Teaching Global Environmental Change from the Mountain to the Ocean: The Ahupuaa Way

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Teaching Global Environmental Change from the
Mountain to the Ocean The Ahupuaa Way

• University of Hawaii at Hilo
• Barbara A. Gibson
• (Geog. Environmental Studies, Hawaii Space
  Grant Consortium)
• Becky Ostertag (Biology)
• Jim Beets (Biology)
• Michael Parsons (Marine Science)
• James Juvik (Geog. Environmental Studies)

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University of Hawaii at Hilo

• Part of UH system which comprises all public
  postsecondary education systems in the state of
  Hawaii
• Four-year baccalaureate degree , minority-serving
  institution
• Approx. 3,000 students
• Hawaii
• Mainland US
• Pacific Basin
• Asia

• Hawaiians (18)
• 34 of International Students from other Pacific
  Islands (4 of total enrollment)

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Global Change and the Pacific Basin

• climate change / sea level rise
• deforestation
• loss of biodiversity
• ENSO
• fisheries depletion

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Global Change and Hawaii

• ecosystem development
• rapid extinction of unique species
• land cover / land use change
• active volcanism
• Ahupuaa
• Hawaiian land management system
• from mountain top to sea (link between marine and
  terrestrial systems)

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ESSE21 and UHH

• Currently, courses related to ESS / GC limited
• Marine science dept lower division course,
  Global Change (intro course w/ marine emphasis)
• No dedicated upper division courses on subject
• ESS / GC modules in other courses
• Geog 101 Geography of Natural Environment
• Biol 281 General Ecology
• Geog 326 Natural Resources
• Developing B.S. B.A. in Environmental Studies
• Will involve faculty from several depts (biology,
  marine science, geology, geog environ. studies)
• Earth System Science (BS)
• Science and Policy (BA)

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Global Environmental Change

• Geog 415 (494A)
• Taught Spring 2004 (8 students total enrolled
  represented 4 different majors)
• upper division, WI course
• focus on current knowledge and controversies
  related to global change
• Brought in geographical link to Hawaii and
  Pacific Basin
• Introduced and discussed ahupuaa methodology
• Emphasis interdisciplinary links

• Course Outline
• Two Exams
• Essay short answer
• Annotated Bibliography
• Class presentation
• NSF format group proposal
• peer reviewed

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GEOG 415 Assessment/Improvements

• More Pacific Basin examples
• Many global examples used in SP 04 course
  instructors decided to include more Pacific basin
  (island-based) examples, especially for student
  talks.
• Pull in ahupuaa ideology sooner.
• Use Life in Early Hawaii The Ahupua'a by
  Kamehameha Schools Hawaiian Studies Institute
  Staff as a textbook
• Enforce prerequisites
• some topics discussed too basic

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Visualizing the Earth System

• To be taught Spring 2005 WebCT
• upper division course
• focus on how we monitor/study interactions
  between components of the earth system using
  models and computer programs
• eg. SIM Life, SIM Earth, STELLA, GIS, Remote
  Sensing
• linking science and technology
• temporal spatial tends, data issues, global
  climate models towards forecasting, land cover
  change

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What is the Future of ESSE at UHH? Other
Questions?

• Distance learning
• Collaboration w/ NASA Center
• Focus on project-based learning?
• Collaborate with other campuses in UH system
• Acknowledgments
• NASA/USRA ESSE 21 Program
• NASA Earth Observatory website for images