Month: March 2026

The HDOT Highways Maui District team had an awesome time hanging out with the K-5 students at Hawaii Technology Academy on March 25! We brought our stormwater outreach tools to the classroom to show students and teachers how water flows through our island.

We used the EnviroScape and Storm Drain models to show how rainwater can sweep up pollutants from our streets and yards, carrying them on a direct trip down to the ocean. These tools help visualize how everything from trash to car oil can impact our local waters if we aren’t careful.

We also dove into our BMP Flashcard game, where the kids shared great ideas on how to stop pollution at the source. The game helps everyone identify “Best Management Practices,” like picking up litter and proper yard care, to make sure only rain goes down the drain. It was great to see everyone brainstorming ways to keep our neighborhoods and beaches clean.

A huge mahalo to Hawaii Technology Academy for having us!

Highways Maui District had an awesome time hanging out with the 3rd graders at Makawao Elementary on March 9! We brought our stormwater science kits to the classroom for four interactive sessions, showing 94 bright students how water flows through our Upcountry landscape.

The real stars of the day were the EnviroScape and Storm Drain models. Students got to see exactly how rainwater can sweep up pollutants from our streets and yards, carrying them on a direct trip down to the ocean. To wrap things up, we also dove into our BMP flashcard activity, where the kids shared great ideas on how to stop pollution at the source, like keeping our neighborhoods clean and making sure only rain goes down the drain.

A huge mahalo to the Makawao Elementary 3rd grade for being such an engaged and curious group!

We had a blast celebrating the 26th Annual Introducing Engineering Careers event for Engineers Week! Our HDOT Highways Maui District team headed over to the MEDB/STEMworks Engineering Day to hang out with some of Maui’s brightest students and talk about what it’s really like to build and maintain our island’s roads. It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the real-world impact of civil engineering while encouraging the next generation to consider the vital role they can play in our community’s future.

Our exhibitor booth served as a resource for students interested in the day-to-day operations of managing Maui’s highways. Members of the Maui District team were on hand to answer questions about public service careers and the various engineering roles within the Department of Transportation. We enjoyed sharing insights into the specialized skills required for highway design and the long-term planning involved in keeping our island infrastructure safe and reliable.

A key feature of our participation included two AASHTO Bridge Building sessions. These workshops allowed students to move beyond the classroom and engage in the hands-on application of civil engineering principles. Participants worked through the design and construction process, gaining practical insight into how professional engineers approach structural challenges. It was rewarding to see students collaborate and successfully apply these concepts to their own bridge models.

Investing in these educational outreach programs is a core part of our commitment to developing the next generation of local engineers. Mahalo to the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) and the STEMworks team for organizing this impactful event and for their continued dedication to STEM education on Maui.