Eighth-graders Kandyce Napoleon and Darian Tolentino of Wahiawa Middle School investigated the effects of using iPods on hearing. The findings: Most of their peers have some level of hearing loss or damage.

The pair's project, "I No Can Hear, Get iPod in My ear," is one of more than 350 science projects on display today at the 49th Hawai'i State Science and Engineering Fair.

Yesterday the Wahiawa teenagers, along with nearly 470 other students, were grilled by dozens of judges on their scientific investigations. The winning projects will be announced this afternoon.

Napoleon, 13, said the project was well received by the judges. She reckons her and Tolentino's chances of winning are good.

"All the judges have said, 'Good job.' They were really interested in (our project)," Napoleon said.

Tolentino, also 13, said their project has practical applications and serves as a warning to people who may play their music too loud.

"Now scientists are seeing hearing loss in 30- to 40-year-olds because in their generation they had Walkmans. Now we have iPods, so we're going to see more hearing damage in 20-year-olds," Tolentino said.

Some projects were fairly straightforward, such as "The Antibiotic Properties of Dog Saliva." Others were much more complex, such as "Analysis of 2D Perfect Maze Creation and Formation Generated by Maze Algorithms Programmed on a Calculator." But all projects used the scientific method of forming a hypothesis and collecting and analyzing data.

Deisy Acio and Kimberly Flores, seniors at Waipahu High School, formed a hypothesis after observing that students on their school campus do not drink from the water fountains.

"Most people do other things in them, like wash their hands. But no one drinks from them," said Acio, 18.

So the pair set out to study the conditions of the water fountains in their project, "Is it safe to drink? Investigating the cleanliness of school water fountains."

Their display board was littered with snapshots of bacteria growing in small petri dishes. Acio and Flores tested water from fountains, and the fountains themselves and grew the bacteria in a lab setting.

"We found that the water is safe to drink, but the water fountains are not as safe," said Flores, 17.

Their project caught the eye of Deputy Superintendent of Schools and guest judge Clayton Fujie. He said he asked the students to send him a copy of their report because it could be useful in figuring out the proper method of cleaning the fountains.

"I've been so impressed by some of the questions these students are asking," Fujie said. He said the students are learning life skills, such as inquiry and investigation.

Hoang Yen Le, a freshman from McKinley High School, is competing in the Behavioral and Social Sciences category. Her project studied how the menstrual cycle affects the mood of teenage girls.

"On my cycle days, I tend to be more moody than on regular days. So (my lab partner and I) wondered if all teenagers have the same problem," Le said.

Le, along with her science partner Misaki Kawachi, found that most girls encounter the same issues.

Le admitted that the topic is not something most people are comfortable talking about, and said that made it difficult to find interview subjects. She also said it was a topic she intended to continue to investigate.

"I can't say how well we did, but I would like to stick with the topic and continue to expand on it (for next year's science far)," Le said.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.