Posted on: Sunday, August 8, 2004

Environmental studies boosted at Windward

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

KANE'OHE — Under a new initiative at Windward Community College, professors are linking with local businesses to ensure that students receive quality education in the environmental fields and provide a stream of qualified workers.

This will happen under the newly formed Pacific Center for Environmental Studies, which received a $225,000 startup grant from the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation.

The center and grant will greatly help the school's environmental science education, outreach and research programs at all levels from kindergarten to college, said David Krupp, biology professor at Windward Community College.

"We anticipate building a vigorous program that will provide education and training for Windward area students and community members and will contribute to improving the quality of life for Windward O'ahu residents," Krupp said.

The grant will infuse college courses with updated equipment and computer programs, said Floyd McCoy, professor of geology at Windward Community College.

"What that money will focus on is looking for those high school students who are interested, get them into college earlier, get them out into the field studying environmental issues and watching them prosper," McCoy said.

The center will be an umbrella for environmental, marine and high school enrichment programs developed at Windward Community College, he said. Students now are involved in projects at Kaelepulu Pond and Kawainui Marsh in Kailua, Coconut Island and Waikalua Loko Fishpond in Kane'ohe and in various streams, getting practical experience as well as learning classroom theory, McCoy said.

Creating a center will also make it possible for the campus to enlist local business and receive federal money to ensure the continuation of the academic programs, which will suffer this year because money must be funneled to facility maintenance, McCoy said.

To that end, the center will invite businesses and future employees to become partners in helping to shape programs and become financial backers, said KC Collins, director of development at Windward Community College.

"By building those relationships, it ensures that what we're doing and what they're going to be needing down the road are going to be a win-win for everybody," Collins said.

Snookie Mello, with the environmental testing company Aecos Inc., said having future employees with practical experience would be a plus for the company. Right now the company trains its employees to conduct tests and operate simple equipment, Mello said. But there could be a future partnership between the center and the business, she said.

"We could offer to have students tag along, learn by observation," Mello said.

Angela Meixell, Windward Community College chancellor, said the grant underscores the Castle Foundation's interest in higher education and science as a career choice.

"I am very proud of this grant because it affirms the community's recognition of the talents of our faculty and the valued service that they provide to our current and future students," Meixell said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.