Windward Sleuths To Share Fat, Wind, Plant Projects

Editor’s Note: Windward District communications specialist Jorene Barut contributed to this report.

The Hawaii State Science & Engineering Fair is open March 31-April 2 at Hawaii Convention Center, and Windward students are perfecting their projects right now for judges’ scrutiny.

From the Windward District Fair last month emerged 40 quality projects out of 168 entries. Judges also picked Windward’s own winner to compete at the international fair in May in Los Angeles. Kailua High’s Kayla Hooker gets a fully paid trip to the L.A. fair for her senior research project on “The Fat Content of Beef.”

Also at the state fair will be second- and third-place senior research projects by James Kalima-Kiyabu of Olomana School and Sarah Weible of Castle High, respectively. Kalima-Kiyabu researched “Wind Powered Vertical Axis Electric Generator” and Weible studied “Growth of Batis maritima (pickleweed) and Sesuvium portulacastrum (akulikuli, or sea purslane) in a Static Hydroponic System under Conditions Encountered on a Sea Voyage.”

Other highlights to look for at the convention center are the district’s first-place Junior Research project by Samuel Scott of Kahuku Intermediate: “Developing a Method for Identifying Concentration and Type of Bacteria in Complex Samples.” Second was Scott’s schoolmate, Kira Sanders, and third was Kailua Intermediate’s Samuel Cadotte.

Sanders explored “Improved Identification of Plants Using Plant Protein Extraction and Electrophoresis Analysis,” while Cadotte’s project addressed “Using RFID (radio-frequency identification) to Improve Medication Usage.”

Matt Wong, vice principal of Aikahi Elementary, who coordinated the district fair with his fellow vice principals, also is proud of four girls at Olomana School’s detention facility – all of them won awards, and three will be at the state fair next week.

“These students made it to the fair against the odds and were also extremely successful,” he said.