{"id":231303,"date":"2026-03-25T11:21:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T21:21:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=231303"},"modified":"2026-03-25T11:32:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T21:32:32","slug":"uh-windward-oahu-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/25\/uh-windward-oahu-science\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> helps strengthen the Windward Oʻahu science community"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Edwin Colón from UH<\/abbr> STEM<\/abbr> Pre-Academy helping out a teacher<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The annual Windward District Science and Engineering Fair<\/a>, hosted at Windward Community College<\/a> in February 2026, drew nearly 300 students from 32 schools. More than 30 University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>-affiliated faculty, staff and students volunteered as judges and mentors this year.<\/p>\n

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Students analyze the “CSI<\/abbr> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>” Crime Scene Lab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Windward CC<\/abbr> provided engaging activities for students, including a planetarium show at the Hōkūlani<\/span> Imaginarium<\/a> and the “CSI<\/abbr> Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>” Crime Scene Lab<\/a>. Ross Langston, Windward CC<\/abbr> professor of biology and human anatomy, has facilitated the CSI<\/abbr> activity for more than 10 years, challenging students to solve a fictitious murder in under 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

“The primary goal is to get students to work as a team and apply the scientific method,” said Langston.<\/p>\n

Shelley Deakins, a science\/STEM<\/abbr> resource teacher in the Castle-Kahuku Complex Area, added, “Spending time on a college campus, sharing their projects with experts in the field and receiving encouraging feedback, and doing fun STEM<\/abbr> activities are all experiences many students share as reasons why the fair is both enjoyable and meaningful.”<\/p>\n

Inspiring possibilities<\/h2>\n

The partnership between UH<\/abbr> and the state\u2019s K-12 science fairs is a pipeline for future STEM<\/abbr> professionals. Edwin Colón, UH<\/abbr> STEM<\/abbr> Pre-Academy<\/a> program specialist, has served as a judge for more than 30 school, district and state science and engineering fairs in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and provided technical support to teachers.<\/p>\n

“Science fairs are a way to pay it forward to all the teachers who helped me through my science and educational career, helping me become the person I am today,” said Colón. “The most meaningful aspect of the science fair is the hope of one day meeting any of these students walking through a UH<\/abbr> campus.”<\/p>\n

Deakins acknowledged the impact of UH<\/abbr>-affiliated volunteers who support the Windward fair.<\/p>\n

“Their support creates meaningful opportunities for students to engage with Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s scientific community, helps students connect their projects to real scientific work happening here in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, inspires students, and shows them pathways to future STEM<\/abbr> opportunities,” said Deakins.<\/p>\n

Read more about how a Radford High School student is using a resource provided by STEM<\/abbr> Pre-Academy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Windward CC<\/abbr> provided engaging activities for students, including a planetarium show and mock crime scene lab.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":231308,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[313,71,947,66],"class_list":["post-231303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-stem","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-uh-system","tag-windward-community-college","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t