The H.P.A. Energy Lab is a testament to what can be done when a synergy of people share a vision. Located above the H.P.A. upper campus, the lab meets the requirements of both LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum and the Living Building Challenge. “The Living Building Challenge is LEED plus you have to be energy zero, water zero, waste zero. It was so hard that there were two successful buildings in the two years the program had run. We decided to be number three and we were,” said lab director, Bill Wiecking.
The building is an example of cutting edge technology, but it is also providing the opportunity for ongoing innovative educational practices that started with the building’s development. “The students were part of the design process and all the metrics and all the evaluation. They'd come to the architects meeting and say, 'Why'd you do that?'”said Wiecking.
The building’s design and construction was just the beginning of the real magic of the Energy Lab. The first year of operation, students were involved in conducting the required monitoring of the building. “We had a year where we had to measure everything, every five minutes. Water, air flow,” said Wiecking. This set the scene for the innovative educational approach that has developed over the last five years.
The building is an example of cutting edge technology, but it is also providing the opportunity for ongoing innovative educational practices that started with the building’s development. “The students were part of the design process and all the metrics and all the evaluation. They'd come to the architects meeting and say, 'Why'd you do that?'”said Wiecking.
The building’s design and construction was just the beginning of the real magic of the Energy Lab. The first year of operation, students were involved in conducting the required monitoring of the building. “We had a year where we had to measure everything, every five minutes. Water, air flow,” said Wiecking. This set the scene for the innovative educational approach that has developed over the last five years.
Bill Wiecking and students. When students find their way to the H.P.A. Energy Lab, it can be daunting at first. Rather than being told what to learn, they are asked. “The people who come into this lab don't know what they want to do and it can be intimidating. You ask a junior or senior questions and they are so articulate about every little detail, but when they started out they had no idea what they wanted to do,” said Wiecking.
Wiecking’s unflagging curiosity and energy sets the tone for this collegiate “Exploratorium”. You can walk in the door at any time during the day and find the hum of purposeful students engaged in active real world investigations. There is an air of hopeful possibility.
The main room has large monitors suspended from the ceiling and is bordered by classrooms set up like boardrooms and workrooms containing cutting edge equipment. “It's not just the building that is different but the space is different. The environment is different. They come back from college and say, 'We really had it good',” said Wiecking.
Wiecking’s unflagging curiosity and energy sets the tone for this collegiate “Exploratorium”. You can walk in the door at any time during the day and find the hum of purposeful students engaged in active real world investigations. There is an air of hopeful possibility.
The main room has large monitors suspended from the ceiling and is bordered by classrooms set up like boardrooms and workrooms containing cutting edge equipment. “It's not just the building that is different but the space is different. The environment is different. They come back from college and say, 'We really had it good',” said Wiecking.
Jessi Ainslie In this think tank atmosphere, students find a focus and develop a project, which can often be a legacy from a previous student. The projects have continuity but also evolve based on the student’s interests and passions. “The really cool thing about handing down projects is that each person brings their own culture to it. Everyone who comes into the energy lab is completely different, except we're all passionate about something,” said senior, Jessie Ainslie.
This creates a collaborative spirit where students share research and ideas with each other. “People come in here who are in business and they'll say, 'That's exactly how my team works'. It's a group of people who collaborate and they all have their different strengths and they respect each other,” said Wiecking.
Once students find their focus, how they go about exploring their questions is unique. The recently presented student projects were wide ranging and reflect personal passions and the desire to be of service. Here is a sampling of the projects that included: the study of neurological patterns, environmental monitoring, holograms, drone technology, green movement networking, an historical study and a search for exoplanets.
This creates a collaborative spirit where students share research and ideas with each other. “People come in here who are in business and they'll say, 'That's exactly how my team works'. It's a group of people who collaborate and they all have their different strengths and they respect each other,” said Wiecking.
Once students find their focus, how they go about exploring their questions is unique. The recently presented student projects were wide ranging and reflect personal passions and the desire to be of service. Here is a sampling of the projects that included: the study of neurological patterns, environmental monitoring, holograms, drone technology, green movement networking, an historical study and a search for exoplanets.
To explore neurological patterns, students had three types of specialized brain monitoring headsets: Emotive, which has EEG capability; Muse and NeuroSky, streamlined versions that provide more generalized data. Using the Emotive and NeuroSky headsets, senior Erina Baudat measured the effects of music on the brain activity of dementia patients in her native Japan and at Ho`oNani Place Adult Daycare Center in Waimea. Through her data, she was able to show the dramatic difference in brain activity two hours of music a day can make. A simple thing as music can trigger memories and connect and create neuron pulses. My eventual goal is to bring back the studies to Japan because Japan has a really high frequency of aged patients and I wanted to do something for my community,” said Baudat.
Caylin Kojima’s project was very personal but with potential for broader applications. Diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, she used all three headsets to explore her own brain patterns and apply her findings to creating neuro feedback therapy, a technique that could help bipolar sufferers. “I wanted to know what was going on in my brain in a manic or depressed state. It is very debilitating and the more treatment options we have the better off we'll be,” said Kojima.
Technology is a big presence at the Energy Lab, but students are allowed to explore in any direction using whatever tools are appropriate. One such project was senior Ariana Datta’s Parker Ranch climate study. Using diaries dating back to 1902, Datta studied the relationship between Parker Ranch and the ranch culture in Waimea, focusing on the grass-fed beef program to. “This project is intended to preserve Waimea’s past and conceptualize what Waimea’s future might hold,” said Datta.
Inspired by a visit from perspective scientists who would be residents of the NASA Mars habitat on Mauna Loa, juniors Alice Patig and Zen Simone set up a monitoring system to optimize learning conditions in classrooms. Using Netatmo sensors to “create an interface to show what all the classroom's profiles look like in order to change or alter them in certain ways that will optimize learning. It allows the students to better focus on what the teacher is saying and really listen and by lowering the CO2 with better ventilation, they feel less tired,” said Simone.
These projects are a legacy from the students and an example of what can be done given the tools and the innovative environment of the H.P.A. Energy Lab.
Caylin Kojima’s project was very personal but with potential for broader applications. Diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, she used all three headsets to explore her own brain patterns and apply her findings to creating neuro feedback therapy, a technique that could help bipolar sufferers. “I wanted to know what was going on in my brain in a manic or depressed state. It is very debilitating and the more treatment options we have the better off we'll be,” said Kojima.
Technology is a big presence at the Energy Lab, but students are allowed to explore in any direction using whatever tools are appropriate. One such project was senior Ariana Datta’s Parker Ranch climate study. Using diaries dating back to 1902, Datta studied the relationship between Parker Ranch and the ranch culture in Waimea, focusing on the grass-fed beef program to. “This project is intended to preserve Waimea’s past and conceptualize what Waimea’s future might hold,” said Datta.
Inspired by a visit from perspective scientists who would be residents of the NASA Mars habitat on Mauna Loa, juniors Alice Patig and Zen Simone set up a monitoring system to optimize learning conditions in classrooms. Using Netatmo sensors to “create an interface to show what all the classroom's profiles look like in order to change or alter them in certain ways that will optimize learning. It allows the students to better focus on what the teacher is saying and really listen and by lowering the CO2 with better ventilation, they feel less tired,” said Simone.
These projects are a legacy from the students and an example of what can be done given the tools and the innovative environment of the H.P.A. Energy Lab.
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