Update: OPIHI Citizen Science Project
UPDATE: New dates for volunteering! See dates below.
Are you interested in helping Hawai‘i teachers and students get outside and collect authentic scientific data?
Be a volunteer science assistants to help on an OPIHI field trip!
What is OPIHI?
OPIHI (Our Project In Hawai‘i’s Intertidal) is a citizen science project where middle and high school students survey Hawai‘i’s rocky intertidal. The intertidal is the area along the coast that is covered by water at high tide and exposed to air at low tide. OPIHI students gain valuable scientific skills while being involved in an authentic ongoing scientific research project. Some of the intertidal sites students and teachers are going to were surveyed the same way 10 years ago!
OPIHI (Our Project In Hawai‘i’s Intertidal) is a citizen science project where middle and high school students survey Hawai‘i’s rocky intertidal. The intertidal is the area along the coast that is covered by water at high tide and exposed to air at low tide. OPIHI students gain valuable scientific skills while being involved in an authentic ongoing scientific research project. Some of the intertidal sites students and teachers are going to were surveyed the same way 10 years ago!
How can you help?
In the next few months teachers statewide will be leading about 50 (!) OPIHI field trips. They would be very grateful for your help keeping their students on task while surveying algae and invertebrates in the intertidal. You do not have to be a marine biologist to be an OPIHI science assistant. It is more important that you are a science enthusiast!
Here is a link to a flyer: https://tinyurl.com/OPI
Why else should you volunteer?
The intertidal areas are beautiful (you get to be outside for a few hours!) and the students can teach you about a unique, often overlooked environment. Just as importantly, it will be fun! They are happy to provide you with a certificate documenting your volunteer hours on this project if needed.
How do you sign up to volunteer?
This is a link to their google doc to see intertidal locations, dates, and times of field trips:
Write your name and email in one of the spaces highlighted in yellow on the right of the sheet under “science assistants”. The teacher will contact you a few days before the field trip with additional information (e.g., directions & more specific information on how to help!).
There are a lot of date and time options for field trips you can see via the above link! But, they are particularly interested in recruiting science assistants for the following trips (all in the mornings):
O‘ahu
4/25 (Tuesday) Māʻili Beach
4/25 (Tuesday) ‘Ewa Beach
4/27 (Thursday) Turtle Bay
4/27 (Thursday) ‘Ewa Beach
Hawai‘i Island
4/26 (Wednesday) Kahalu‘u Bay
4/27 (Thursday) Onekahakaha
4/28 (Friday) Onekahakaha
5/5 (Friday) Wawaloli Beach Park (OTEC Beach)
5/24 (Wednesday) Wai‘ōpae
Kaua‘i
4/26 (Wednesday) Maha‘ulepu
4/28 (Friday) Waipouli Beach (Kapa‘a)
5/11 (Thursday) Salt Pond
5/19 (Friday) Salt Pond
Lānaʻi
4/25 (Tuesday) Hulopo‘e Beach
Maui
5/11 (Thursday) Keawakapu (Kihei)
Moloka‘i
5/10 (Wednesday) Kapukahehu Beach
5/10 (Wednesday) Kapukahehu Beach
OPIHI teachers and students appreciate your interest and hope you will be able to join them!
Questions on OPIHI? Email Joanna Philippoff at philippo@hawaii.edu
