About This Project

How might we design science kits rooted in cultural and ancestral knowledge unique to Hawai’i? There is no shortage of kits shipped here, but a lack of homegrown kits centering ancestral innovation and local natural materials. If we can develop Hawaiian place based science kits, we will uplift Hawaiian frameworks for solving our unique environmental challenges.

We will develop biomaterial and frugal science kits useful to grow trust spaces for local science innovation conversations.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

In a State where fresh water is at risk, and 90% of goods and 80% of energy are imported, this program provides a vision for biodesign education anchored in sustainable locally sourced materials and cultural frameworks. Current Hawaii biodesign programs are limited to universities, and private high schools. Nationally, there is one other community biolab, ( a physical lab space used for experimentation and education) that centers locally sourced materials, cultural and community knowledge (Xinampa in Salinas). This Nest Makerspace program will join Xinampa and BioJam Camp as a space that uplifts storytelling, frugal science, and creativity, as it builds a community of biomarkers in Hawaii and facilitates broader community engagement.

What is the significance of this project?

In a State with no community makerspaces or biolab, the Nest Makerspace will step into the void serving as a creative tinkering community space for hands-on explorations at the intersection of culture, bioscience, and frugal science tools. The kits developed in this space aim to amplify local and Indigenous knowledge in place based journeys focused on sustainability design solutions. The programming will center on communities that are often excluded in biological innovation conversations. The kits will inform existing biodesign approaches and broaden their impact to grow a more innovative, and relevant biodesign enterprise. Lessons will be open source licensed with the Creative Commons attribution noncommercial share-alike license and Local Contexts Notices.

What are the goals of the project?

We will design easily replicable STEAM kits rooted in locally sourced natural materials and ancestral knowledge unique to Hawaii. These kits will be distinct from other educational science kits, but will also address NGSS and Common Core standards. The goal is to build flexible kits that support open ended learning and sharing to grow trusted art/science education spaces centered in Hawaiian frameworks, frugal science tools, and biomaterial design. The project will be collaborative and open source, allowing community members to contribute and comment. Kit evaluation will include workshop observation and surveys, as well as pre/post assessments gauging the kit’s impact on creative confidence, learning, interest in ancestral science, and valuing of natural materials in engineering kits.