Highways Maui District offers free STEM education modules to Maui schools

Hands-on STEM education modules for students in grades K through 12 are available to Maui schools for free through a partnership between the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, Highways Maui District and the American Association of State Highways and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

Five STEM modules are currently available including: Bridge Builder, Safety, Construction, Environmental and RIDES. Collectively, they offer a variety of activities to help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and explore math and science concepts, engineering principles, design and construction topics, and potential STEM careers.

Highways Maui District will also train teachers on how to use the modules and participate in classroom visits to share interactive activities and engage in student discussions. Teacher training, classroom visits and STEM modules are available free to Maui schools.

Schools and students can also take advantage of other free educational resources offered by Highways Maui District, including:

• Free school presentations led by environmental experts who teach about Maui’s storm drain system, its relationship to the ocean, the impacts of pollution on the island’s stormwater, and what can be done to help safeguard the island’s ecosystems.
• Hands-on activities for youngsters at the Maui Ocean Center several times a year. Families with children are welcome to learn about rainfall, stormwater flow and pollution movement using fun educational models of a coastal watershed and the storm drain system. Highways Maui District’s keiki activity table will be at the Maui Ocean Center on Oct. 11 and Nov. 11, 2024.
• Mentoring for students working on school projects related to Highways Maui District’s areas of expertise, such as water pollution prevention, environmental studies, environmental science, and engineering. Examples of potentially relevant efforts include high school senior projects, science fair projects, digital media projects or educational presentations.

For more information on Highways Maui District’s educational resources for teachers and students, including the AASHTO STEM modules, visit the Education & Outreach page at www.stormwatermaui.com. Or, send an email to Ty Fukuroku, program manager of Environmental Management, Highways Maui District, at ty.h.fukuroku@hawaii.gov.