STEM Pre-Academy
HMEC partners with the University of Hawaiʻi. STEM Pre-Academy to engage students in grades 6–12 through age-appropriate instruction on water wave mechanics and the physical principles that govern wave energy conversion. By grounding lessons in how waves carry energy and how that energy can be captured, students begin to understand wave energy converters through fundamental concepts of motion, power, and energy transfer rather than abstract formulas alone.
To support this learning, HMEC works with STEM Pre-Academy educators to co-develop hands-on classroom tools and visual demonstrations that make wave physics tangible. STEM Pre-Academy provides critical guidance on learning outcomes and facilitates connections with teachers statewide through workshops, enabling university researchers and educators to collaboratively build curriculum that emphasizes physical intuition, visual context, and curiosity—helping students form lasting connections between ocean science and real-world energy applications.
The STEM Pre-Academy has also developed a portable Wave Tank that enables students to explore wave behavior in a controlled, hands-on setting. The tank allows teachers and students to generate and observe different wave conditions, supporting discussions around wavelength, amplitude, and energy propagation. HMEC supports the use of tools such as the Wave Tank by reinforcing their relevance to wave energy fundamentals and by encouraging their integration into classroom activities that build physical intuition and contextual understanding of ocean waves.
As part of this broader classroom-focused approach, the STEM Pre-Academy has developed a Wave Energy Buoy Kit — a hands-on teaching tool that helps students visualize how ocean waves carry and transfer energy. Through direct interaction with the buoy, students can observe wave-driven motion and discuss how that motion relates to power generation in a real-world context. HMEC highlights and supports the use of tools such as this by connecting them to foundational wave energy concepts and encouraging their adoption as effective visual aids in middle- and high-school classrooms across Hawaiʻi.
