NOAA Pacific Services Centers Bay Watershed Education and Training BWET Hawaii Program

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NOAA Pacific Services Centers Bay Watershed
Education and Training (B-WET) Hawaii Program

• Divina L. Corpuz,
• B-WET Hawaii Coordinator
• Coastal Zone 2007

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B-WET Theme
Educating and Involving Communities
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What Is B-WET?

• Bay Watershed Education and Training Program
  established by Congress in 2002 to create an
  environmentally literate society through
  education.
• Expanded to Hawaii in 2004 and administered by
  NOAA Pacific Services Center (PSC)
• Programs and activities educate all age groups
  about earth science and the role this knowledge
  plays in resource management and community
  resilience.

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Supporting NOAA Education Goals

• Strengthen NOAAs environmental literacy program
  to encompass components of extension, outreach,
  education (K-12 through gray)
• Maximize NOAAs ability to directly deliver
  content to
• targeted audiences
• Create and enhance partnerships to deliver key
  messages and other NOAA data and information to a
  wide range of audiences
• Provide awareness and understanding through
  culturally appropriate materials to targeted
  communities of how NOAAs research and
  innovations affect and improve the quality of
  life for all citizens

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Impact to Communities
Helping to create a population of effective
problem solvers, community leaders, and
decision-makers who use NOAAs products and
services to make informed decisions that enable
responsible action in the Pacific
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PSCs Education Initiativesin Hawaii

• Competitive Grants
• PSC in the Classroom
• Technology for the Public

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Competitive Grants

• Total Number of Grants
• 32 awards
• Impact
• 20,000 students
• 850 teachers and adults

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B-WET Hawaii Grant ExampleCommunity
Conservation Network

• Multi-generational, cultural component
• Youth stewardship program
• 8 students received science credit
• Extensive summer program for
• underrepresented, rural community
• Students developed documentaries
• Integrating Native Hawaiian elders knowledge of
  traditional resource management with modern
  science-based approaches to develop effective
  management strategies

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B-WET Hawaii Grant ExampleKapaa Elementary
School

• Community effort to engage 4th and 5th graders in
  island ecosystem stewardship
• Traditional knowledge, earth sciences, and
  hazards-related projects
• Lessons learned presented to 40 middle- through
  high-school teachers at the E-School
  Conference (February 2007)
• Hands-on science sessions to school peers 19
  classes of over 650 student peers (May 2007)

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PSC in the Classroom

• Presentations and Demonstrations
• State Science fairs and career fairs
• Student and teacher conferences
• Geographic Information System/ Global Positioning
  System Day
• Partnership with Hawaii Geographic Information
  Coordinating Council 120 6th graders
  (Nov. 2006)
• Partnership with schools
• Kealakehe High School 150 9th
  12th graders (Nov. 2006)
• Kalakaua Middle
  180 8th graders (Feb. 2007)

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Technology for the Public

• Science on a Sphere (SOS)
• Oahu at Bishop Museum 300,500 general
  public (since April 2006)
• Hawaii Island at Imiloa Astronomy Center
  2,400 students and teachers
  (since November 2006)
• Magic Planet
• Complement to SOS
• Extends NOAAs reach

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• Mahalo
• (Thank you)