A new documentary showcasing the impact of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s and its efforts to help students navigate the transition from high school to higher education will premiere statewide on June 7.

Project Hoʻokuʻi: Finding a Path for the Future is a 30-minute sequel to the 2023 documentary The Power of Hoʻokuʻi: Joining Together to Build Our Future. The film follows students, educators and community partners connected to Project Hoʻokuʻi, a ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa initiative, that supports students as they prepare for college, career training and future professions.

Now in its 18th year and sixth iteration, Project Hoʻokuʻi has served more than 2,000 students across Hawaiʻi, primarily in rural communities, near Native Hawaiian homesteads and at schools with high percentages of students receiving free and reduced-price lunch. Approximately 50 participants have earned associate degrees before graduating from high school.

“Our hope is that viewers see what is possible when students are given the support, opportunities and encouragement to pursue their goals,” said Project Hoʻokuʻi Director and Principal Investigator Lisa Uyehara. “Through the stories shared in this documentary, we want students and families across Hawaiʻi to know that higher education and career pathways are within reach, while also showing how culture, community and a strong sense of place can help guide that journey.”

The documentary explores how financial aid, tutoring, mentoring, internships and ʻāina-based learning help students access opportunities through programs such as Running Start, Jump Start, Early Admission and Mānoa Academy. It also highlights the project’s expanding efforts to address workforce needs by supporting pathways in fields including healthcare, education and the skilled trades.

Project Hoʻokuʻi partners with the Hawaiʻi Department of Education and ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa’s to help students build academic skills, explore career options and strengthen connections to culture, community and place.

The documentary premieres Sunday, June 7, at 7 p.m. on KHON. Encore broadcasts are scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, at 9:30 p.m. on KHON and Sunday, June 14, at 8 p.m. on KHII.

How can you use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve how doctors process and treat patients? That is the challenge that a group of high school students from around the state tackled during a two-week summer course at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�.

Under the guidance of Associate Professor Mahdi Belcaid, the interns from eight Hawaiʻi high schools developed “Parrot Forms,” a system designed to automatically transcribe doctor-patient conversations, extract relevant medical information and populate the details directly into a mockup electronic medical record. This digital assistant aims to reduce paperwork and improve efficiency in medical offices.

Each session began with a short lecture on a topic relevant to the next step of the project, followed by brainstorming, prototyping, coding and debugging sessions. The interns gained valuable skills such as understanding medical processes, including how doctors structure and document patient interactions, modern data representation protocols, engineering accurate prompts, and writing and executing code with ChatGPT.

“These students have shown remarkable aptitude in applying AI to real-world problems,” said Belcaid, who holds a joint appointment in the (ICS) and (HIMB). “Their work on Parrot Forms demonstrates the potential of AI to transform healthcare documentation, and showcases the spirit of Hawaiʻi’s next generation of tech innovators.”

The students experienced the newest tech in ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s .

One participant wrote, “This is definitely a career option I might pursue in the future, and I really enjoyed learning about how things operate behind the scenes. I think this is without a doubt the most eye-opening experience career-wise that I’ve had the opportunity to participate in.”

This internship was part of , housed in ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s , . Its goal is to support Native Hawaiian high school students statewide into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. This is the third year that Belcaid’s lab has been hosting students through Project Hōkūlani.

“Project Hōkūlani aims to ignite passion for STEM in Hawaiʻi’s youth,” Project Hōkūlani Principal Investigator Hye Jin Park said. “Through hands-on projects like Parrot Forms, we’re preparing students for the tech-driven future and showcasing the innovative potential right here in our islands.”

ICS is housed in the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� and HIMB is housed in the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� .

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� esports program launched a groundbreaking camp aimed to engage students with disabilities through video games and esports.

The four-day program in July featured nine students from Leeward Community College, Windward CC, ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� and ����Vlog�ٷ� West Oʻahu. Participants learned to build PCs, create in-game avatars and practice online gaming safety.

Sky Kauweloa, director of ����Vlog�ٷ� Esports, partnered with the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� to create the camp. Kauweloa’s goal has been to provide opportunities for marginalized students and communities, starting with supporting women and LGBTQ+ players through the Women of ����Vlog�ٷ� Esports program, and forming the first varsity mobile esports team in North America via the game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

“Now, we have extended the core mission of ����Vlog�ٷ� Esports to become a venue for students with disabilities to find a home across our system campuses,” Kauweloa said. “The esports disability camp is possibly one of the first in North America, which reinforces the core mission of ����Vlog�ٷ� Esports to be inclusive of marginalized student populations on our campus when it comes to access to video games and gaming and digital technologies. I believe this camp could be a catalyst for collaborations with other universities interested in supporting their own students with disabilities.”

