This site recounts the struggle for control of Hawaii between native Hawaiians and American business interests in the late 1800s. This 1897 petition and a lobbying effort by native Hawaiians convinced the U.S. Congress not to annex the islands. But months later the U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havana and the Spanish-American War began. The U.S. needed a mid-Pacific fueling station and naval base.

Primary source images, standards correlation, and teaching activities are included in this resource.

"Botany in Hawai‘i" discusses introductory topics of Botany through examples of the native and introduced plants found in Hawai‘i. It includes anatomy and physiology of seeds, roots, leaves, stems, fruits and flowers and covers the main plant groups from nonvascular to flowering plants. This book provides a visual reference to botanical concepts and terminology for beginners.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Coral reefs are known to partner with a number of organisms for survival. including nitrogen-fixing microbes known as diazotrophs. A new study examined how these and other microbes vary among corals of different species and from different parts of the world— namely, Hawai’i, Curaçao, and Australia. The microbial makeup of the coral microbiome was found to vary with coral species, location, and ecological life history. For example, while diazotrophs of the order Rhizobiales were common to all coral microbiomes, they were 8 times as abundant in corals from Hawai’i than in corals from Curaçao or Australia. Interestingly, however, the factor contributing to the biggest differences in community structure was coral shape. Plate-like, branching, and solitary corals, for instance, showed communities that were genetically distinct from boulder-like corals. These findings confirm the known effects of coral shape and size on attributes such as light and food capture, gas exchange, and metabolism..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

In this video segment from Nature, learn the geological process by which the next Hawaiian island will be formed.

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientists search for carbonized remains of plants preserved in lava flows to find out how long it has taken rain forests on Hawaii to regenerate after a volcanic eruption.

Public attention was captured in May 2018 when the Hawaiian volcano Kīlauea erupted with rivers of lava that flowed through Leilani Estates and other nearby neighborhoods. Your students may have seen videos of hot lava covering roads, destroying homes, or reaching the ocean with clouds of hot steam. You can capitalize on their interest by using data from this real-world event.

In these middle school lessons, students take on the role of volcanologists in order to analyze geologic data about the May 2018 eruption of Kīlauea and provide recommendations for mitigating its harmful effects.

This video segment from Nature explains the geologic forces behind the creation of HawaiiŒë_í_Œ_ dramatic shoreline.

The Hawaiian Islands formed primarily as a result of volcanic activity. While most islands ​form near tectonic plate boundaries, the Hawaiian Islands are nearly 2000 miles away from the nearest plate margin. Therefore, scientists believe that the islands formed due to the presence of the Hawaiian "hot spot," a region deep in the Earth's mantle from which heat rises. This heat produces melted rock (magma), which then pushes through the crust and solidifies. Created by Sal Khan.

Introduction to the history of Rapa Nui and Polynesia (~7,300 words) for middle and high school students.

A team of faculty and graduate assistants in the Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences department are creating a textbook to replace the text hundreds of UH students purchase each semester. The book will include chapters borrowed and adapted from Flat World Knowledge and OpenStax OER textbooks, customized to meet the Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Issues (HAP) focus requirement. The book will be published on the UH Pressbooks OER platform.

In this Nature video, follow geologists as they retrieve samples from a fresh batch of Kilauea's molten lava.

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientist Mike Garcia draws lava samples at the foot of the active Kilauea volcano to see if it is related to its neighboring volcano, Mauna Loa.

This video segment adapted from the NOW-RAMP 2002 Expedition documents a research expedition to Pearl and Hermes Atoll in Hawai`i. Watch as biologists assess the bird and plant populations and then work to eradicate invasive species.

This video segment adapted from NOVA uses animation to show the relationship between the movement of a tectonic plate and whether volcanoes on the Hawaiian Islands are active or dormant.

In this video from Nature, learn about the erosive action of water on the Hawaiian landscape and human efforts to limit it.

This selection of items from Mystic Seaport's archival collections includes logbooks, diaries, letters, business papers, and published narratives of voyages and travels. The unique maritime perspective of these materials offers a rich look at the events, culture, beliefs, and personal experiences associated with the settlement of California, Alaska, Hawaii, Texas, and the Pacific Northwest. A number of photographs, paintings, maps, and nautical charts are also included to illustrate the story of Americansäóť western seaborne travel. Various themes are touched upon, including whaling, life at sea, shipping, women at sea, and native populations.