EAGER: Project BASELINE - Building Faculty Capacity via Biodiversity and Community Partnerships

This project aims to serve the national interest by exploring methods to connect STEM faculty to relevant real-world data to be analyzed and at the same time increase the use and facility with usage of artificial intelligence (AI). Through the EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) program, IUSE and the STEM EDU directorate seek to leverage this exploratory work to build curricular models that bring local understanding and appreciation of the physical world aligned with cutting edge information technology. This pilot lies in generating evidence-based knowledge on how to effectively merge advanced biotechnology with traditional ecological knowledge in higher education. While eDNA is an established tool, the pedagogical framework for teaching its associated data science components within a community-stewarded context remains largely untested. This project advances academic understanding in key areas. Project BASELINE is a 24-month exploratory pilot led by the University of Hawaii - West O'ahu to build faculty capacity for place-based data science education through community partnerships and biodiversity monitoring. This pilot tests a radically new, community-embedded framework that establishes the pedagogical and ethical infrastructure necessary to utilize dynamic estuarine wetlands in formal STEM education. Specifically, the project treats a traditional estuarine fishpond as a living laboratory, integrating advanced environmental DNA (eDNA) biotechnology with traditional aquaculture socioecological management practices. Faculty will work side-by-side with community partners to master eDNA sampling, biodiversity analytics, and computational thinking. Concurrently, the project team will collaboratively prototype instructional modules and establish a co-stewarded data governance framework aligned with local data sovereignty and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics) principles. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.