Fresh thinking and the power of young minds will be on display this week at the Hawai'i State Science and Engineering Fair, where the public will have a chance to size up science that ranges from the serious to the silly.

You can review student projects on evidence of bacterial contamination from the Ala Wai Canal, or study a presentation on whether it is safe to kiss your dog.

The fair is the oldest and largest science education program in Hawai'i. About 6,000 students participate each year in the program, and 469 of the winning student scientists from schools around the state will gather at the Neal Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall.

Director Christine Trusty said the fair has helped encourage a number of students to pursue careers in scientific fields, in part because it gives young scientists a chance to mingle.

"It gives them the confidence to continue on, because at each little school there are maybe just a handful of kids who are really into the science, but when you go to the science fair, you really have a chance to meet other students like yourself," she said. "They really bond, and it gives them confidence."

"I think it helps turn the light bulb on," she said.

The program is organized by the Hawaii Academy of Science and features projects by students in grades six through 12.

A total of 368 projects will be on display, and the judges will include Gov. Linda Lingle and Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona; University of Hawai'i vice chancellor of research and graduate education Gary Ostrander; UH dean of social science Richard Dubanoski; and Chaminade University provost Brother Bernard Ploeger.

The judging is based in part on students' presentations of their hypotheses, their research, their data and their conclusions, Trusty said.

"The students have to know how to do presentations and public speaking. It's an all-around learning experience," she said.

Iris Terashima, federal programs manager in the Pacific for the worldwide architectural engineering firm URS Corp., was a winner in the program in 1981. For her project, she used waste from the Waialua Sugar Mill to produce ethanol, and worked with the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association to test for the best type of micro-organism to use to make the fuel.

For a senior from small-town Waialua, the competition was "eye-opening," she said.

"It was a real opportunity to participate on a national level ... and getting exposed to what people are doing, what the science community is doing, working not just with your student peers but with folks in industry and academia," Terashima said. "It's a fantastic opportunity."

The winners of the state fair will join the winners of the Kaua'i, Maui, Windward and Leeward district fairs and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools Fair to represent Hawai'i in the International Science and Engineering Fair in Albuquerque, N.M., May 13-19.

The 20 junior division winners will be nominated to participate in the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, and will compete with other students for a chance for an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C.

Prizes for the winners of the state competition include scholarships for Hawai'i Pacific University and the University of Hawai'i worth a total of $115,000, and another $45,000 in prizes, trips and scholarships from various other organizations and businesses. About 120 organizations are donating 460 awards for the event.

Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com.