Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science (PIPES)

The PIPES program houses within it three unique undergraduate summer internship programs: the Micronesian & American Samoan Student Internship Program (MASSIP), the University of Hawaii Hawaiian Internship Program (UHHIP), and the Research for Undergraduates (REU) program.  Our goal is to provide a comprehensive educational experience which connects underrepresented undergraduate students, especially Native Hawaiian and/or kama’aina, to internship opportunities with organizations responsible for research, management, education, and outreach related to environmental issues affecting Hawaii and the greater Pacific region.  Our vision is a diversified and Hawai`i-connected workforce focused on natural resources. During the PIPES experience, student interns participate in a 4-day orientation introducing them to a selected theme for the summer (i.e. a specific ecosystem, climate change, etc.)  from which an experiential project is developed and implemented by the interns.  The orientation also provides opportunities for cohort building and intern bonding.  These activities lay the foundation and pace for the 10-week internship experience in which interns work individually or in pairs with at agency/researcher mentors.  Weekly meetings and bi-weekly progress reports are critical venues for program staff to connect with interns throughout the summer program to facilitate the intern’s project and personal progression through the summer experience. All interns attend the annual Hawaii Conservation Conference held in Honolulu where they network with established professional researchers, educators, and resource managers as well as their peers in the fields of research, management, and environmental education and outreach.  In August 2011, all 2011 interns completed the program by giving an oral presentation and submitting a final paper.  The annual PIPES Student Symposium, hosted by UH-Hilo, gave each intern the chance to tell their “story” and describe the highlights and challenges of their summer experience with fellow peers, program staff, host agency representatives, and mentors.

36 PIPES participants completed the 2011 summer program and through their individual internships and the program’s intern orientation, weekly meetings, and Hawaii Conservation Conference attendance were exposed to a wide variety of people, experiences, and opportunities. We strive to offer a comprehensive and well-rounded experience to the participants through hands-on/place-based learning experiences, group discussions, and opportunities for self-reflection. Through these internship experiences the interns are able to take their classroom experiences into real-world scenarios therefore increasing their workforce competitiveness and link those efforts to their respective communities.

A total of 36 student interns were placed in summer internships with 20 partner host agencies and organizations across the State.  Of the 36 participants 78% were underrepresented minorities, 19% were non-minority, however, were kama’aina (born and raised in Hawaii), 3% were non-minority (Fig.1).  Native Hawaiian participation was very high in the 2011 cohort with 75% Native Hawaiian participation out of all underrepresented minority participants (Fig.2).  A major focus of UHH-DEW efforts is to facilitate participation of Native Hawaiian and other underrepresented minorities in science outreach and research efforts.  The high number of target audience participation in the 2011 program strengthens UHH-DEW programs and efforts.