The MISA Lab also works directly with `Iolani High School, on the island of `Oahu in Hawai`i and their ʻĀina-Informatics Network (AIN). The program’s objective is to develop place-based curricula for ethical genome science that centers on Hawaiʻi’s unique relationships to ‘āina, all while generating real data via a community science approach. This growing network consists of high school science teachers from both public and private schools across Hawaiʻi.” We recently published a paper together on the AIN program and the development of place-based genomic education and research (https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ast.2023.0072).

AIN is helping the MISA Lab and the Donachie Lab at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa in discovering new bacterial species and microbial genomic pathways relevant to space-related research. Thus far, students have sequenced and annotated the genomes of 15 different bacterial strains, mostly from Hawaiian lava caves (https://www.communityscience.iolani.org/ainainformatics/lavacave). with students from both `Oahu and the Island of Hawai`i participating in the research. New species that are discovered can then be named by the students and community members that assist with the isolation and/or sequencing of the microbes (https://www.communityscience.iolani.org/ainainformatics/lavacave/hakuinoa).