Students win $19K for AI solutions to real-world education issues

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PEARL CITY - Students from five Hawai'i public schools received $19,500 in awards for coming up with project ideas that utilize artificial intelligence to address real-world issues that students face today.

Teams from Baldwin High, Palisades Elementary and ʻĪao Intermediate Schools each won the top prize of $5,000 in the Design Intelligence Lab contest. Hilo High and two separate teams from Kalani High School were each awarded $1,500 for their project ideas.

Superintendent Keith Hayashi, who served as a judge during competition rounds, said he was impressed by the ingenuity and creativity students displayed in both developing their solutions and pitching their ideas to industry professionals.

"I was blown away by the innovation and talent our students showcased. They exemplify our vision of public school graduates being globally competitive and locally committed, using their problem-solving skills and cutting-edge technology to improve the lives of their peers and communities," Hayashi said.

The Design Intelligence Lab is an annual two-month long design thinking workshop that the Hawai'i State Department of Education puts on in partnership with the Public Schools of Hawai'i Foundation and Design Thinking Hawai'i aimed at transforming student ideas into impactful solutions.

"We live in a time where the world is changing rapidly," said Ken Hiraki, executive director for Public Schools of Hawai'i Foundation. "Technology, innovation and ideas are reshaping the landscape of opportunity. Many of our initiatives are designed to provide students with the latest skills and tools necessary to compete on the global stage. By doing so, we allow students to tackle some of society's oldest problems with the newest technology."

The challenge, which is in its fifth year, added two new elements for this year. Students in grades K-12 were required to incorporate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) into the design of their project. This is also the first year that cash prizes were involved, sponsored by the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation.

"Incorporating AI has elevated our solutions and given us more options to give us more solutions," said HIDOE Educational Specialist Tiffany Frias who oversees the Hawai'i State Student Council. She said that the students brainstormed the ideas for the projects during her student leadership conference held over the summer.

Students were allowed to form teams of no more than six students and were paired with a volunteer mentor to develop a chatbot using ChatGPT that would address educational issues.

The winning schools and their projects are:

• H.P. Baldwin High - Scholarship Connector: Connects students with scholarship opportunities

• Palisades Elementary - Absentee Math Program: Supports math catch-up with guided coaching

• ʻĪao Intermediate - Financial Tutor: Teaches students about financial basics

• Hilo High - School Connection Support: Assists new students with activity navigation

• Kalani High Team 1 - Alumni Connection Platform: Links students, staff, and alumni

• Kalani High Team 2 - Missed Class AI Bot: Helps students catch up on missed work

Some of the students are planning to apply for the Public Schools of Hawai'i Foundation's Good Ideas Grant to continue developing the project, Frias said.

The Public Schools of Hawai'i Foundation and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation presented a $5,000 check to the winning team from Palisades Elementary at their winter assembly on Thursday. The team includes Emma Sophia McClellan, Riddum Olivas-Maake and Mari Urabe, with advisor Jan Kanaeholo.

"We never thought about winning a prize - we just wanted to learn about AI and continue on with the project, continue to build these partnerships and eventually have our students realize that there was something to work toward," said Palisades Elementary School Principal Gavin Tsue. "Our kids rose to the competition and I'm just so proud of them."

The winning students at Baldwin High School and ʻĪao Intermediate were also recognized with their checks in presentations at their respective campuses. The foundation is currently scheduling a formal check presentation to the students at the remaining schools.

"The ultimate goal is to be able to eventually roll out each chat bot for use at every public school statewide," Hiraki said.