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Background: Students from historically excluded groups face many pedagogical, societal, and institutional barriers that lead to disproportionately lower levels of entering and higher levels of attrition from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) undergraduate programs. Student experiences within a STEM learning environment play a large role in influencing participation and persistence in science, and place-based education (PBE) is one pedagogical approach that aims to increase student engagement with science. By allowing students to engage with scientific concepts through their own knowledge systems, PBE can develop these students' science identity and nurture a sense of belonging within the science community. This study examined student science identity in participants of a place-based, early-credit, Hawai?i undergraduate research experience, the Research Experiences in Marine Science (REMS) Program. Results: Student science identity was measured via responses from pre- and post-program Likert-type surveys before and after participation in the REMS program along the dimensions of Performance/Competence, Interest, and Recognition. The science identities of REMS alumni who returned to participate in the program as near-peer mentors and undergraduate researchers were also measured to explore whether repeated exposure to the program experience continued to promote shifts in identity construct metrics. Results indicate that all student groups who participated in REMS, including alumni, gained confidence in their science content understanding and research skills, increased their interest in science as a subject and as a career pathway, and recognized how science affects their communities. New students demonstrated the largest shifts in their science identity metrics, but alumni also indicated further development of their science identities. Conclusions: The data from this study suggest that the timing of interventions which aim to influence student science identity and persistence in STEM pathways is an important factor when targeting student groups transitioning to undergraduate programs. Future educational efforts to increase the positive development of student science identity should consider the potential benefits of cumulative research experiences to support students through their early careers as undergraduates in STEM.

This high school-level, place-based, inquiry-driven laboratory module familiarises students with techniques used to analyse animal behaviour while facilitating the development of the observational skills highlighted by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Throughout the module, students observe, quantify, and discuss local invertebrate behaviours in the classroom. While field-testing the module with Hawai?i high school students, we administered anonymous, online surveys before and after participation to examine whether the use of animals and language from the local environment and cultural landscape unique to Hawai?i helped to connect students with the ecology surrounding them and emphasise the relevancy of scientific observations beyond the classroom. Survey responses indicated increased content understanding, increased confidence in scientific skills, and more positive attitudes towards marine science among participants. Utilising ethological techniques within a place-based framework provides an adaptable platform for students in any location to develop the science literacy skills at the core of NGSS.

We present a hands-on, inquiry-based activity exploring how CO[subscript 2] input to seawater affects the skeletons of several species of reef-building corals and other marine organisms by testing for changes in pH and calcium ion concentrations. Originally developed to inspire and recruit high school students in the state of Hawai'i into the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, we assessed the effectiveness of the activity through the responses of 380 high school students to a series of questions about ocean acidification both before and after guiding them through the inquiry-based activity. Our results show that students gain a better understanding of ocean acidification and the relevance of the geosciences to their daily lives after their participation in the activity.

Hawai'i is a unique and special place to conduct environmental science inquiry through place based learning and scientific investigation. Here, we describe and evaluate a unique professional development program for science teachers in Hawai'i that integrates the traditional approach of providing training to improve content knowledge, with the overarching theme of scientific inquiry and investigation through short duration research experiences. Ten middle and high school teachers primarily from Hawai'i public high schools participated in the four week, full time professional development course, producing novel place-based lesson plans to execute in their home classrooms. Pre and post analyses of teacher reported confidence levels in teaching ten environmental and marine science topics showed significant improvements after the course. In addition, teachers continued professional relationships with scientists and instructors of the program through synergistic activities including partnering in grant proposal submissions, participating in related university offered programs for K-12 audiences, and facilitating student research internships with university scientists. Despite the overwhelming positive evaluations by teachers of the value and efficacy of the program, lack of funding and access to equipment were reported as anticipated limitations to implementing their newly gained knowledge in the classroom. Nonetheless, the program's success demonstrates that both teachers and scientists can benefit from a course of this nature, and using this framework, other organizations might adapt elements of the course to provide a similar place-based program in their respective back yards. (Contains 7 tables, 2 figures, and 1 footnote.)