A key feature was the introduction of Microsoft’s adaptive controllers, which assisted individuals with physical limitations. Leeward CC is planning to purchase these controllers for their esports initiative.

Social impacts

Moshe Karabelnike, the main camp organizer and ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� communication and information sciences PhD alum, highlighted the social impact.

“Many of the students we work with struggle to make friends, and it was beautiful to watch how a shared interest immediately brought the students together,” Karabelnike said. “My proudest moment in camp was seeing a student with no previous gaming experience use an adaptive controller to participate in competitive gaming, cooperate with teammates, and score for her team.”

The camp employed coaches from ����Vlog�ٷ� Esports, ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� and Leeward CC. Kauweloa hopes the camp will continue to be offered every summer.

����Vlog�ٷ� Esports receives funding from the . ����Vlog�ٷ� the ����Vlog�ٷ� Esports team’s and . More stories on ����Vlog�ٷ�’s esports program.

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families recovering from the devastation of the Maui wildfires are receiving vital assistance through consisting of trauma-informed workbooks and resource cards.

A collaboration between the (CDS) at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� (COE) and the Hawaiʻi Department of Health Developmental Disabilities Division (DOH DDD), the toolkits are utilized in workshops designed to offer practical solutions to supporting the mental health of individuals with I/DD.

“Together with the DOH DDD, we have been conducting workshops in adult day health programs such as Easterseals and Arc of Maui,” said CDS Associate Director Maya Matheis. “Participating adults with I/DD and support staff have found these sessions immensely beneficial and cathartic.”

The toolkit was developed by Matheis based on evidence-based practices. Matheis, who is a licensed clinical psychologist, has experience treating traumatic stress in this population.

CDS and DOH DDD have also been meeting individually with families of individuals with I/DD affected by the wildfires. These personalized sessions provide tailored support, ensuring that families have access to the assistance they require during this difficult time.

The toolkit was introduced on October 25 to families, mental health professionals and more , Maui Relief: Supporting Mental Health for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. A recording of the webinar will be available on the .

The toolkit is free and to anyone in the community. Requests for printed materials can be sent to Matheis at mmatheis@hawaii.edu.

leaders explore how traditional Hawaiian knowledge, education and a stronger future are hoʻokuʻi (brought together) in a pilot documentary, The Power of Hoʻokuʻi: Joining Together to Build our Future. A product of , a support program for high school students developed by the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� ’s (CDS), the film will premiere on Thursday, September 21, at 7 p.m. on KHON2.

The Power of Hoʻokuʻi: Joining Together to Build our Future premieres Thursday, September 21, at 7 p.m. on KHON2

Project Hoʻokuʻi is a U.S. Department of Education, Native Hawaiian Education Program, grant funded project that is inclusive and supports underserved students with priority given to Native Hawaiian, Native Hawaiian gifted and talented, students with disabilities and at-risk students transitioning from high school to postsecondary education and certification programs. Currently on its fifth iteration, the program has helped nearly 2,500 high school students since it first launched in 2009. Project Hoʻokuʻi provides support services including financial aid, mentoring, tutoring and internship programs.

“The documentary gives the Hawaiʻi community and students awareness and hope for the future and encourages them to pursue their goals and dreams through education,” said Project Hoʻokuʻi Principal Investigator Lisa Uyehara, an associate specialist faculty with CDS. “We can support students, but at the end of the day, it is their hard work that leads to their success and confidence building.”

• Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News story: Record number of Farrington HS students walk in Honolulu CC graduation, May 18, 2023

Kea Clebsch, a student who participated in Project Hoʻokuʻi, was featured in the film, and is hopeful for viewers to see the value of place-based education and how much one opportunity can change a student’s trajectory.

“For me, all it took was one Hawaiian Studies class to finally see myself in education and feel that my identity had a place in my learning content,” said Clebsch. “It took one kumu (teacher) that created space for me to find a sense of agency in my education and realize what I have to contribute to my community.”

Featured ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� representatives include Jon Osorio, dean of ; Provost Michael Bruno; . The leaders discussed the impact Project Hoʻokuʻi has had on the Native Hawaiian student population attending and completing college. The importance of Native Hawaiian culture and ʻāina-based learning and its global impact will also be highlighted in the broadcast.

“I believe Hawaiʻi can be the beacon for the world in mālama honua (taking care of the planet),” added Uyehara.

Higher education opportunities for Hawaiʻi’s youth

The support and opportunities Clebsch received through Project Hoʻokuʻi allowed her to forge a new path during high school and now her higher education.

“Hoʻokuʻi created the space for me to learn about myself, experience makawalu (looking at situations in different perspectives) and develop a deepened sense of kuleana (responsibility) for the people and place I care about,” said Clebsch. “It was in these educational settings where I realized I could embrace a cross-pollination of art and research to solve problems that matter to me. Hoʻokuʻi allowed me to see a role in my community, and envision a future for myself grounded in a sense of place, belonging and kuleana.”

Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to its fullest potential, seven high school students developed a mobile app that tracks expenses—all within a two-week timeframe. Through an internship with U.S. Department of Education Native Hawaiian Education Act grant grantee, , at the (CDS) in the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� (COE), this second cohort of students gained a unique computer science experience that enabled them to advance their STEM skills.

During summer 2023, the student interns built a mobile application named RESHEIPT at the ����Vlog�ٷ� Laboratory of Applications in Informatics and Analytics. The students were each paid a $1,000 stipend for 48 hours of work at the computer lab.

Designed to gather expenses one receipt at a time, they created the app using ChatGPT under the guidance of Assistant Professor Mahdi Belcaid (Information and Computer Sciences, Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, Hawaiʻi Data Science Institute) and Akib Sadmanee, a research graduate assistant with Pacific Ocean Science and Technology.

Students used ChatGPT to complete tasks that would have traditionally required much more time from machine learning experts or programmers.

“The group wanted to include artificial intelligence in their computer studies, and the app delivers just that,” said CDS Assistant Specialist Lisa Galloway. “The app allows users to scan their receipts, providing them with an itemized overview of their transactions. AI comes in when users are processing and itemizing their receipts with ChatGPT.”

They also learned how to use no-code platforms, including Amazon Web Services, to construct the features of the app, such as authentication and storage.

“This product highlights the impact of AI and specifically large language models on technology,” said Belcaid. “If high school students can develop such a complex application in just 40 hours—much of which was devoted to education rather than coding—imagine the technological possibilities that await us as ChatGPT and similar technologies continue to mature over the next two to three years.”

Helping underserved students in gifted education and STEM fields, and increasing family engagement is the focus of newly awarded $8 million in grants to the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� College of Education (CDS) by the U.S. Department of Education. Over the next five years, two faculty members will work with the students and their families to find ways to address their needs.

Learning opportunities for gifted underserved students

CDS Associate Professor Hye Jin Park received $3.5 million for her project, “Culturally and Linguistically Diverse and Twice-Exceptional students Achieving and Matriculating in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (CLD TEAMS),” as part of a U.S. Department of Education Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Grant Program.

The goal of CLD TEAMS is to develop new information to identify and provide services to underserved students in gifted education and STEM fields, particularly Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Filipino high school students with or without disabilities who have potential in STEM in Hawaiʻi, American Sāmoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

“This is our third award from the U.S. Department of Education, and we’re very humbled and happy to continue our efforts to broaden the understanding of giftedness and create inclusive, differentiated, and supportive learning opportunities for students who are traditionally underrepresented and underserved in gifted and talented education programs,” said Park.

CLD TEAMS will provide training in the identification and education of gifted students while promoting equity in student access to educational resources and opportunities. The project will also work to improve the mindsets, cultural competence, and attitudes toward STEM learning, leading to an increase in students entering STEM fields and leadership roles. Parents will be invited to join service-learning field trips and seminars to support their child’s learning and engagement.

Family engagement strategies

CDS Associate Specialist Chuan Chinn was awarded $4.6 million for her project, “),” by the U.S. Department of Education Parent Information and Resource Centers. The purpose of the center is to promote high impact family engagement strategies, programming and policies that build powerful partnerships among family, school and community to enhance child development and student achievement.

Chinn said, “This is the second round of the Statewide Family Engagement Center award. We are excited for the opportunity to continue expanding and strengthening partnerships with our families, schools, and community-based organizations throughout Hawaiʻi to advance family engagement practices, policies and infrastructure.”

HFEC will continue to expand and strengthen Hawaiʻi’s comprehensive and collaborative statewide infrastructure for family engagement; provide family engagement training and technical assistance that builds effective family-school partnerships in a culturally responsive manner; partner with community agencies to ensure equity of access to educational resources and opportunities; and advance systemic change through cross-agency coordination and community engagement.

Both the CLDM TEAMS and HFEC projects are aligned with the 2022 competitive grants for the , which underscores the current Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to enhance and increase parent and family engagement in local education.

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� College of Education received a $700,000 boost from Oak Foundation to assist students with learning differences to succeed in college. The award funds the development of innovative online modules to help faculty, staff and administrators improve their interactions with students with learning differences, as well as Indigenous students such as Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, by reflecting on their current practices and shifting their attitudes to and awareness of their differences.

“This large donation will help our center revamp innovative, online modules, and give our future teachers, faculty, staff and administrators the foundational skills and effective strategies they need to engage and reach all individuals regardless of a students’ preferred learning, studying styles or cultural backgrounds,” said Interim Director of the Center on Disability Studies Kiriko Takahashi.

