AI for Aloha ʻĀina: Technology Meets Hawaiian Conservation
My science fair project exploring how computer science and AI can help protect Maui's wildlife through citizen science and education.
Why I Built This App
My name is Liam Harrington, and I live in Hawaiʻi. I care deeply about our native species. Many people know Maui is beautiful, but they don't always understand which animals and plants truly belong here ("Native Heroes") and which ones are invading and causing ecological problems ("Invasive Villains").
I wanted to combine my interest in technology with my love for nature. So I designed this AI-powered app to turn ordinary kids and families into citizen scientists who can help protect Maui's wildlife.
E Kuleana Kākou – We All Have a Responsibility
"This project demonstrates how technology and education can work together to protect Hawaiʻi's precious island ecosystems."
🎓 What I Learned
- ➢How invasive species like axis deer and coqui frogs can rapidly alter ecosystems.
- ➢The importance of clear data and visualization for effective conservation work.
- ➢How to integrate computer science with environmental science to solve real problems.
🔭 Future Vision
In the future, I would like to connect this project to real conservation databases and work with Maui's environmental organizations so that citizen science reports can directly support species protection efforts.
Project Overview
- Student:Liam Harrington
- School:Kihei Charter School
- Project Title:AI for Aloha ʻĀina: Technology Meets Hawaiian Conservation
- Category:Environmental Science / Tech
❓ Big Question:
"Can I use AI coding to build a kid-friendly app that teaches people to tell the difference between native 'heroes' and invasive 'villains', helping collect better information to protect Maui's wildlife?"
🧪 Hypothesis:
"I can build a functional web app with no previous coding experience using only AI coding to complete from start to finish and have an actual functional and impactful role on Hawaii conservation."
How It Works
Learn
Users explore species cards with Hawaiian and English names and see which are native or invasive.
Practice
A quiz helps people test what they remember about Maui wildlife.
Report
A simple "report a sighting" idea shows how we could collect citizen science data.
Analyze
In a real version, reports could be counted and mapped to see where invasive species are spreading.
For this science fair project, I created a working prototype dashboard and real species data to show how the app would function and how it could support real conservation work on Maui.
My Scientific Process
Click cards for detailsIdea & Research
Defining the problem: Native species are disappearing.
AI-Powered Development
Building a full web app with no prior coding experience.
API Integration & Testing
Connecting to real scientific databases for live data.
Real World Application
From digital creation to real-life conservation impact.