PacIOOS team members represented Backyard Buoys at the 9th Annual Onizuka Day of Exploration in Honolulu, Hawai‘i on April 5. Hosted by The Aloha Council (Boy Scouts of America) and the University of Hawai‘i West O‘ahu, this event honors the legacy of Astronaut Ellison Onizuka, from Kealakekua, Hawai‘i Island. Approximately 8,000 attendees visited more than 100 interactive booths and participated in over 50 in-depth workshops on STEM topics ranging from robotics to an inflatable walk-through whale.
PacIOOS brought several wave demo kits, along with the Sofar Spotter buoy used by the Backyard Buoys project to create fun and engaging activities.With the help of a Slinky, attendees could clearly observe the motion of progressive waves and the formation of standing waves, making the wave concepts more tangible and engaging. A Newtonʻs cradle demonstrated how the energy and momentum transfers between objects. While using a waveform model, attendees observed how the movement of water below the surface of the ocean creates the crests and troughs of waves we see at the beach.
The mini-buoy and accelerometer were the highlights of the day. All participants had a chance to hold the mini-buoy with the accelerometer and move in different ways to form “waves” while the accelerometer generated graphs showing the height of their waves. This hands-on activity demonstrated how the Sofar Spotter buoy uses its internal accelerometer to record the vertical, horizontal and circular motions of the buoy, and translate them into a measurement of wave height. By creating “choppy waves”, “calm waves”, and of course, “tsunami” waves, attendees were able to observe the connection between the change on the graph and wave motions. They were able to use that information to decide if it would be a good day for a relaxing time at the beach, or a fun chance to surf, or, better just stay home!! The opportunity to attend the Onizuka Day of Exploration was a wonderful chance to engage with participants of all ages, and give them hands-on experience in how the Backyard Buoys project provides vital and easily accessible ocean safety information.