Winners of state science competition to go to national fair

Advertiser Staff

For the second consecutive year, Kimberly Reinhold of St. Joseph Junior & Senior High School in Hilo is among the Grand Award winners in the annual Hawai'i State Science and Engineering Fair.

Joining her as Grand Award winners are Jill S. Harunaga of the Kamehameha Schools and, for their work on a team project, Alana Yurkanin and Kaitlin Luther of Maui's Baldwin High School.

The four will represent Hawai'i at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Cleveland in May.

Reinhold, a sophomore, won for her project, "Artificial Neural Networks: A Model of Perception by the Visual System;" Harunaga, a senior, for "Damnacanthal and the Cytoskeleton: Noni anthraquinone Normalizes Cancer Cell Phenotype;" and Yurkanin and Luther, sophomores, for "Do Different Sounds Have the Ability to Attract or Deter Sharks?"

They were among two dozen winners announced yesterday from among 450 students competing at the science fair this week at Blaisdell Center. The winners are:

• Senior research: 1st, Kimberly E. Reinhold, St. Joseph Junior & Senior High School; 2nd, Matthew D.A. Jachowski, Maui High School; 3rd, Kiani A.J. Arkus, Kamehameha Schools. Honorable mention: Jill S. Harunaga, Kamehameha Schools; Jonathan C.C. Dang, St. Louis School; Kiana L. Frank, Kamehameha High School. Best team project: Chivas Wakuta and Jenae Reyes, Kamehameha Schools.

• Junior research: 1st, Chae Cowan, Connections Public Charter School; 2nd, Ren K. Ishii, Kawananakoa Middle School; 3rd, Jason Tsang, Waiakea Intermediate School. Honorable mention: Kaitlin S. Koga, Kawananakoa Middle School; Hanna H. Pang, Iolani School; Stephanie Y. Soon, Benjamin Parker Elementary. Best team project: Kim Kitabata and Raymond Chee, Kawananakoa Middle School.

• Junior display: 1st, Kelsey M. Wilburn, Waiakea Intermediate School; 2nd, Sachiko J. Pettit, Iolani School; 3rd, Kamie S. Oda, Waiakea Intermediate School. Honorable mention: Toka Beech, St. Andrew's Priory; Kamilla T. Pollock, St. Andrew's Priory; Kathryn A.K. Kouchi, Waiakea Intermediate. Best team project: Reyn Kimura and Rance Fujiwara, Iolani School.

Among other winners going on to the international fair in Cleveland will be:

• Maui District Science Fair winner: Matthew Jachowski, Maui High.

• Kaua'i District Science Fair winners: Ricky Rodrick, Kapa'a High; Whitney Haraguchi, Kapa'a High; and the team of Jeremy Albano, Carrie Esaki and Sam Moats-Messing, Kapa'a High.

• Leeward O'ahu District Science Fair winners: Karen Tumaneng, Waipahu High; and Tristan Sotto, Waipahu High.

• Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools: Kiani Arkus, Kamehameha Schools; Kiana Frank, Kamehameha Schools; and the team of Jenae Reyes and Chivas Wakuta, Kamehameha Schools.