For the sixth consecutive year, Hawai‘i Pacific University participated in one of the most prestigious youth summer education programs in the nation when it hosted two three-week sessions for the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY) residential program. At its Hawai‘i Loa campus, HPU hosted nearly 200 exceptionally gifted 12-to-16-year olds from Hawai‘i, the mainland, and countries around the globe.

This year, the CTY program took again advantage of HPU affiliate Oceanic Institute by offering two courses introduced in 2006: Oceanography and Volcanoes. Over the two three-week sessions, up to four sections of the oceanography class was taught. Students got hands-on experience aboard the HPU/OI research vessel, RV Kaholo, collected data in Kane‘ohe Bay, and analyzed NASA satellite observations and field samples at OI’s research laboratories. Chris Winn, HPU associate dean of Marine Science programs and associate professor of Oceanography, and other OI staff taught portions of the course.

“ What makes this program unique this summer is that we have been working with CTY since 2005 to develop an oceanography curriculum unlike any other across the country,” said Dr. Jeffrey Philpott, HPU vice president of Student Affairs.

The oceanography class, modeled on first-year college oceanography courses, allowed students to explore the physical, chemical, geological and biological features of the waters of the world’s oceans. Students learned the structure, formation and features of the ocean basins and examined currents, tides, and waves. Participants also investigated the biochemical cycles that affect seawater as well as discovered the ocean atmosphere interactions that account for Hawai‘i’s climate. From the shorelines to the coral reefs to the deep ocean, students explored the unique marine life and marine ecosystems of Hawai‘i while learning how local residents struggle to balance economic and environmental concerns. Participants did field work at Kane‘ohe Bay and Makapu‘u Point, as part of their activities at Oceanic Institute.

New for this year was a one-day field trip to Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island for students attending the volcanoes course. Students enrolled in the Volcanoes: Hawai‘i class began with a brief introduction to earth science, including a discussion of the geological layers of the earth, convection currents, and plate tectonics. Students will then turn to the particulars of a volcano mantle plumes, magma flow, volcano pluming, and eruption. Throughout the course, students link the geological characteristics of volcanoes to the particular environmental and cultural context of Hawai‘i, the flora and fauna of Hawai‘i as well as the foundation myth of Pele, the goddess of volcanoes, and her role in the creation of the Hawaiian Islands.

For more than 25 years, the Center for Talented Youth has identified America’s top academic students in grades two through 10 and provided challenging educational programs. Students who score at or above the 95th percentile on standardized tests normally taken in school are invited to participate in CTY’s Talent Search, during which they take an additional set of tests. Qualifying students may choose to enroll in CTY programs. Each student takes only one course each session, thus experiencing intense immersion in a subject.