The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Hilo campus transformed into a living laboratory on November 20 for high school students from Keaʻau, Hilo, Wai¨¡kea, Â鶹´«Ã½ Academy of Arts & Science and Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu to explore how mapping technology is used to solve real-world problems.
UH ±á¾±±ô´Ç¡¯²õ GIS Day brought an industry-standard celebration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) directly to Â鶹´«Ã½ Island.
“I think events like this are really important to get the students involved,” said UH Hilo Professor Ryan Perroy, a member of the event organizing team. “Anytime we can get local students here to UH Hilo and see the facilities and see different projects, it¡¯s fantastic.”
Organized by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) and its STEMworks program, the event marked a significant expansion of STEM outreach to rural communities, previously held only on Oʻahu and Maui.
Connecting students to real-world solutions
From tracking invasive species to mapping lava flows, students saw firsthand how GIS technology is critical to ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±¡¯²õfuture. Workshops included drone and light detection and radar demonstrations, wayfinding activities within a cyber canoe room, and using ground-penetrating radar to see beneath the earth¡¯s surface.
“The most surprising thing was when we got to use one of the scanners that they use to see under the ground,” said Kambree, a junior at Keaʻau High School. “I thought that was cool, because they want to make it a point to make sure that they don¡¯t harm the actual land.”
Empowering rural communities
Lalaine Pasion, STEMworks Program manager at MEDB, emphasized the impact of representation.
“A lot of times students in rural areas don¡¯t know what¡¯s out there and available to them,” she said. “I believe the students did not even know what GIS really was or that there is a huge industry right here in their community,” she said. “There¡¯s so many careers out there, and we want to make sure that these students understand that there is a field in GIS that they¡¯re able to explore, have access to it, and see real industry at work—especially here at UH Hilo.”