From marine science kits to rain simulators to wind turbines, the University of Hawaiʻi System STEM Pre-Academy is expanding its Toolkits for Teachers Lending Library ahead of the 2025–26 school year. The program offers Hawaiʻi K–12 educators a broad selection of free hands-on STEM resources for classroom use.
The lending library features nearly 100 toolkits and equipment (with more being added) covering science, technology, engineering and math topics. Borrowers can access items such as 3D printers, robotics kits, microscopes, cameras, digital sensors and specialized kits exploring ocean acidification, renewable energy, DNA extraction, aquaponics and wind turbine design.
Teachers can also borrow educational guides, ecological kits and maker tools that encourage inquiry-based learning and real-world scientific investigation.
“Using those tools, using that equipment and engaging that way, it’s giving students the opportunity to be scientists, engineers, computer scientists and mathematicians, so that they’re asking questions, collecting data and analyzing their data,” UH STEM Pre-Academy Director Lauren Kaupp.
Randall Shinn is a curriculum coach at ʻIlima Intermediate School and has been utilizing UH’s STEM Pre-Academy resources for about a dozen years. He said that tools such as the wave tank, rain chamber and hydroponic system have been instrumental for him as an educator in and out of the classroom.
“Working with middle school students, I see their positive energy level—seeing something that they never had the opportunity to see always brings their engagement level up when you first introduce it to them,” Shinn said.
The Toolkits for Teachers program has been supporting Hawaiʻi educators for several years, and the UH STEM Pre-Academy is actively working to expand the collection and increase awareness so more teachers can take advantage of these resources.
The UH STEM Pre-Academy office at the Mānoa Innovation Center is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., for toolkit pick-up and drop-off. Teachers are encouraged to contact the office in advance to arrange borrowing and confirm availability.
For more information or to borrow toolkits, visit the UH STEM Pre-Academy website.
Showcasing UH research projects
Several STEM Pre-Academy toolkits showcase projects created by UH researchers, with origins in programs such as the UH Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, College of Engineering, Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology and more.
“There’s a lot of really good curriculum, but a lot of what’s available to teachers is not necessarily local. To be able to bring current UH research into classrooms is really an amazing opportunity.” — Lauren Kaupp
“We have some examples like our deep sea ecology kit, coral bleaching kit and wave energy buoy that were directly created by UH researchers or influenced by researchers, and we want to be able to provide that and bring UH research and innovation into classrooms,” Kaupp said. “There’s a lot of really good curriculum, but a lot of what’s available to teachers is not necessarily local. To be able to bring current UH research into classrooms is really an amazing opportunity.”
STEM Pre-Academy welcomes collaboration from UH researchers interested in developing new toolkits or incorporating existing tools and resources into their work. For more information and to get involved, contact STEM Pre-Academy.
—By Marc Arakaki
