Youth advantage sustainable sciences internship
program schedule
Meetings for the Youth Advantage Sustainable Sciences Internship program are held on Wednesdays from 3:00PM – 7:30PM at Hale Tuahine Farm for 12 weeks in both the fall and spring semesters. Participants are students from the 8th through 12th grades who are interested in the world of sustainability and agriculture. In addition to learning and being tested on a comprehensive curriculum, the teens put their knowledge to work through their building and maintenance of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. The following is a typical schedule on the program days:
3:00PM – 4:00PM: The teens first take a pre-test on this week’s topics. Following this, they are out on the farm weeding, planting and harvesting the produce for the CSA baskets. They then pack and sell the CSA baskets to customers in the community. During this time, they are guided by program mentors, Norman Tansey and undergraduate assistants.
4:00PM – 5:00PM: The teens attend a conceptual lecture on the week’s topics by Taryn Kurosawa (a Medical Researcher and graduate of the Molecular Biology and Bio-Engineering Department at UH Manoa).
5:00PM – 6:00PM: The teens work on field science experiments in the outdoor classrooms and on the farm as related to the week’s topics.
6:00PM – 7:00PM: The teens attend lab science on the week’s topics in the science lab, as taught by Taryn Kurosawa.
7:00PM – 7:30PM: The teens enjoy a dinner including dishes cooked from Hale Tuahine produce and complete a post-test on the day’s learning.
PROGRAM CURRICULUM
The following Units of content were taught from January to May, 2019:
January, 2019: Unit 5: Organic Soil Amendments
Week 1: Different Methods of Composting
Week 2: The Science of Decomposition
Week 3: Vermicasting
Week 4: Indigenous Micro-organisms and Organic Farming
February, 2019: Unit 6: Growing in Water
Week 1: Different Methods of Hydroponics
Week 2: Nutrient Needs of Plants in Hydroponics
Week 3: Building Aquaponics Systems for Home Settings
Week 4: Conducting Research in Hydroponics
March, 2019: Unit 7: Plant Nutrient Requirements
Week 1: Essential Plant Nutrients
Week 2: How Plants Take Up Nutrients
Week 3: Signs of Nutrient Deficiencies
Week 4: Replenishing Nutrients in the Soil
April, 2019: Unit 8: Integrated Pest Management
Week 1: Identifying Insect Pests in Hawaii
Week 2: The CTAHR Integrated Pest Management System
Week 3: Using Organic Methods to Manage Pests
Week 4: Identifying and Preventing Plant Diseases
May, 2019: Unit 9: Human Nutrition and Organic Farming
Week 1: How to Protect Ourselves from Cancer
Week 2: Garden Planning to Provide Optimal Nutrition
Week 3: How Do We Digest and Absorb Nutrients from our Food?
Week 4: How Can We Feed Our Cells to Protect Ourselves?