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Educational Programs

Robotics

The Hawaii Science and Technology Museum supports numerous robotics programs including the Keaau Middle School Robotics “PunaTechs” and “LunaTechs” Teams, the Keaau High School “Cougar Tech” Robotics Team, Hilo Viking Robotics, the Honokaa High School Robotics Team, the Laulima Robotics Team at the Hamakua Youth Center, Hawaiian Electric, and the #BFF Builders All-Girls Robotics Competition Team. Multiple teams from Hawaii Island which we support heavily qualified for both the Hawaii State Championships and VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas, Texas where they picked up several awards.

Robotics is a fast-growing, fun and exciting application of STEM educational principles where competitors learn physics, engineering, math, basic programming, teamwork, advanced problem solving skills, and sportsmanship among other things. HSTM fully supports the use of robotics as a way to get children excited about learning and uses the VEX system in all of our science camps to great approval from our young campers.

Kenyan K. Beals Community Robotics Center is a joint project between Hawaii science and technology Museum and Mokupapapa Discovery center. Located on the top floor of 76 Kamehameha Ave this STEM education center is to share the love of robotics with students and help new teams and coaches get started with the resources and information they need. Come visit us every Saturday from 10am-2pm!

Our robotics program has been greatly supported by the Thirty Meter Telescope, the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium, the Hawaii Community Foundation, Stupski Foundation , and funds made available through the Hawaii Work Force Development Grant.

If you would like more information about how to start your own robotics team at your school or organization please visit our Contact Us page and HSTM volunteers will direct you to the right resources.

HSTM has also partnered with Mokupapapa Discovery Center to build the Kenyan K. Beals Community Robotics Center to introduce new students to robotics as well as offer lab and practice space to local teams. Through the KKBCRC we offer the VEX VRC and VEX IQ platforms as well as MATE ROV underwater robotics.

The Hawaii VEX IQ Robotics State Champions “PunaTechs” Team number 5432. The PunaTechs competed at the 2017 VEX World Championships in Louisville, Kentucky in April where they won numerous awards.

Student Research

HSTM sponsors various science fairs to give our young Hawaii Island scientists practice and experience to prepare them for district level competitions. Past winners have gone on to win numerous awards in state and national level competitions including The East Asia Observatory Research Award, the Yale Science and Engineering Association Inc. Award among many others. The Hawaii District Science and Engineering Fair, as an affiliate of the Hawaii Science and Technology Museum, supports student research developing our next generation of scientists and organizes opportunities for students to share their findings with the public. HSTM is developing electronics curriculum to be delivered in Hawaii schools using functioning CubeSat (miniature satellite) prototypes that students can use to do research, experiments, and weather data collection in coordination with other schools across the island utilizing COSMOS software developed by our partners at the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory. These activities are a part of the HSTM Community Aerospace Program in partnership with Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems that seeks to bring more aerospace education to Hawaii Island students to help develop our STEM workforce. Activities include the HSTM CubeSat mission on Firefly Aerospace’s DREAM Payload scheduled for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in 2021, the Lava Tubes Rocketry Team, a group of students from various Hawaii schools working to compete in the American Rocketry Challenge, and the Rescue Raptors, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle tactical response team that responds to local emergencies and disasters.

Science Camps

HSTM hosts science camps for students K-12. Our goal is to introduce our keiki to STEM from an early age and create a spark of interest and wonder. K-8 subjects covered are robotics, entomology, math, engineering, emergency medicine, biology, astronomy, marine science and much, much more. For older students our science camp experiences focus on making the direct connection to STEM careers. HSTM Partners with the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES) to bring the Women’s STARS Program, a one week immersive STEM career exploration across Hawaii Island,
and the Women in Space Exploration talks to introduce our keiki to amazing women working in the field of aerospace. HSTM also partners with the Los Alamos National Laboratory for an annual Physics Camp allowing our students direct access to researchers at this cutting edge institution while giving students in New Mexico a taste of some Hawaii Science! Each October we produce our Fall Break STEAM Camp where students participate in a wide variety of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math lessons and activities during five full days of Fall Break fun!! HSTM keeps activities exciting and as hands-on as possible and have had great feedback about our camps from parents and students alike.

