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Project Progress

This national secondary science teachers’ workshop with 50% returning teachers focused upon the interface between geology and biology and filling in the gaps for learning about astrobiology. The 2012 theme for Howard Hughes Medical Institute centered on astrobiology topics with lectures and activities based upon sound pedagogical practices. Thus, our partnership with them under the leadership of our returning master teacher enabled us to engage teachers in using their curriculum materials for the scientific inquiry process on the extinction of dinosaurs as well as other activities. The timeline and size and scale themes from previous ALI’I workshops were expanded upon to include more biology, with C-DEBI subsurface sea floor microbial life and the C-MORE plankton kit, extensively field tested. The Bishop Museum field trip with dinosaur exhibits, planetarium shows and volcanoes and a botanical UH campus walk on native Hawaiian plants gave teachers a taste of Hawaii. From the geologic history centering upon the KT layer to new findings about boron on Mars, a philosophical thread about the Drake Equation and search for life beyond Earth completed the program.