Above left: Students weighed out specific amounts of food for each shark using the
scale. In addition, they were assigned a shark to feed and observe and had to take down detailed observation on the data sheet for that specific shark.
Middle: Students from three different periods visited Coconut Island (HIMB) to help a
Ph.D student Kanesa Duncan (left) conduct her research on scalloped hammerhead pups. This student is helping Ms. Duncan weigh the shark before release into Kaneohe Bay.
Right: Ms. Duncan visited our classroom 6 different times and taught the students about sharks. She covered topics from classification to ecology and included many hands-on activities and image-filled PowerPoint presentations. Students were able to hear
information from the scientist herself.

Name: Ms. Mari Taira
Title: Science Teacher
Education: B.S. from Bradley University (Illinois);
PBCSE from the University of Hawaii at Manoa
Years at Farrington: 2

Q: Why do you work at Farrington?
A: I was lucky enough to get my first job at Farrington High School. I started as a student teacher and I just couldn't leave. The students have taught me a lot and it's their excitement and enthusiasm that keeps me here.

Q: What are the most rewarding aspects of your job?
A: The most rewarding part of this job is seeing that spark of excitement in a student's face when they learn something new and start to view the oceans in a new perspective. Hopefully, they'll take that excitement outside of class and share their knowledge with others.

Q: Tell us more about the Coconut Island project?
A:The University of Hawaii has a Teaching Fellow program that allows Ph.D. candidates to work with classes and involve them in the research study. Our marine science classes worked with Ms. Kanesa Duncan, a PhD candidate, whose research focuses on scalloped hammerhead sharks.

The goal of the Coconut Island project is to involve students in a scientific study that has real merit as a scientific endeavor. At the same time, students will be learning the scientific process by participating in this real study on hammerhead sharks at the University's research facility on Coconut Island.

In addition, Ms. Duncan created a shark curriculum that focused on shark biology, classification, ecology, and the scientific method. She and I would teach this curriculum with all three classes of marine science students. Those that visited Coconut Island were able to enhance this in-class learning with hands-on application and observation.

Q: What was the goal of the experiment?
A: Ms. Duncan's experiment wanted to find out how much food a hammerhead shark needs to consume to maintain its weight and focused on the energy requirement of baby scalloped hammerheads in Kaneohe Bay. This experiment would then show the impact that this shark population has on the bay.

Above left: While feeding the sharks, the students had to make sure that the food
stayed in the shark's area and was not too close to the wall. If the food was too close to
the wall, the shark risked injuring itself by bumping into the wall, so students used the
nets to move food into the best position. After feeding was complete, they had to
remove all uneaten food to be weighed.
Middle: Prior to feeding the sharks, the students first had to separate the sharks so
that accurate data collection could take place. They used a net to give each of the three sharks their own compartment to feed. If there were any debris floating in the tank, the students were asked to use the net to remove it because it put the shark at risk.
Right: On the final day of this project, the sharks were supposed to be released, but unfortunately something went wrong with the study and the sharks in the experiment
died. Instead of a shark release, students were able to take a tour of Coconut Island and were taken into the marine mammal research facility. They were taught by the marine mammal scientists and were able to observe an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin at the island. The scientist told them about the animals and the research that is currently being done
on Coconut Island.

Q: What did your students do?
A: The students' role in this experiment was to feed the sharks their daily rations, maintain their tanks, and maintain accurate data logs. Each period had 4-10 students that attended Coconut Island once a week for four weeks. We would take the van and then a short boat ride to the research facility.

Once there, the students uncovered the tanks and separated the sharks so that accurate observations could be made. Each student would take their designated shark and measure out the specific amount of food for that shark. The student fed the sharks and recorded observations on behaviors.

If the shark did not eat all of its food, the student would have to take the extra food out and weight it again. Once the feeding period was over, the tanks were covered again and excess food was fed to the local fish.

Q: Tell us about what the students learned?
A: All students benefited from this project because they learned scientific information from the scientist herself. Not only did Ms. Duncan's classroom visits cover many different shark topics, but she was able to show them the relevance of science and the current research being done at the University of Hawaii. She exposed them to scientific tagging devices, real hammerhead shark specimens, and presentations and pictures that made them see sharks and science from a different perspective.

At Coconut Island, the students learned about the scientific method and shark anatomy and behavior by real observation. The experience itself was irreplaceable. In addition, students that visited the HIMB facility were able to see how a marine biologist conducts research and were also able to see other research that was being conducted.

This opened their eyes to the relevance and importance of science while also allowing them to explore educational and career options.