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Environmental Leadership

in Hawaii:

A Science & Culture Program for High School Students

The Big Island of Hawaii contains the world's greatest concentration of climate types in one relatively small area. Hawaii has 11 of the world's 13 climate zones in just over 4,000 square miles of terrain, from dry, coastal, desert to some of the wettest spots on earth, snow-capped mountains and coral reef systems. It is a living laboratory that allows students to study a wide variety of unique ecosystems and the human cultures that have flourished there.

Hawaii has a rich cultural history intertwined with its environmental systems and a well-documented record of human colonization with is associated impacts on biological species and cultural development. Approximately 1,500 years ago Polynesian voyagers sailed thousands of miles to the islands using the stars, waves, wind and birds as their primary navigational tools. Since then the island has been a rich mix of traditions, languages and practices from the Polynesian, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, American and European cultures. Hawaii is located at the geographic crossroads between the US and the Asia-Pacific region. It has a very diverse population and rich culture.

Brown has partnered with The Kohala Center to offer this competitive program for exceptionally motivated pre-college students with interests in science, leadership, and cultural studies. The Kohala Center links together a diverse network of Island-based institutions with expertise in the physical and cultural sciences, politics, education, and history. The Kohala Center is committed to helping Hawaii Island residents preserve and enhance the intellectual, cultural, and natural assets of the Island. The program described below will open your eyes to the complex relationships in the natural and social worlds of the island.

In April of 2008, the Brown Environmental Leadership Lab will return to Hawaii to study the ecological and social systems of the island. The goal of this program is to expose students to the island's biological, ecological and cultural diversity. For 2008, we are offering this program for two different sessions. The course is based on a core curriculum of volcanology, marine science, and Island culture.

For other BELL programs in Rhode Island, or for other Leadership Institute courses on the Brown campus, please visit the Leadership Institute website and click on the course titles in the left-hand column of your screen.