The award also enables faculty, staff and administrators to boost their knowledge of legal mandates and policies for accommodating such students, and aims to increase their skills to support students with learning differences from diverse cultural backgrounds. Some of the ways they may achieve this is by creating a welcoming classroom for all students, applying Universal Design for Learning principles (a way of thinking about teaching and learning that helps give all students an equal opportunity to succeed) and utilizing technology tools and software in the classroom to reach all kinds of learners, bringing appropriate cultural relevance into teaching to reach Indigenous students and demonstrating equity and equal opportunity across all students when teaching students with diverse needs.

Students with specific learning disabilities—and other neurodiverse students such as those with attention deficits, sensory processing disorders and executive function challenges—face multiple barriers to success in higher education. Students with learning differences from underrepresented communities, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, face additional obstacles to academic success.

“This project is unique in that it will be implemented in one of the most diverse campus environments within the United States. Through this project, we hope to identify the strategies that are effective for students with learning differences who are also Indigenous, impacting their access to, retention, and completion of higher education programs of study,” said ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Provost Michael Bruno. “The pandemic impacted both instructors and students in many different ways. With this generous award from Oak Foundation, we can also assess the impact of the pandemic on learning and use of technology by students with learning differences and those from Indigenous groups. Our findings will provide new insights and tools to help our students and educators succeed.”

Bethiel Girma Holton, Oak Foundation’s learning differences program officer, said, “Oak Foundation is proud to partner with the University of Hawaiʻi in its effort to think about students with learning differences, especially Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students, holistically to increase their graduation rates and chances of success. By giving faculty the skills they need to teach and support these students who have been particularly affected by the challenges of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, they are able to respond to each student’s unique talents and potential.”

After a two year hiatus due to the pandemic, the popular “Be a Scientist” night, providing valuable STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and activities for at-risk keiki and women, returned to the (IHS) on May 6.

The effort was led by the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�’s , in collaboration with the , ����Vlog�ٷ�’s , ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s Assistant Researcher , ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s , the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, and Oceanit.

Students, faculty and staff from the organizations taught approximately two dozen (smaller number than previous years due to COVID-19 safety protocols) children and women about mathematics, epidemiology modeling, robotics and astronomy through many different hands-on activities. Professor Monique Chyba has been working with IHS for more than 10 years on events like this and says that proper education for keiki is important, especially during COVID-19.

“The pandemic has been extremely difficult on many families and created an even bigger gap in education for the children without permanent housing and access to computers/internet,” Chyba said. “While this is only a one time event, we are continuously in touch with IHS to provide other resources when needed (such as tutoring or summer programs). It is also a great opportunity for ����Vlog�ٷ� to come together for our community.”

����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� undergraduate students Ionica Macadangdang (biological engineering major) and Ralph Martin Adra (astrophysics major) took the lead in organizing the event, with guidance from Chyba. Both students are also involved in the COVID-19 mathematics modeling team that has provided valuable insights about the prevalence of the virus within our communities.

“Being a part of ‘Be a Scientist’ night at IHS is always a fun and worthwhile experience,” Macadangdang said. “Especially after returning to IHS with such a big turnout of both participants and ����Vlog�ٷ� volunteers, you could really sense that everyone involved was eager to interact with the kids and other community members and get them excited about STEM. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing how this event will grow and continue to support our keiki!”

Adra added, “Planning this event was nonetheless difficult but worth it! Helping the keiki reminded me of how I first aspired to choose my major of astrophysics. Their bright eyes of passion and love towards science were the same ones I had back then, and this experience has really inspired me to keep going towards my goals in my future.”

Oceanit provided a catered dinner for the shelter’s population. In addition, ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s math department collected approximately $800 to purchase toiletries, which was donated to IHS.

“We are so grateful to ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� for putting together this amazing event for our families and women here at IHS. These past two years have been hard because we had to stop all events and classes that bring IHS together,” IHS Children’s Program Specialist Candice Moore said. “Seeing the smiles and excitement at this event is so heartwarming.”

This outreach event is an example of ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s goal of (PDF), one of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

—By Marc Arakaki

The director of a university research center to support individuals with disabilities has been appointed to the . The Hawaiʻi Senate voted to approve Kiriko Takahashi’s appointment on March 31, 2021. Takahashi is the current director of the (CDS) in the College of Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�.

Takahashi joins the 28 governor-appointed members who include individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, parents, family members and representatives from public and private agencies that serve this population.

Established by state and federal law as an independent agency, the Developmental Disabilities Council has a mission to empower, advocate and support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities statewide to control their own destiny and determine the quality of life they desire.

Takahashi earned a master’s degree in learning disabilities from Northwestern University, and a doctoral degree in exceptionalities from ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�. Her research interests include assistive technology, culturally-based education and mathematics.

