SHIMA: Okinawa-Hawaii STEM Education Collaborative 2021

Science Workshop 

SHIMA: Okinawa-Hawaii STEM Education Collaborative is a joint STEM education workshop between Okinawa and Hawaii. In this workshop, Okinawa and Hawaii high school students will attend numerous seminar and hands-on activities by professors, postdoctoral researchers, experts inside and outside of OIST involved in agriculture, forestry and fisheries rooted in the community. The participants will present in Hawaii on what they have learnt in the workshop in their countries. However, after a careful consideration of the impact of the spread of COVID-19 and the safety of the participants, we decided to proceed with the workshop without travelling to Hawaii this time. Although the trip to Hawaii has been called off, we hope that this workshop will help the participants in both countries to be more passionate about science and be a step for their future path.

SHIMA: Okinawa-Hawaii STEM Education Collaborative is co-sponsored by the US Consulate General in Okinawa.

※STEM is an acronym which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Theme

Okinawa and Hawaii have similar socio-political backgrounds and governance histories, and their influence remains strong today. Both countries have a rich heritage that has been passed down since ancient times and have cultural practices that are strongly linked to natural resource management. We would like to take advantage of these similarities to promote cross-cultural learning focusing on traditional methods of managing natural resources.

The program is scheduled to start in July 2021 which include both on-site learning and collaborative virtual discussions. We will set similar themes between the two countries and work on various topics related to seaweed farming, such as ecology, chemistry, and environmental management.

Event Timeline & Location  

Workshop period: July 2021

Workshop venue: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) Main Campus, Onna Village etc.

※We will meet the participants at OIST. For field work activities, round trip transportation will be provided by OIST between the campus and the field.

Next Procedure

~ 25th April 2021 Please fill out the form provided on this site by Sunday, 25th April 2021. The form must be filled by a guardian and please adhere to the submission deadline.
  Latest information (as of July 9)
The state of emergency has been extended to August 22.
We would like to inform you that the workshop will be held from July 17 to July 25 as scheduled. We will take possible measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection and we kindly ask all participants for their cooperation.

17th July 2021 ~25th July 2021

The workshop will be held for about one week. Participants are required to participate in the entire workshop. Let's have fun together!

Workshop Schedule

Participants are required to participate in all the dates of the workshop.
The program schedule is listed in Japan time.

Date Lecture Title
Saturday, 17th July 2021
Venue: OIST 10:00-11:30
  • Lecture I - Coral reef conservation in Onna village from the land
Saturday, 17th July 2021
Venue: Tancha, Onna Village 12:30-15:30
  • Field Work I - Coral reef conservation in Onna village from the land - Measures against red soil runoff etc.
Sunday, 18th June 2021
Venue: OIST 10:00-12:30
  • Online Session with participants from Hawaii
  • Welcome greetings for Okinawa and Hawaii students
  • Ice Breaking
  • Lecture II - Regional economic development under environmental change
Sunday, 18th June 2021
Venue: OIST 13:30-16:30
  • Lecture III - Learn about seaweed biology
  • Lecture IV - STEAM program on seaweed
Thursday, 22nd July 2021
Venue: OIST& Maeda Fishing Harbor 10:00-12:30
  • Lecture V - Sustainable marine culture (seaweed farming) in Okinawa
  • Field Work II - Sustainable marine culture (seaweed farming) in Okinawa
Thursday, 22nd July 2021
Venue: OIST 14:00-15:00
  • Lecture VI - Scientific research contributing to the development of seaweed aquaculture
Friday, 23rd July 2021
Venue: OIST 10:00-15:00
  • Preparation for information exchange presentation between Okinawa and Hawaii
Sunday, 25th July 2021
Venue: OIST 10:00-14:00
  • Okinawa-Hawaii Final Presentation
  • Exchange of thought between participants
  • Closing remarks

Contact

Feel free to contact us!
Science Education Outreach Team | Email: science.outreach@oist.jp

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