4 to take part in national science fair
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Science Writer
Four Hawai'i students from three islands will participate in a national science project competition to determine "America's Top Young Scientist of the Year."
The seventh annual Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, for kids in grades 5 to 8, will be held Oct. 15 to 19 at the University of Maryland. Forty students from across the nation have been invited. The Hawai'i students were selected in part based on their performance in this year's Hawai'i State Science and Engineering Fair but also based on a series of essays required by competition organizers.
At the Young Scientist Challenge, the students will be broken into teams and participate in a series of scientific projects on the theme "Forces of Nature" to see what they can learn and then teach about natural disasters. Their progress will be filmed for use on the Discovery Channel.
The Hawai'i contestants and their science projects are:
Rozon's Hawai'i Science Fair project involved testing the water in Kealia Stream on Kaua'i for the bacterial disease leptospirosis. He dedicated the project to a neighbor's dog, Pepper, who died of leptospirosis during the period when Rozon was conducting his tests.
The 13-year-old learned from scientists how to prepare water samples and use testing equipment and a microscope.
The student said he was surprised to find that the highest bacteria levels were found in the brackish waters where the stream meets the sea.
"This dispelled the myth about the water being safer near the saltwater," Rozon said. "Everyone thought the salt would kill the micro-organisms."
ON THE WEB: for more information on the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, go to school.discovery .com/sciencefaircentral/dysc
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.
