"There's a good possibility in most years that you're going to meet the smartest (high school) student in Hawai'i at the Science Fair, the kind of kid who will be a leader of the next generation," said Gareth Wynn-Williams, a Senior Research category head judge who has been judging Science Fair projects in Hawai'i for over 20 years.

"In the back of my mind, I try to encourage the smart kids to stay in science and not become lawyers."

Wynn-Williams added a touch of English wit with his lawyer comment, but when you break down the career goals of the students — ranging from sixth grade through their senior year — the judge's comments aren't that far off.

Three-time winner Kimberly Reinhold, a 17-year-old senior at St. Joseph Junior & Senior High School in Hilo, and Mililani High freshman Philip Mocz, 15, the 2004 Junior Research winner, are among those planning to pursue a career in science.

Surrounded by research books, St. Joseph High School senior Kimberly Reinhold enters data into her laptop for her science project on artificial cognition and memory that she will present at this week's Hawaii State Science & Engineering Fair. Tim Wright • Special to The Advertiser

For example, 17-year-old Castle junior Devin Elting, this year's Windward District winner, aspires to be an actor.

While their career choices may differ, the common denominator all 427 students share is the ability to form a hypothesis (question) and draw a conclusion by applying scientific methods. The depth of their research is their measuring stick.

"The process of doing science is more important than doing something spectacular," said Lawrence Mordan, head of Kamehameha's high school science department. "The exciting part is putting motivated students in an environment where the only barrier to success is their own ambition."

Choosing a topic of personal interest is the key to any successful project, said Hawai'i Academy of Science director Shiyana Thenabadu.

Photo courtesy Alana Yurkanin

What she saw was the potential for developing a computer program to create a model brain in order to identify the brain's different kinds of tissues and cells.

"It's like recognizing handwriting," Reinhold said. "Step by step, I'm modeling the human brain, looking at tissue for tumor diagnosis. The benefit is that it will save pathologists time on cases to make diagnoses. It's fun to do something that hasn't been done."

Reinhold, who has been accepted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said the Science Fair inflamed her interest in artificial intelligence research. "I decided it's what I want to do in life," she said. "I don't want to practice medicine; I'm more interested in research."

Reinhold is also into classical music, ballet, tap and jazz dancing, and her affinity for cool science projects isn't limited to her own ability. She likes the research 17-year-old seniors Kaitlin Luther and Alana Yurkanin of Baldwin High on Maui are doing on shark deterrents. She met the duo at the Science Fair three years ago and they've since become friends. Unlike Reinhold, neither are looking at research as a career choice, but that doesn't lessen the impact of their projects.

St. Joseph High School senior Kimberly Reinhold with her project. Reinhold has won the past three State Science Fairs. Tim Wright • Special to The Advertiser

"When we started, I was scared of sharks and didn't know anything about them or the ocean," said Luther, who plans to major in science and journalism in college. "What we want to do is create a device people can use to keep sharks away without hurting them."

Yurkanin, a light-opera singer who has appeared in school productions of "Grease" and most recently "Big River," is looking to study a double major in science and vocal music. She said the science project has progressed from testing sound frequencies as a deterrent — "(sharks) are attracted to higher-pitched sounds like those made by humpback whales and deterred by lower pitches such as the sound of a running boat motor in the water" — to air bubbles.

"Sharks avoid bubbles, which is why they avoid scuba divers when they exhale (bubbles)," Yurkanin said. "It's fun doing work when it's not work at all."

Everyday science

Highlands Intermediate science teacher Kathy Lin has 11 students presenting projects at this year's fair. Tim Wright • Special to The Advertiser

One girl, who comes from a family of teachers, researched a project on whether children of teachers get better grades. Lin said the student, seventh-grader Ashley Warman, concluded that all parents, no matter what their occupation, help their children about the same, although parents who are teachers expect more out of their children grade-wise. Also, no matter how much help children receive, they're not going to earn good grades if they don't try in school.

Lin said she could relate to the project, since her decision to return to teaching from the private sector three years ago was predicated by devoting extra time to her children's education.

Another of Lin's students did a project on cockroach baits; another explored if bad eyesight is inherited or comes from sitting too close to the TV.

"The most difficult thing for kids is coming up with ideas," said Lin, who won at the Science Fair as Kathy Tse with a project on allelochemicals in centipede grass. "I like for them to address everyday things that interest them."

Baldwin High senior Kaitlin Luther and Jon Gorman, head curator of Maui Ocean Center discuss her progress on shark deterrents. Photo courtesy Alana Yurkanin

Christine Trusty, associate director of the Hawai'i Academy of Science, which stages the Science Fair, said many students get hooked on science from doing a project.

"The results are not always what they expected (but) that's when kids get turned on," Trusty said. "You don't have to be right to have a good science project. Many projects prove the student's hypothesis to be incorrect, but if the method was followed, it is still an excellent project — and a great learning experience."

Kimberly Reinhold's favorite part of the Science Fair is the verbal requirement, which counts as 10 percent of the judging.

"If you can't articulate your project, people won't ever understand its significance," Reinhold said. "It's great practice. If you do a science project in school, you just have to turn in a paper to the teacher. I like communicating (with the judges and people). To see people interested in what I'm doing is my favorite part."

Resourcefulness grows

Gabor Mocz, director of the Pacific Biomedical Research Center's Greenwood Molecular Biology Core Laboratory, and his wife, Eva, have two children with projects in the Science Fair. Son Philip, who wants to be an astrophysicist, and daughter Lucia, 14, are exceptional math students and talented violinists.

"My dad's job (in research) boosted my interest in science when I was younger," Philip said.

As to his children's projects, Gabor Mocz said, "I give them direction when they ask, but (otherwise) I leave things to them completely. They are good students but they'd rather play Pokemon."

For Wynn-Williams and other veteran judges, it's satisfying to see the resourcefulness of Hawai'i's young minds exposed at the Science Fair.

"Seeing the same kids year after year, you can see that each year they get more sophisticated," said Wynn-Williams, whose favorite memory is that of a Science Fair project on 'opihi done by an African student from Botswana who had been in Hawai'i for only two years. "The growth is a satisfying feature of the Science Fair."

A tip for those who want to attend the Science Fair. Don't be intimidated by project titles such as "The effects of Zingiber officinate on Escherchia celi" or "Fractal Dynamics of Ant Movements on Gaussian Microlandscapes."

The project authors are usually standing by, willing to tell you in simpler terms what it all means.