About the Hawaii Young Investigators Program
The Hawai’i Young Investigators Program (HYIP) provides grants for students to obtain funding to subsidize costs of supplies needed to conduct independent research projects. This program seeks to identify and support Hawaii youths in grades 6-12 interested in participating in the Hawaii Science Fair program or the Hawaii Junior Sciences & Humanities Symposium. Students will be required to write a proposal of their project along with a budget of expenses. Students will gain an introductory experience to the world of proposal writing, while applying for financial support in order to carry out their project. All eligible students are encouraged to apply. The application process is competitive. The number of grants awarded are contingent on funding. This program was started in 2022 after learning the challenges students face with pursuing research they are passionate about. We were able to provide funding to 4 students last year, and the response was tremendous. We really hope to continue this program in years going forward, so if you are interested in becoming a sponsor to support our efforts in providing students with grants, please contact us at acadsci@hawaii.edu.
Download the HYIP 2023-2024 ANNOUNCEMENT
REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION:
- Must be a student in grades 6-12 enrolled in a Hawaii public, private, or home school
- Must apply to your School or District Science & Engineering Fair (open to Gr. 6-12) or the Hawaii JSHS (open to Gr. 9-12)
HOW DO I APPLY?
Step #1. Complete the HYIP SY23-24 APPLICATION.
Step #2. Submit your completed application by September 30, 2023 to acadsci@hawaii.edu.
2022-2023 HYIP AWARDS
GRAY NAUWELAERTS
University Laboratory School, Honolulu District
Project Title: Effectiveness of Essential Oils as Natural Shower Disinfectants
Attended: 2023 Hawaii & Pacific JSHS, 2023 Honolulu District Science & Engineering Fair
KENNETH YI
Mililani High School, Central District
Project Title: Decontamination of Heavy Metals in Soil by Native Hawaiian Plants through Phytoremediation
Attended: 2023 Hawaii & Pacific JSHS, 2023 Central District Science Fair (1st Overall), 2023 HSSEF (1st Place Environmental Engineering category), 2023 ISEF
MICHAEL QUINN
Castle High School, Windward District
Project Title: Into the Deep-Designing, Building, Testing, and Refining an ROV for the Mesophotic Zone
Attended: 2023 Windward District Science Fair, 2023 HSSEF (3rd Place for Engineering Technology Statistics and Dynamics category)
PARKER WONG
Pearl City High School, Leeward District
Project Title: Improving the Efficiency of an Electrolyzer by Manipulating the Electrolyte, Measuring Efficiency through Battery Voltage Output
Attended: 2023 Leeward District Science Fair, 2023 HSSEF