{"id":82897,"date":"2018-08-07T07:27:42","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T17:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=82897"},"modified":"2021-02-22T16:17:12","modified_gmt":"2021-02-23T02:17:12","slug":"new-hands-on-course-guides-uh-community-college-students-to-manoa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2018\/08\/07\/new-hands-on-course-guides-uh-community-college-students-to-manoa\/","title":{"rendered":"New hands-on course guides UH<\/abbr> community college students to M\u0101noa"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Students at Makai Pier testing collecting water samples. (Credit: Mauka to Makai students)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A new oceanography course is being offered this summer in the Department of Oceanography<\/a> at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa<\/a> School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology<\/a> (SOEST<\/abbr>). SOEST<\/abbr> Mauka to Makai is a six-week bridge program that goes beyond the usual lectures and laboratory activities to include tutorials, coastal cruises and service-learning activities.<\/p>\n

Funded as part of an award from the National Science Foundation Tribal Colleges and Universities Program to students at Windward Community College<\/a>, Honolulu Community College<\/a>, Kauaʻi<\/span> Community College<\/a> and UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, this fresh approach aims to provide hands-on learning in the natural environment. A unique aspect of the course is its connection with community groups involved in the preservation and restoration of traditional Hawaiian resource management practices in watersheds and coastal waters of Oʻahu<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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Students in Ka Papa Loʻi<\/span> ʻo<\/span> K\u0101newai at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa. (Credit: Mauka to Makai students)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Students from UH<\/abbr> community colleges with an interest in science and solid academic records, who are interested in coming to UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa for a four-year degree in the geosciences, were encouraged to apply for the course. This summer, 11 students representing Honolulu, Kauaʻi<\/span>, Leeward<\/a> and Windward CC<\/abbr>s are enrolled.<\/p>\n

“This course is different from the typical introductory oceanography class in that it has been restructured to be place-based, exposing the students to specific challenges being faced by communities across Oʻahu<\/span> and the local organizations that are tackling them,” said Margaret McManus<\/strong><\/a>, co-principal investigator and oceanography professor.<\/p>\n

The course involves faculty from across SOEST<\/abbr>, enabling students to interact with researchers in a broad array of geoscience-related disciplines and allowing students to see first-hand the real-life application of the research being carried out at this institution.<\/p>\n

Tapping into Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>‘s local talent pool<\/h2>\n

“This course is part of an overall effort to create more pathways between the UH<\/abbr> community colleges and UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa in the geosciences (atmospheric science, environmental science, geology, oceanography), with the end goal of having more underrepresented minorities in the geosciences graduate with geoscience-related degrees,” said Michael Guidry<\/strong><\/a>, co-principal investigator for the course and chair of the SOEST<\/abbr> Global Environmental Sciences program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Native Hawaiians and other ethnic minority groups, including Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, Hispanics, African Americans and Native Americans, are underrepresented at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in SOEST<\/abbr>,” said Rosie Alegado<\/strong><\/a>, co-principal investigator and assistant professor in SOEST<\/abbr> oceanography and University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Sea Grant College Program<\/a>. “In an effort to tap into Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>‘s local talent pool, SOEST<\/abbr> is actively partnering with community colleges to recruit kamaʻ\u0101ina<\/span> students into our degree programs.”<\/p>\n

The overarching goal of these partnerships is to foster a transfer pathway from the community colleges to geoscience degree programs at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, with a focus on Native Hawaiian and other underrepresented students. The natural pathway from the community colleges in the UH<\/abbr> system to UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa facilitates administrative collaboration and student transfer.<\/p>\n

The National Science Foundation Tribal Colleges and Universities Program grant covers summer tuition and associated fees, six weeks of room and board on the M\u0101noa campus and a stipend for the participating students. The SOEST<\/abbr> Mauka to Makai course will be offered each summer for the next three years as a pilot program.<\/p>\n

—By Marcie Grabowski<\/em><\/p>\n

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Students with SOEST<\/abbr> geologist Scott Rowland on southeast Oʻahu<\/span>. (Credit: Mauka to Makai students)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mauka to Makai is a six-week bridge program that goes beyond the usual lectures and laboratory activities. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[797,62,459,63,64,65,92,71,9,66],"class_list":["post-82897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-geoscience","tag-honolulu-community-college","tag-ka-papa-loi-o-kanewai","tag-kapiolani-community-college","tag-kauai-community-college","tag-leeward-community-college","tag-school-of-ocean-and-earth-science-and-technology","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-uh-manoa","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\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