A new oceanography course is being offered this summer in the at the (SOEST). SOEST Mauka to Makai is a six-week bridge program that goes beyond the usual lectures and laboratory activities to include tutorials, coastal cruises and service-learning activities.
Funded as part of an award from the National Science Foundation Tribal Colleges and Universities Program to students at , , and 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补, this fresh approach aims to provide hands-on learning in the natural environment. A unique aspect of the course is its connection with community groups involved in the preservation and restoration of traditional Hawaiian resource management practices in watersheds and coastal waters of Oʻahu.
Students from 东精影业 community colleges with an interest in science and solid academic records, who are interested in coming to 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 for a four-year degree in the geosciences, were encouraged to apply for the course. This summer, 11 students representing Honolulu, Kauaʻi, and Windward CCs are enrolled.
“This course is different from the typical introductory oceanography class in that it has been restructured to be place-based, exposing the students to specific challenges being faced by communities across Oʻahu and the local organizations that are tackling them,” said , co-principal investigator and oceanography professor.
The course involves faculty from across SOEST, enabling students to interact with researchers in a broad array of geoscience-related disciplines and allowing students to see first-hand the real-life application of the research being carried out at this institution.
Tapping into Hawaiʻi‘s local talent pool
“This course is part of an overall effort to create more pathways between the 东精影业 community colleges and 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 in the geosciences (atmospheric science, environmental science, geology, oceanography), with the end goal of having more underrepresented minorities in the geosciences graduate with geoscience-related degrees,” said , co-principal investigator for the course and chair of the SOEST .
“Native Hawaiians and other ethnic minority groups, including Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, Hispanics, African Americans and Native Americans, are underrepresented at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in SOEST,” said , co-principal investigator and assistant professor in SOEST oceanography and University of Hawaiʻi . “In an effort to tap into Hawaiʻi‘s local talent pool, SOEST is actively partnering with community colleges to recruit 办补尘补ʻā颈苍补 students into our degree programs.”
The overarching goal of these partnerships is to foster a transfer pathway from the community colleges to geoscience degree programs at 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补, with a focus on Native Hawaiian and other underrepresented students. The natural pathway from the community colleges in the 东精影业 system to 东精影业 惭ā苍辞补 facilitates administrative collaboration and student transfer.
The National Science Foundation Tribal Colleges and Universities Program grant covers summer tuition and associated fees, six weeks of room and board on the 惭ā苍辞补 campus and a stipend for the participating students. The SOEST Mauka to Makai course will be offered each summer for the next three years as a pilot program.
—By Marcie Grabowski