The council is CDS’s sister agency. As a council member, Takahashi hopes to be informed about the current needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to continue the CDS’s programming. She also hopes to provide input to the council’s 5-year plan, help monitor their implementation, and collaborate on integrating the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities at community and systems levels.

This appointment is an example of ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s goal of (PDF) and (PDF), two of four goals identified in the (PDF), updated in December 2020.

Faculty members at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education (CDS) were awarded $9.6 million by the (NHEP) for a three-year period to develop innovative education programs to assist Native Hawaiians.

More than $2 million each were awarded to interim CDS Associate Director Hye-Jin Park, interim CDS Director Kiriko Takahashi, CDS Assistant Specialist Lisa Uyehara and CDS Assistant Specialist Eric Folk.

Project Hōkūlani, under the direction of Park, is a culturally responsive, strength and work-based STEM enrichment and college transition project. Aiming to serve Native Hawaiian high school students with and without disabilities on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi and Molokaʻi, the project’s goal is to create a seamless and supportive STEM education pipeline for underserved youth to bolster their aspirations to enter into postsecondary STEM fields.

“Through this project, we hope to better support the career development of these underrepresented youths and increase the likelihood of their becoming future ‘shining stars’ in STEM fields,” Park said. “To achieve this goal, we will develop and implement a research-based Hōkūlani model, which includes academic enrichment, mentoring, college transition, paid internships and ʻohana engagement.”

Takahashi is the project director of Ka Pilina Noʻeau II, which is a continuation of two previous grant projects, Ka Pilina: AIM Together and Ka Pilina Noʻeau. The current version, based on community request, gives additional attention to students with disabilities and students who may be disengaged or struggling in school.

Takahashi stated, “The new award is great news to our team and our project partners, ALU LIKE, Inc. and ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa’s Department of Mathematics. We are delighted to be able to continue refining the activities we have developed together to better meet the needs of our students, parents and teachers. With this new iteration, we are also excited to strengthen our partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaiʻi. We hope to continue building upon our network to nurture STEM outcomes of Native Hawaiian students, assisting them to ultimately contribute to our STEM workforce in Hawaiʻi.”

Project Hoʻokuʻi IV: ʻOhana Lōkahi, under the direction of Uyehara, will engage families, students and the Hawaiʻi Department of Education (HIDOE) in cultivating a post-secondary education-bound culture within the Native Hawaiian community statewide. Based on nine years of research, supporting more than 1,000 Native Hawaiian and at-risk students, as well as students with disabilities, this new iteration of the project seeks to expand its support for students and the HIDOE by including a more active role for families.

Folk, along with CDS Junior Specialist Sean Nagamatsu and Native Hawaiian Cultural and Educational Specialist Rebecca ʻIlima Kaʻanehe, comprise the Kūlia Support Project team, currently working across the ����Vlog�ٷ� Community College system to support and retain Native Hawaiian students who are at risk of school failure. This initiative will expand and adapt direct student support capacity to add an emphasis on STEM education. The project will also fund activities to increase student awareness and exploration of STEM careers and provide additional career mentoring and internship opportunities and drop-in coaching support.

“Our team is thrilled to have this opportunity to build on our existing NHEP capacity, including its many system-wide collaborations and partnerships,” Folk said. “We will work to innovate a sustainable, culture-based support approach and infrastructure that encourages students to expand their career horizons through coaching and mentoring to achieve successful career outcomes in STEM fields.”

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� (COE) and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) have been selected as one of only seven state teams nationwide to take part in a multi-year initiative that will address deficiencies in teacher preparation standards regarding family engagement.

COE Center on Disability Studies Associate Professor Caryl Hitchcock, COE Department of Educational Psychology Chair Katherine Ratliffe and Polly Quigley of the Community Engagement Branch of the HIDOE, represent the Hawaiʻi (NAFSCE team in the .

The COE team, along with other selected state teams, will develop a framework that will inform both state and local level policy and practice, and support teaching colleges in the development of institution-specific curricula.

“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the essential role families play in their children’s education is more critical than ever,” said Hitchcock. “However, the State of the States report makes it clear that educator preparation programs have to do more to train future teachers in how to effectively engage families and establish trusted relationships.” Hitchcock serves as a curriculum developer for the .

In a recent NAFSCE survey, just 43% of early childhood K–12 educators indicated they were properly prepared and trained to engage families in their children’s learning during their training and preparation program.

Ratliffe added, “Pre-service teachers need more opportunities to practice communication skills as well as experience establishing relationships and working with families. Our college developed online modules to embed family engagement lessons into the COE curriculum, and we are creating a virtual tutoring program that would provide students some practical experience with children and families. Our team is also developing online case study scenarios to train future teachers in high impact family engagement strategies.”

