HILO — The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has awarded $1.1 million to support ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi's efforts to take its cutting edge science education programs on the road via a mobile science laboratory. The grant will be used to design and construct the mobile science unit; develop curriculum, training and staffing plans; transport and operate the lab in communities across Hawaiʻi Island; and evaluate the project's effectiveness.
This is the second time the Foundation has awarded a grant to ʻImiloa Astronomy Center. The first grant, which commenced in 2008, had the goal of bringing all K-12 Hawai'i Island schoolchildren to the center on subsidized field trips over a two-year period. The success of the project engendered a significant outpouring of community support via a 2:1 matching funds campaign which raised nearly $160,000 in additional private donations. ʻImiloa also gave visiting children a "free pass" invitation to take home to their parents so they could come back at a later date of their choosing to experience ʻImiloa with their families.
"The Moore Foundation's commitment to the future of our island and our state through this grant will undoubtedly have broad and far-reaching impact," said Kaʻiu Kimura, executive director of ʻImiloa Astronomy Center on the campus of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. "We are incredibly grateful for the Moore Foundation's continued support of our work to inspire Hawaiʻi's future innovators and explorers and what it means to our tight-knit community. We are hopeful that this mobile science laboratory will reach children and families in rural communities who might not otherwise have the opportunity to visit our center together on field trips or family visits."
By focusing on hands-on science education, ʻImiloa's new state-of-the-art mobile learning platform will build the center's capacity to engage and inspire young people in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and provide an environment where they can immerse themselves in interactive science experiences that allow them to play, investigate and experiment. Studies show that informal science education activities like these can stimulate curiosity and deepen interest in the sciences during school years and throughout a lifetime.
"This project will allow ʻImiloa and UH Hilo to reach students and families in rural areas of our island through applied learning experiences that can inspire new passions for science," said UH Hilo Chancellor Don Straney. "At UH Hilo, we have adopted the Hawaiian saying ʻAʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi, meaning that one learns from many sources. Our University inspires learning, discovery and creativity inside and outside the classroom. The Moore Foundation's support of ʻImiloa will enable us to expand our delivery of educational programs far beyond the classroom and in ways that ensure transformational benefits for youth across the island and State."
The mobile learning platform is currently in the preliminary planning stages. Officials have not yet determined whether the mobile lab will be a high-tech trailer or truck, however, ʻImiloa does plan to incorporate the latest in green technology, with plans for an environmentally conscious and sustainable design. Plans also call for a portable digital planetarium that can share the same planetarium shows featured onsite at ʻImiloa; a portable Hawaiian Star Compass; and ʻImiloa loaner trunk kits designed to engage families in STEM through hands-on science activities.
"The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is committed to creating positive outcomes for future generations," said Vicki L. Chandler, Ph.D., chief program officer for science at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. "The ʻImiloa Mobile Science Project will be key in exposing future generations to the wonders of science on Hawaiʻi Island. We are proud to have a role in creating an opportunity for a new learning environment that will stimulate science education across Hawaiʻi."
For more information about supporting the programs at ʻImiloa, please contact ʻImiloa's Development Office at (808) 969-9732 or email [email protected]
# # #
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, established in 2000, seeks to advance environmental conservation and cutting-edge scientific research around the world and improve the quality of life in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Foundation's Science Program aims to make a significant impact on the development of provocative, transformative scientific research, and increase knowledge in emerging fields. For more information, visit www.Moore.org.
The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. Our mission is to unite our donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi's aspirations to benefit the people of Hawaiʻi and beyond. We do this by raising private philanthropic support, managing private investments and nurturing donor and alumni relationships. www.uhfoundation.org
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi, is a world-class informal science education center located on the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo campus. ʻImiloa is a place of life-long learning where the power of Hawaiʻi's cultural traditions, its legacy of exploration and the wonders of astronomy come together to provide inspiration and hope for generations. The Center's interactive exhibits, 3D full dome planetarium, native landscape, and programs and events engage children, families and the local community in the wonders of science and technology found in Hawaiʻi . It is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, visit the website at www.imiloahawaii.org or call (808) 969-9703.
The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo is a comprehensive university with five degree-granting colleges, six master's programs and four doctoral programs. UH Hilo strives to integrate culture and science, offer hands-on learning opportunities to its students and use the Island of Hawaiʻi as a natural learning laboratory. Enrollment has doubled since 1980 to over 4,000 students coming from all fifty states and more than 40 countries. Please visit hilo.hawaii.edu.
