NARST 2025 Preview

In response to the August 2023 Lahaina fire, a research-practice partnership is reimagining how high school students can contribute to wildfire mitigation while learning both Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western Science. This work will be presented at the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) conference in March 2025 through a roundtable discussion titled “Culturally-Relevant Field Ecology: Wildfire Mitigation and Social-Ecological Systems Resilience in Maui, Hawaiʻi.”

The research team includes Jadda Miller and Heidi Ballard from the UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science at the School of Education, collaborating with Cassie Kepler from Kīhei Charter School on Maui. Their project engages high school Field Ecology and Eco Club students in fieldwork that goes beyond traditional classroom boundaries. Students work alongside a Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) cultural practitioner from Kipuka Olowalu and a Conservation Biologist, conducting vegetation assessments and managing invasive species while learning traditional land stewardship practices. An additional component of the project involves the students creating a documentary film with support from the Maui Huliau Foundation, to share their findings and wildfire mitigation strategies with the broader community.

At the heart of this research is the concept of social-ecological systems resilience (SESR), which prepares communities to navigate the complex challenges of our changing world. The project examines how integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge with Western Science affects students’ understanding of and relationship with SESR. SESR emphasizes the dynamic interactions between human and natural systems and the importance of fostering skills needed to build resilience in the face of environmental change. 

At NARST, the research team will lead a roundtable discussion examining:

• Preliminary findings on integrating Western science with Kānaka ‘Ōiwi ways of knowing
• Approaches to analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data in this context
• Ways to foster mutually beneficial collaborations between teachers, scientists, non-profits, and researchers
• Strategies for engaging students in real-world community and environmental problem-solving

For more information about this project, contact Jadda Miller at jaymiller@ucdavis.edu.

Funding:

This project is made possible through generous support from the UC Davis Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement, the UC Davis Institute of the Environment, UC Davis Global Affairs, and the UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science. These funding sources have been instrumental in developing and sustaining this community-based initiative.