Lauren Kaupp has been appointed as director of the STEM Pre-Academy, a unit in the University of Hawaiʻi Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation. Kaupp will start on June 11 and will be responsible for engaging with researchers and faculty across the UH System to develop STEM initiatives that inspire middle school students to use place-based research to create new knowledge and innovation.
She will be tasked with strengthening the department’s internal collaboration with programs such as the Hawaiʻi P–20 Partnerships for Education and other STEM programs at UH. Kaupp will also be responsible for developing collaborations with State of Hawaiʻi Department of Education (HIDOE) educators and administrators by creating opportunities for them to participate with UH researchers on a variety of learning initiatives.
“STEM education should open doors for all students, and local context matters in making STEM teaching and learning meaningful. We have a unique opportunity to inspire Hawaiʻi students and teachers by connecting them to STEM research and innovation happening across the UH System,” said Kaupp. “I am humbled and excited to return to UH to join the STEM Pre-Academy and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation to continue to serve our local education community.”
More on Kaupp
Kaupp earned her master of science degree in chemical oceanography from UH Mānoa in 2005. She comes to UH from HIDOE, where she has served as Title IV-A administrator/coordinator since 2021. She was responsible for overseeing program development and implementation of the state’s Title IV-A initiatives funded by a $6 million annual federal grant to improve student academic enrichment by increasing the capacity for well-rounded education, safe and healthy schools, and effective use of technology.
Before moving to that position at HIDOE, Kaupp was an educational specialist for science and STEM for more than seven years, and led the adoption and implementation of Next Generation Science Standards, which included strategic planning, professional learning for teachers, and development of proficiency measures.
From 2005 to 2014, Kaupp served as a science specialist, science teacher and curriculum developer for UH Mānoa’s Curriculum Research & Development Group where she wrote, edited and served as lead author on several marine science and conceptual physics curricula.
“We are excited to welcome another UH alumna and a former College of Education faculty member back to lead our STEM Pre-Academy,” said UH Vice President for Research and Innovation Vassilis L. Syrmos. “We are fortunate to have someone of Lauren’s caliber, a knowledgeable, experienced and passionate STEM educator and administrator, to lead collaborative initiatives designed to extend the reach of UH research and innovation to Hawaiʻi public school students through their middle school teachers.”
Kaupp earned her bachelor of science in chemistry from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2003, and her educational doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Southern California in 2014. She has been an invited panelist for Taking Stock of Science Standards Implementation: A Summit, and a reviewer for Science and Engineering for Grades 6-12: Investigation and Design at the Center for the National Academy of Sciences. Kaupp has served on numerous boards and in advisory capacities for organizations including the Council of State Science Supervisors, the UH STEM Office, the Hawaiʻi Science Teachers Association and the American Association of University Women.