`Aikahi Elementary School

`Aikahi Elementary School would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the entire Science Department at Chaminade University. Your science outreach program has given many of our elementary students a new interest in science-based learning. The program’s ability to showcase science in a hands-on, interactive manner breeds excitement for the subject which is exactly what today’s students need: excitement for science!

Thank you for sharing CUH’s science curriculum directly to our second grade students in their classrooms and providing hands on experiments for our school wide science night. Combining the events together, Wesselkamper Science Center has ignited an interest of scientific learning to over 300 people, including 200 students.

We thank you and all the Science Center volunteers who made these events happen. We would be honored to host the CUH Chemistry Club any time.

Ala Wai Elementary School

It is my pleasure to write a letter of support for the I Am A Scientist (IAAS) Program. I became excited when I first learned of the program in the summer of 2013. Our school was moving toward implementing more STEM practices in our classrooms and the IAAS program aligned with our efforts and provided an opportunity for our students and teachers to learn from professional scientists.

In the fall of 2013, I contacted Lori Shimoda and we were very fortunate to receive confirmation for our three fifth grade classes to experience the Gene Genius module on April 9, 2014. I sat in on one of the presentations and the level of engagement from the students was very uplifting. They extracted their own DNA and learned about the DNA code.

This year, our second graders experienced the “How Sweet It Is” module on December 8, 2014 and will participate in the “Germs on Me” presentation this upcoming semester. I am certain that the presentations have helped spark our students’ curiosity and inspired them to discover the everyday relevance of science and math in their lives. For our teachers, the IAAS program has helped support their efforts with STEM and provided them with ideas and opportunities to explore further with their students.

Message from then Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, First Congressional District of Hawai`i

QUEEN KAAHUMANU ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

This fall, our first graders were fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the “Germs on Me” module of the “I am a Scientist” Program. This program provided engaging and authentic experiments by allowing students to role play how easily viruses are spread, swab and culture bacteria on themselves and their environment, observe bacteria growth using microscopes, match and identify using nonfiction text and pictures, and compile data using tally marks. In addition, students were given white lab coats and science journals to keep. The instructors shared their background and personal endeavors for continuing their learning in science which encouraged our students to consider possible careers in the field. This program brought rigor and relevance to the content in a fun way, and was educational for both students and teachers. This is a wonderful program that has strengthened our science curriculum, and we hope to participate again in the future.   Programs such as these are invaluable to our students!