Kawānanakoa Middle School students and representatives of the high-tech firm Archinoetics LLC celebrate the launch of the GPS-enabled “electronic coconut” from Waimea Bay, which will help the students track currents online as part of their science class. - Photo: Courtesy of Archinoetics

By Blaine Fergerstrom / Ka Wai Ola

Liane Kitajima was so excited about the project unfolding in her office that she posted notes on Twitter.com, a microblogging web site.

LKitajima: Abobe film crew setting up in our office...Part 1 of 2 filming... the rest will happen on site at Waimea Bay tomorrow from 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

LKitajima: Check out www.projectniu.org to see what the filming is all about in our office.

The crew from software giant Adobe, makers of Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver, was in the offices of Archinoetics LLC, a Honolulu high-tech company, to produce a documentary about an “electronic coconut” which was going to be launched the next morning by Kawānanakoa Middle School sixth-graders at Waimea Bay on O'ahu's North Shore.

The “coconut,” actually a watertight black plastic tube fitted with satellite transponders, Global Positioning System sensors (GPS) and temperature probes, is the namesake of Project Niu, a program funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's B-WET, or Bay Watershed Education and Training, Hawai'i program. Established in 2002, B-WET aims to create environmentally literate students and teachers through education.

The instrument is set adrift on the ocean and sends reports back on its position and sea surface conditions via an Iridium satellite constellation link. Information is logged on the project web site, www.projectniu.org, which displays real-time data on a Google map. The kids watch the “Where's Niu?” page and use the data in their science reports. Kawānanakoa has integrated Project Niu into the school's science curriculum.

Kawānanakoa Middle School students decorated the Project Niu electronic "coconut" before it set sail. - Photo: Courtesy of Archinoetics

“The kids are actually pretty excited about it,” says Erin Nishimura, Niu's project manager. “Just look at their posts on the web site.”

“So far, I have learned tons of things … about the Pali Lookout, the watersheds, ancient Hawaiians, about the Niu, wind currents, ocean currents, litter, etc. … I know we are going to learn a lot more,” says Jeanne Hua on projectniu.org.

As part of their schoolwork, the Kawānanakoa children study the Niu, then post reflections to the web site. Before Niu's release, they develop hypotheses about what will happen. After release, they track Niu and compare data with their original ideas. It's an exciting way to learn science.

Kayla Hiura, posting for Group 1 students said, “We hope that the niu will travel all around the world,” but she recognizes that it might “… get caught in a hurricane, and get damaged.”

Kaili Awo posted for Group 5, “Our last hypothesis is maybe it will get damaged by a shark or a whale. OH NO!”

Adobe has come on board as a sponsor late in the project and the documentary they are producing is slated to be featured on the adobe.com web site later this year. They are donating Adobe software to the participating Hawai'i schoolchildren to help them document the progress of Niu and plan to come back next school year to take a more active role in the project.

Where's Niu? June 23, 2008 Update

As of June 23, Niu had traveled over 760 miles and was far north of the Hawaiian islands, drifting westward. Niu has averaged 16 miles per day in the 46 days since setting sail from Waimea Bay on O'ahu. Check Niu's current progress at: www.projectniu.org/maps/NiuTracker/NiuTracker.swf

CORRECTION: The original version of this article cited Kalākaua Intermediate as the students' school. The correct school is Kawānanakoa Intermediate. This online version of the article has been corrected. We regret the error.