Hawaii Science and Technology Museum Innovations Camps runs various STEM and STEAM camps throughout the year as a service to the Hawaii Island Community. Camps feature project-based learning and hands-on fun! A recent camp is featured below, For inquiries about future camps please Contact Us or stay up to date via our Twitter @HawaiiScience and Instagram @HawaiiScienceMuseum accounts!

Parent Testimonials

“My daughter is a very sensitive child who often has a hard time with new situations. Any intersession program is always a gamble - we had to pull her out of a summer program this year the third day she spent refusing to get out of the car and sobbing hysterically during morning drop-off. Even daily school can be a challenge at times. However, this week she was a different child. She was (almost!) eager to get out of bed in the morning, and car rides home and evening were filled with a non-stop stream of stories and interesting factoids about everything from CPR to the solar system. On Thursday she asked me if she could transfer to the host school, apparently so happy with her experience this week that she believed the school itself would be just as awesome every day. The line-up of presenters you all had was so diverse and fun, and as I always lament the dearth of science teaching in elementary school, it was great to be able to see her and the other kids get this broad exposure. I want to commend you all on a great program - well organized, well-run, and meaningful for the students. I hope you continue to offer this great opportunity in semesters and years to come!”

“My daughter had such a great time during science camp! Since the end of camp she has been more focused in school and more enthusiastic about learning. It really made a difference, she said that she wished school was like that all the time. Please let me know when you are having more camps in the future.”

After School Programs

HSTM provides after school programs to get our keiki interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. HSTM works in partnership with Hilo Intermediate School establishing our Spartanworks STEM education network and Lava Tubes Rocketry Team to serve the entire community supporting student led research and engineering. At the Hamakua Youth Center HSTM serves our students by bringing them robotics, entomology, and botany among other subjects as we conduct our “Mission to Earth” on a discovery of the ecosystems of our home. HSTM has also recently partnered with the Big Island Invasive Species Committee to do citizen science as our students collect data to help determine the extent of Rapid Ohia Death around Hawaii Island and provide workshops about Rat Lungworm Disease prevention.

Math Tutoring

HSTM has funded math tutoring throughout East Hawaii at sites including the Hamakua Youth Center, Paauilo School and the Hilo Public Library. In addition to our professional tutoring staff we have also enlisted the services of honors students from various high schools to tutor elementary school kids in need of a little extra help.

Parent Testimonials

“Aloha e Christian - This is sooo awesome... I sooo love this collaboration. I have a picture to share with you, see attached... It shows some of the kids with their awards in math, reading and 1 has a leadership award. Awesome, awesome, awesome. I would like to say that I have seen a difference in the students that have been getting tutoring from the girls. They usually work with 1st and 2nd graders (13 of them). These keiki have definitely changed their attitudes towards homework. They are more willing and ready to work on it because they know they have the help. They have also gotten into a routine to where they complete the assignments that they can do easily and get help on the ones that are more difficult for them. Please send my Mahalo to your Board of Directors and let them know that without the kokua of the girls I would still be fighting with most them to complete their homework and it would an unpleasant experience of all of us... Mahalo, Mahalo, Mahaaaaaalooo!!”

Special Events

Hawaii Science and Technology Museum hosts many special events in the community, such as our Science Nights where we go directly into the schools to provide fun filled evenings of hands-on STEM based activities to bring together students, parents, and educators. HSTM also hosts the Hawaii Explorations Expo (HE’E), an event to promote innovation in the community funded by the Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council and the Hawaii County Department of Research and Development. One of our
most recent events brought experts in disaster response robotics from Texas A&M University to East Hawaii. HSTM also hosts various “Science Nights” at schools throughout the year, including recently at Pahoa High School and Ka’u High and Intermediate with funding from Hawaii County Department of Research and Development to assist with the Kilauea Eruption Recovery.

Hawaii Science And Technology Museum

Exhibits

Exhibits Hawaii Science and Technology Museum provides STEM based exhibits for the public as a part of our STEM Literacy Program in partnership with the Hawaii State Library System and local schools. HSTM brings exhibits directly to the students at the schools and libraries to get them interested in science and reading.