Puna Shelter Keiki Learn, Dream, Play and Explore at Camp Laniakea
The Kilauea eruption disrupted many lives in the Puna community including keiki from Leilani Estates, Nanawale, Kapoho, Pahoa and Volcano. Camp Laniakea was conceived to allow keiki in the Puna Emergency Shelters to learn, dream, play and explore. Camp Laniakea enrolled approximately 30 students in grades K-12 who resided in the Puna shelter to experience enriching STEM educational experiences during weekends in August (a total of 8 days). Hurricane storms precipitated moving the final days of Camp Laniakea into September with activities taking place at the Imiloa Astronomy Center and various offsite locations.
Camp Laniakea participants were transported from the Puna shelters and participated in a variety of STEM activities including astronomy, engineering, geology, aerospace technologies, robotics, computer science, biology and conservation. The goal was not only to provide enrichment activities for these students but to spark an interest in STEM as a career pursuit.
Hawaii Science & Technology Museum, an educational non-profit public charity dedicated to science, technology, engineering and math education on Hawaii Island oversaw Camp Laniakea with volunteers from the Thirty Meter Telescope and Gemini Observatory. The Thirty Meter Telescope provided $30,000 in funding for Camp Laniakea that included t-shirts, backpacks and school supplies, site rental, staff, insurance, meals, equipment and supplies, transportation and post camp student support.
Camp Laniakea keiki participated in drone flight training, engineering challenges, astronomy activities, star gazing, and searched for native and endemic species in the old growth native forests on Maunakea.
Hawaii Science & Technology Museum Executive Director Christian Wong shared a common goal, "It's really to give our kids options. I feel that in many cases, a lot of our brightest kids are forced to relocate, and it would be nice for kids to get exposed to future STEM occupations that they can do here and make a difference in the world and community, but not necessarily having to move away from Hawaii to do it?"
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KITV aired the story on Sunday
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The last day of Camp Laniakea took place on Saturday, September 15. The day's activities included a NASA Parker Solar Probe Scientist speaker, Gemini Observatory Astronomy STEAM activities, Mars Search of Life Robotics Fun and TMT's Solar Observations and Engineering Challenge. The fun day concluded with participants receiving drones and Explorer cards.
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