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University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� Professor Monique Chyba, and graduate students Corrisa Heyes and Mahshid Bagheri have created explaining the contributions mathematics plays in informing decision makers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The goals were to illustrate the importance of data-driven science, articulate the value of collaboration between different fields and highlight the difficulty in predicting possible scenarios related to COVID-19,” Chyba said.

The information is based on research from Chyba, Associate Professor Yuriy Mileyko, and graduate and undergraduate students. The team is working with urban planners and Karl Kim, executive director of the at ����Vlog�ٷ�.

The video was created for , a 3-year research project led by Associate Specialist Kiriko Takahashi and Associate Professor Hye Jin Park and their team at the ����Vlog�ٷ� . The program will kick off its virtual learning series with Chyba’s presentation “Modeling and Data Driven Prediction for COVID-19” on May 16 at 10 a.m. via Zoom. Ka Pilina Noʻeau is funded by the Native Hawaiian Education Program in the U.S. Department of Education to improve mathematics and science outcomes of K–8th grade students.

The University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� was awarded a $50,000 grant by the . Over the next two years, funding will support Turn the Tables, a (CDS) project aimed at increasing employment outcomes for youth with disabilities and breaking down employment barriers.

“In Hawaiʻi, people with disabilities are unemployed at twice the rate of the general population, and there are limited services to assist youth with disabilities to develop leadership and employment skills,” CDS Project Director Chin Lee explained. “Turn the Tables offers an alternative approach to the typical job fair.”

Using a reverse job fair model, Turn the Tables shines the spotlight on the job candidates with disabilities, rather than the usual job fair where the employer receives inquiries and applications. Job candidates set up tables with their personal skills, abilities, accomplishments and strengths on poster display. Potential employers are able to meet and spend time with the candidates who are, in turn, able to interview their potential employers.

The objectives of the project include: to improve employment opportunities of the participating youth with disabilities, to stimulate changes in attitudes and practices of employers toward youth with disabilities and to disseminate and replicate the reverse job fair concept at national conferences. The project anticipates serving more than 200 candidates and nearly 400 employers over two years.

The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation grant will enable CDS to implement and expand the reverse job fair concept in the state of Hawaiʻi and nationally. Annually, CDS will organize a reverse job fair on Honolulu, Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi and Maui.

Building on the success of two reverse job fairs held at the State Capitol in the fall of 2018 and 2019, CDS will partner with American Job Centers, Developmental Disabilities Division, Hawaiʻi Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Disability:IN Hawaiʻi.

“CDS led the first reverse job fair in Hawaiʻi with assistance from our partners as well as the Office of the Governor, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and other state agencies and key legislators,” Lee said. “We are so grateful to the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation for allowing us to continue to grow this very essential and amazing program.”

Brett Oppegaard, an associate professor in the School of Communications at University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�’s , has been awarded the 2019 Dr. Margaret Pfanstiehl Audio Description Achievement Award for Research Development from the (ACB). The award recognizes Oppegaard’s work in helping people who are blind or visually impaired.

The Dr. Margaret Pfanstiehl Memorial Award for Research and Development is made to an individual or organization for outstanding research that leads to the advancement of audio description. Pfanstiehl was one of the pioneers in the field of audio description, developing a system for live-theater description in the early 1980s.

Oppegaard is the principal investigator of , and has been studying audio description in relation to mobile technologies and locative media since joining the university in 2014. During the past five years, he has worked with fellow ����Vlog�ٷ� researchers and graduate students, ACB staff members and volunteers, and community partners throughout the country at U.S. National Park Service sites, refining and developing systems of audio description to help make public attractions more accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired.

In addition to producing scholarship in academic journals and for conferences, Oppegaard has managed the creation of various open-source web tools and resources to support and grow audio description as a medium worldwide. The core component of this open-source site is the powerful UniD web tool, which supports efficient, effective and no-cost production and dissemination of audio description through free mobile apps, websites and other means.

• Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News story: Audio description app studied by field-research team at Muir Woods National Monument, May 7, 2018

The UniDescription Project website also includes the UniD Academy, which is designed to asynchronously train interested individuals in audio description best practices at no cost.
Oppegaard, his research team and collaborators have helped to make more than 60 U.S. National Park Service sites throughout the country more accessible, including Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, the Statue of Liberty, Washington Monument and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes.

Oppegaard also has initiated four hackathon-like descriptathons to date (with a fifth scheduled for late August), in which dozens of National Park Service staff members have used the system and the training to learn and practice audio description.

The ����Vlog�ٷ�-based UniDescription Project has been supported by more than $500,000 in grants from the U.S. National Park Service and Google.

A national organization, the , selected the program for a Maternal Child Health best practice award earlier this year. Based in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education’s , Pono Choices is a sex education curriculum for middle school students designed to reduce teen pregnancies and the spread of sexually-transmitted infections.

