011: Field trips; research projects underway;
- May 2011: Year-end conference; project reports due.
The outdoor educators for HI-MOES are Melora Purell and Samantha Birch. Melora holds a masters degree in tropical conservation biology, is a sixteen-year veteran classroom teacher for middle and high school sciences, and currently coordinates outreach and environmental education for The Kohala Watershed Partnership. Samantha Birch, field educator for The Kohala Center, holds a master’s degree in protected area management and is an experienced marine educator who has worked with K-12 classes and special programs in marine and environmental education.
This project is a partnership between The Kohala Center and The Kohala Watershed Partnership and is supported by NOAA B-WET funding.
