The Curious Minds Team has been honoured with the Hapori Community of Practice Award for their transformative work in science and engineering education. Their innovative modules - Pacific H2O and Mā te rauhiringa tātou e ora: Powerful Solutions - bring technical concepts to life through culturally rich, hands-on learning experiences for Year 9 and 10 high school students. The teams comprise: Christina Howat, Shallu Verma, Ashalyna Noa, Siale Faitotonu, Mel Tainui, Thomas Hamilton, Garrick Thorn, Sarah Wiki-Bennett, Kiri Howell and Meghan Marshall.
The Pacific H2O and Mā te rauhiringa tātou e ora are free interactive education modules that contain science and engineering concepts contextualised in Pacific and Māori culture with a wider society benefit. The team’s commitment to equity and inclusion is evident in their collaboration with cultural experts, artists, and the Deaf community, ensuring the content is accessible, authentic, and inspiring. The UC branded modules have had a truly global impact with the team presenting to teacher conferences in Tonga and India thanks to support from the MacDiarmid Institute and with teachers engaging from as far afield as China, the UK and USA. The module has been accessed by around 9,000 high school students and MFAT are in talks about potentially expanding its reach in Tonga.
The Pacific H2O module promotes an understanding of water quality testing and purification methods, using scientific methods to raise awareness of environmental strategies and creating tangible benefits for society. Mā te rauhiringa tātou e ora module allows students to undertake experiments to determine realistic electricity sources to power Maraes considering their unique cultural needs, off-grid locations and desire for sustainability. The team are creating global partnerships, promoting understanding of UC’s place in the world and encouraging and inspiring communities who might not have considered science and engineering to develop these skills.
