Mari Taira

"Harnessing Energy for Tomorrow" is the winning program from Taira that will help more than 55 students at Waikoloa School see the role that the "invisible world" of physical science plays in their lives. The program will increase the classroom discussion and lessons from just one chapter on renewable energy to an entire year's worth woven throughout the curriculum. Such topics as energy and energy transfer, turbine designs, solar energy, bio-fuel and hydrogen fuel cell technology as well as fossil fuels will be discussed. The culminating activity for the year will be a debate on renewable energy, having student groups represent different energy sources and campaign to be chosen as the "energy of tomorrow". This program will encourage the students to pursue higher education and even careers in the Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) fields. Taira lives in Waikoloa.