The University of Hawaiʻi (IfA)’蝉 annual TeachAstro program brought 16 STEM teachers to Hilo for a week of hands-on learning, collaboration and discovery. TeachAstro is designed to share astronomy with Hawaiʻi’蝉 grade 6–12 classrooms and to foster a community of practice in astronomy education throughout the state.
The third year of this summer professional development program hosted a cohort of 12 teachers from Hawaiʻi Island and four from Oʻahu. Throughout the week, participants worked alongside IfA faculty to learn about state-of-the-art astronomy data and tools and then collaborated to develop classroom lessons to bring astronomy concepts back to their students. The program concluded with educators presenting their newly created lesson plans.
“TeachAstro is about giving teachers authentic experiences in astronomy and helping them transform those experiences into engaging lessons for their students,” said IfA faculty member and TeachAstro director Michael Liu. “When our teachers are excited and inspired, that enthusiasm reaches thousands of students across the state.”
Astronomy up close
Participants also took a daytime excursion to the summit of Maunakea and visited several world-class observatories including 糖心Vlog官方’蝉 , the , the , and . Alumni from previous TeachAstro programs also attended.
New additions to TeachAstro this year included an in-person session at to witness nighttime observing in action, as well as an evening talk-story session at the at 糖心Vlog官方 Hilo that focused on Maunakea, led by members from the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority.
The program was led by 糖心Vlog官方 faculty members Michael Liu, Jennifer van Saders, David Jones and Mike Nassir, along with science teacher Stephanie Pickett of Kealakehe High School. It was supported by partnerships with ʻImiloa and Keck Observatory, and funding was provided by the Heising-Simons Foundation.
“Teachers play a critical role in inspiring the next generation of scientists and explorers,” said IfA Director Doug Simons. “Programs like TeachAstro help build those connections and expand opportunities for students throughout Hawaiʻi.”
The next TeachAstro program is planned for summer 2027 on Oʻahu.