This biology investigation on "Pristipomoides filamentosus" larval development, survival, and aquaculture research was developed with three educational objectives: to provide high school students with (1) a scientific background on the biology and science of fisheries as well as overfishing, its consequences, and possible mitigations; (2) exposure to field and laboratory techniques in marine science; and (3) practical skills in scientific inquiry and investigation. We teach this investigation at the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, where we have access to captive broodstock of the pink snapper, "P. filamentosus." During this investigation students follow several steps scientists take to study aquaculture: collecting spawn from outdoor fish pens, quantifying the number of eggs, determining the percentage of fertilisation, and estimating the time of spawning and hatching. Additionally, students perform hypothesis-driven science activities with the embryos to test the effects of water quality on their development and survival. In this paper we discuss background information of aquaculture, specifically of "P. filamentosus," and thoroughly describe the several components of delivering the investigation. Lastly, we provide possible outcomes of students' performances in the laboratory activities, and discuss how effectively the exercise met its educational objectives.

Hawai'i students, and in particular Native Hawaiian students, face high rates of attrition and low representation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) academic majors and careers, but place-based Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) such as the Research Experiences in Marine Science (REMS) summer program may help to better engage these students with scientific content understanding and skills development. This article assesses latent factors of student gains after participating in the REMS program as they relate to student science identity. Results from an exploratory factor analysis examining the internal structure of an assessment measure delivered during the program suggest strong evidence of four latent factors in student self-reported learning gains: Content Understanding, Scientific Skills, Interest, and Integration. These factors will guide the development and delivery of the REMS survey as it is applied to additional cohorts of students participating in REMS and other, similar programs being developed and implemented in Hawai'i to support Native Hawaiian students. Although there were no significant relationships between these factors and responses to a science identity survey item, additional insights from an alumna of the program highlight how place-based elements in CUREs provide authentic and rigorous research training experiences for students from populations historically marginalized in STEM., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

The Research Experiences in Marine Science (REMS) Program is a Hawai'i place-based CURE (course-based undergraduate research experience) for late high school and early undergraduate students wherein students conduct independent research that draws upon the history, culture, and ecosystem of their local communities. In addition to providing meaningful access to marine science education and training, REMS addresses a fear of failure expressed by students who view their culture and personal identity as incompatible with undergraduate science pathways. Data about student attitudes toward and conceptualizations of science and scientists were collected through pre- and postprogram open-ended survey items, Draw-a-Scientist Tests, and postprogram interviews. Results suggest the combination of place-based elements and an authentic research experience shifted students' conceptualization of scientists to a "humanized" construct. The emergence of this theme coincided with students recognizing themselves as scientists, gaining confidence in content understanding and research skills, increasing interest in science as a career pathway, and recognizing how science affects their communities. This study demonstrates how a CURE that emphasizes the cultural relevance of science, an inclusive conceptualization of a "scientist", and contextualized role of "failure" in science, may contribute to historically marginalized students recognizing themselves as scientists and ultimately persisting in science careers.

Insular adaptive radiations in which repeated bouts of diversification lead to phenotypically similar sets of taxa serve to highlight predictability in the evolutionary process [1]. However, examples of such replicated events are rare. Cross-clade comparisons of adaptive radiations are much needed to determine whether similar ecological opportunities can lead to the same outcomes. Here, we report a heretofore uncovered adaptive radiation of Hawaiian stick spiders (Theridiidae, Ariamnes) in which different species exhibit a set of discrete ecomorphs associated with different microhabitats. The three primary ecomorphs (gold, dark, and matte white) generally co-occur in native forest habitats. Phylogenetic reconstruction mapped onto the well-known chronosequence of the Hawaiian Islands shows both that this lineage colonized the islands only once and relatively recently (2-3 mya, when Kauai and Oahu were the only high islands in the archipelago) and that the distinct ecomorphs evolved independently multiple times following colonization of new islands. This parallel evolution of ecomorphs matches that of "spiny-leg" long-jawed spiders (Tetragnathidae, Tetragnatha), also in Hawaii [2]. Both lineages are free living, and both have related lineages in the Hawaiian Islands that show quite different patterns of diversification with no evidence of deterministic evolution. We argue that repeated evolution of ecomorphs results from a rugged adaptive landscape, with the few peaks associated with camouflage for these free-living taxa against the markedly low diversity of predators on isolated islands. These features, coupled with a limited genetic toolbox and reduced dispersal between islands, appear to be common to situations of repeated evolution of ecomorphs., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)