From 2012–13, 34 schools across the state participated in a study regarding implementation of the curriculum. An external evaluation of Pono Choices, led by IMPAQ International, found that students who learned through the 10-module program had much higher knowledge retention than students who participated in other programs.

“We’d like to send a big mahalo to the schools that participated in the Pono Choices research study,” shared Tammy Tom of the Center on Disability Studies. “We set out to provide educators and parents with tools to help students better understand and retain the sexual health lessons, which go beyond sexual health. They provide the foundation for attitudes about oneself and respect for others.”

Pono Choices was successfully developed and tested on a large scale in Hawaiʻi with participation and support from principals and teachers as well as consent from parents and students. The data showed the lessons worked, and students retained knowledge about sexual health.

“Our goal is to educate students for real-world situations. This national recognition is an example of working together to create impactful educational tools that provide students the knowledge and skills to mature academically and developmentally.” College of Education Dean Nathan Murata said.

����Vlog�ٷ� co-developed Pono Choices with Planned Parenthood and ALU LIKE with funding from the federal Office of Adolescent Health. Guiding the development process was an advisory committee that included representation from the state Departments of Education and Health, and the Hawaiʻi Youth Services Network.

(CDS) in the at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� has been awarded nearly $7 million by the U.S. Department of Education. The funding will go toward serving diverse populations, including Native Hawaiian, deaf-blind, at-risk, English language learners and economically disadvantaged, in five CDS programs over the next three to five years.

“These grants make us very proud. They will help us serve the underserved, build capacity and partnerships across the state and support young people with disabilities to realize their quests for bright futures,” CDS Director said.

Funding breakdown:

• Project Hoʻokuʻi III: Na Kumu Alakaʻi—$2.1 million
• Postsecondary Support Project Increasing the Success of Native Hawaiian Youth with Culturally Responsive Coaching—$2.1 million
• Neʻepapa Ka Hana 2.0—$950,000
• The Hawaiʻi Family Engagement Center—$990,000
• The Hawaiʻi and Pacific Deaf Blind Consortium—$785,000

Project Hoʻokuʻi III: Na Kumu Alakaʻi addresses the needs of at-risk children and youth and the underemployment of Native Hawaiians. The goal is to increase enrollment of Native Hawaiian students in postsecondary education or certification programs, which leads to employment. This is done through implementation of a professional development program designed for Hawaiʻi Department of Education (HIDOE) faculty based on the previous Project Hoʻokuʻi model.

Postsecondary Support Project Increasing the Success of Native Hawaiian Youth with Culturally Responsive Coaching will work with the to enhance and expand a successful support model that addresses the needs of Native Hawaiian youth who are at risk of failure in postsecondary education and to realize improved employment outcomes. The program is anticipated to impact nearly 2,000 Native Hawaiians by facilitating access and reducing the probability of failure and dropout of postsecondary education.

Neʻepapa Ka Hana 2.0: Expanding Native Hawaiian Student Access and Teacher Training from Middle School Mathematics to the STEM Workforce will develop socio-culturally responsive project-based learning curricula for sixth and seventh grade; field-test and refine the curricula; train 40 teachers on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi, Maui and Molokaʻi; and disseminate materials statewide.

The Hawaiʻi Family Engagement Center is working to build the capacity of every community in Hawaiʻi to develop and sustain strong, productive relationships among schools, parents and community organizations so children thrive developmentally and academically statewide by partnering with community groups and HIDOE.

The Hawaiʻi and Pacific Deaf Blind Consortium will address the diverse needs of individuals with deaf-blindness in the state and Pacific through technical assistance and dissemination by increasing knowledge, skills and support for families and service providers related to deaf-blindness.

Read more on the .

A research team from the project, which aims to create digital audio spaces and more accessible places, recently conducted another major field study of in-situ audio description at Muir Woods National Monument in California, near San Francisco.

The team, under the direction of principal investigator of the in the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� , tested the new audio description of Muir Wood’s park brochure featured in the free and open-source UniD app. The app is designed to make brochures at national parks accessible to those who have trouble seeing them. Audio description is the translation of visual media, such as photographs and maps, into acoustic media in an effort to allow the ear to hear what the eye might not be able to see.

With coordination support from the team’s research partners at Muir Woods and the , the study included participation by nine members of the Silicon Valley Council of the Blind and seven members from the San Francisco Chapter (16 total participants who are blind or visually impaired, plus friends and family, and companion animals).

Co-Principal Investigator Thomas Conway, from the , was on site to coordinate and observe the activities and to conduct the research, including field experiments with the UniD app and a focus group. The UniD app received high marks for ease of use and the quality of audio descriptions, including a consensus opinion that the audio descriptions were properly located, the correct length and added depth to the experience. This field research, including Conway’s participation in the event, was sponsored by Google and the American Council of the Blind as part of a larger grant project focused upon audio describing National Park Service sites throughout California. Last November, the team conducted a similar study of audio description at Yosemite National Park.

