FIRST IPAD EDUCATION APP FOR CLEAN ENERGY AVAILABLE FREE ONLY THIS EARTH DAY, APRIL 22
For Immediate Release: April 18, 2011
HONOLULU– iPad’s first clean educational app, initiated by the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) and Maui-based app developer NSC Partners, will be demonstrated at the Hawaii Clean Energy Day event at the State Capitol on Wednesday, April 20, 9 a.m.to 2 p.m. and will be available to download free from iTunes on Earth Day, Friday, April 22.
“Our Clean Energy Hawaii STEM app is the only one of its kind listed in the Education and Games section of Apple iTunes,” said Leslie Wilkins, program director of MEDB’s Women in Technology division. “One of our goals is to engage students in science, technology, and math and what better way than through the most exciting media available, the iPad. We used the islands as a base to provide energy information and activities because the State has set a goal of 70% clean energy by 2030.”
“These initiatives will help get our young people ready for the clean energy jobs we want to see in Hawaii now and in the future,” said Estrella Seese, State energy administrator. “We’re showcasing the Clean Energy app at our Clean Energy Day exhibit at the Capitol on April 20 and thanking partners like MEDB that are bringing us closer to our 70% clean energy goal.”
Recently designated “New and Noteworthy” by Apple in both the Education and Educational Games categories, the Clean Energy Hawaii STEM app opens with a fully touchable view of all the islands across Hawaii. This allows students to see what types of clean energy — biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, wind — are available on each island. Students can virtually build a clean energy project such as a wind turbine, with or without battery storage, and experiment on what it takes to put renewable energy to practical use.
A detailed description for each energy type is available via an interactive menu. Students can explore and learn about the energy mix and the traditional legends of each island. Touchable icons show all the types of clean energy, their general locations, and detailed information on the energy site.
The Clean Energy Hawaii STEM app complements MEDB’s Island Energy Inquiry (IEI) program, an energy science curriculum aligned with Department of Education STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) standards for grades 5 through 12. More than 100 teachers statewide have attended workshops on the curriculum.
The Island Energy Inquiry program and Clean Energy Hawaii STEM app are sponsored by MEDB’s Women in Technology and funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education.
NSC Partners LLC is a privately held company located in Maui, Hawaii that innovates by developing mobile, web, and database software applications for education, healthcare, business, and sports. Its partners have deep expertise in business, strategy, management, technology, software, litigation, finance, accounting, tax, healthcare, and medicine.
For more details, go to www.womenintech.com. Or contact WIT Program Director Leslie Wilkins, [email protected], 808.875.2337.
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For more information, contact:
Leslie Wilkins, Program Director
Women in Technology
Maui Economic Development Board
T: 808.280.0376
E: [email protected]
Lois Hamaguchi
Energy Analyst
DBEDT Energy Office
T: (808) 587-9006
E: [email protected]