Reef Pulse Hawaii activities being used at Wai'alae Elementary, Hawaii (photo courtesy of Risa Minato, HCRI)

Instilling an understanding and appreciation of Hawaii's islands and nearshore waters in the next generation is an important educational goal of the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative (HCRI), which has been sponsored by NOAA since 1998.

Using activities, songs, and experiments designed for teachers and youngsters the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative has released a new innovative educational outreach tool called Reef Pulse Hawaii. This new marine science curriculum introduces students to astronomy, biology, chemistry, navigation, physics, and scientific investigation in six exciting units.

Teachers can use this resource to supplement existing science lessons or it can be used as a standalone curriculum. Parents can use the materials at home. HCRI is sponsored in part by the Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCOR).

In addition to the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative, CSCOR administers three other Coral Reef Research Institutes; the National Coral Reef Institute in Florida, the Caribbean Coral Reef Institute in Puerto Rico and the Western Pacific Coral Reef Institute in Guam. The Coral Reef Institutes, housed at academic institutions, are implemented as collaborative efforts between NOAA, the universities, and appropriate governmental agencies in these four jurisdictions.