The UniD app is available for both and Android smart phones and contains audio description of more than 50 National Park Service brochures so far, including those for Everglades National Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, the Statue of Liberty National Monument, Yellowstone National Park and the Washington Monument.

In continuing efforts to “audio describe the world,” researchers at the took part in a project that brought 26 blind and visually impaired people to for user testing of the UniD mobile app.

Associate Professor in the in the is the principal investigator of the project.

The group tested the new audio description of Yosemite’s brochure featured in the app. The research-instrument app is designed to make brochures at national parks accessible to those who have trouble seeing them.

The effort was coordinated with the California Council of the Blind’s Fresno chapter, the national organization and .

More about the UniDescription Project

The UniD app (available for both and ) contains audio description of more than 50 National Park Service brochures so far, including those for Everglades National Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, the Statue of Liberty National Monument, Yellowstone National Park and the Washington Monument.

The research team, led by Oppegaard and from ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s , started the UniDescription project in the fall of 2014 as a way to improve and encourage better audio description. Audio description is the translation of visual media, such as photographs and maps, into acoustic media in an effort to allow the ear to hear what the eye might not be able to see.

• Related ����Vlog�ٷ� News stories:
  , December 4, 2014
  , August 10, 2017

A long-range goal of this project is to audio-describe all of the more than 400 park sites throughout the United States.

This field research was sponsored by Google and the American Council of the Blind as part of a larger grant project focused upon audio describing National Park Service sites throughout California.

In support of its goal to become a model indigenous serving institution, the has been awarded almost $3.9 million in grants by the .

“These grants will develop innovative education programs to assist Native Hawaiians and to supplement and expand existing programs and authorities,” said ����Vlog�ٷ� President . “We credit and thank our hard working, committed faculty and staff across the ����Vlog�ٷ� System and our congressional delegation for their strong support in advancing ����Vlog�ٷ� as a model indigenous serving institution.”

The grants went to the ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo and various programs at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s and and its Office of Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity.

����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo

Ka Haka ʻUla o ����ʻ�������ō�����Ծ�, Hale Kuamoʻo, “Kūkulu Kumuhana K–3 Hawaiian Language Student and Family Literacy Project” ($634,437) will develop informational Hawaiian language books, curricula, teacher training and family literacy workshops for Hawaiian language medium students in the target early elementary grade levels.

����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�

College of Education, Center on Disability Studies/University Affiliated Programs, “Literacy through Digital Media K–3” ($576,251) will improve the academic outcomes of Native Hawaiian children in Hawaiʻi’s elementary schools by introducing culturally relevant technology lessons to grades K–3 and training Department of Education teachers, educational assistants and kūpuna to enhance the language arts experience of students by integrating culturally relevant technology lessons into instruction.

College of Education, Curriculum Research and Development Group, “Mohala I Ke Ao: A culturally-responsive, multi-tiered beginning reading support system for schools and communities with diverse learners” ($447,071) meets critical needs in 12 elementary schools in the state and addresses beginning reading and literacy needs of at-risk children and youth and Native Hawaiian underemployment.

College of Education, Center on Disability Studies/University Affiliated Programs, “Ka Pilina Noʻeau” ($489,944) will develop, implement and replicate the math and science learning model to enhance educational services and ultimately improve the math and science outcomes of Native Hawaiian children and youth.

College of Engineering, “���ʻ�dz���Բ����Ƿɲ���: STEM Student and Teacher Preparation Program” ($604,230) will provide scholarship and academic support to a minimum of 160 undergraduate students at six Native Hawaiian-serving ����Vlog�ٷ� campuses on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island; will conduct STEM enrichment and pre-college workshops for 180 parents and students with Nā Pua Noʻeau; and will advance science and math skills for 120 students via a partnership of joint K–5 STEM teaching activities at Mālama Honua Public Charter School in Waimānalo, Oʻahu.

Vice Chancellor for Students, Office of Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity, “Manawa Kūpono: Supporting At-Risk Native Hawaiian Students to Succeed in College” ($606,617) will increase the college readiness, access and success for Native Hawaiian students from high-poverty schools on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi and Molokaʻi. In contrast to other college readiness programs, this program will provide intensive and individualized services to a targeted group of students who are most at-risk of not attending college.

Vice Chancellor for Students, Office of Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity, “Ka Waihona o Naʻauao Whole School Place-based Learning and Community Engagement in School” ($531,154) will focus on serving all 680 students, grades K–8, and their 48 teachers and coaches at Ka Waihona o Naʻauao. The goal of this project is to support the academic achievement and aspirations of Ka Waihona o Naʻauao students.

—By Kelli Trifonovitch