Engineers from Hitachi Rail Honolulu provided science students with real-world lessons, as they apply to the Skyline rail project.

Over 100 students from Honouliuli Middle School visited the nearby Kualaka‘i Station in East Kapolei to learn about the rail station and rail safety. Hitachi team members gave students examples of potential, kinetic and mechanical energies and how they are utilized in train operations. The students in turn quizzed Hitachi team members on the Law of Conservation of Energy — the scientific law that states energy can neither be created nor destroyed — and how it applies to the Skyline rail system.

“This year’s presentation, visual aids and demonstrations significantly improved the students’ understanding of energy forms and how they are used in Skyline,” said Sarah Maluo, a science teacher at Honouliuli. “When the instruction stays in the classroom, students only see the knowledge being built as useful in school, but when we have the opportunity to leave these four walls and meet with people who are making a sustainable difference on the island, the student’s projects become more realistic and impactful to their community.”