Students will launch the project through place-based observations, community expertise, and an initial systems model connecting water availability, native ecosystems, and human actions in Hawaiʻi.

Students will analyze evidence about Hawaiʻi’s water systems, native ecosystems, water scarcity, and community stewardship before defining a stakeholder-centered filtration problem. They will establish measurable criteria and constraints, examine existing filtration approaches, and use two rounds of peer feedback to revise a team design brief that guides later prototyping and public communication.

Students will generate multiple water-filter concepts, use evidence and mathematics to compare trade-offs, select a design, and complete a readiness package containing a labeled plan, materials list, test prediction, and initial clean-water PSA message.

Students will build and safely test a team water-filter prototype, collect quantitative performance data, create graphs, and use evidence to determine whether the prototype meets its measurable criteria and constraints.

Students will analyze filter performance and trade-offs, use expert and peer feedback to select a targeted improvement, conduct a fair retest, compare quantitative results, revise a clean-water PSA, and complete a readiness rehearsal for the community showcase.

Students will strengthen their evidence-based presentation, showcase a tested water-filter prototype and clean-water PSA to an authentic audience, and complete a final written reflection supported by project evidence.