Super Students
Saturday, May 3, 1997
Name: Michael Hudson
Age: 17
School: Mililani High
Pastimes: Basketball, playing piano
Future: Engineering
Last semester, Michael Hudson brought home hundreds of little fruit flies — all in the name of science. His mission: to test their inherited resistance to insecticide. On the wings of fruit flies
The project won first place at the Central District Science Fair and earned Hudson a place at this month's International Science and Engineering Fair in Louisville, Ky. "I'm looking forward to it," he said.
"He knew what he was doing," said physics teacher Pauline Higa. "His project was very thorough."
To prepare his experiment, Hudson visited the University of Hawaii genetics lab. "They showed me some of these mutant flies — that was really cool," he said.
Besides learning how to conduct an experiment, Hudson learned why such work is important. "As I got into it, I realized how it affects the economy. Like in Idaho where they're trying to kill the potato bug, but the insecticides don't work anymore."
The son of Terry and Kathy Hudson could be described as a model student. "He's very inquisitive, always does his homework and is extremely responsible," said Higa. "He's a perfectionist."
His advanced-placement English teacher, Deira Itagaki, noted he has a flair for writing and acting. "Characterwise too, he's a nice person," she said. Hudson has been nominated as outstanding English student at the school for two years running. He is also on the high school basketball team and attends his church youth group.
Alice Keesing, Special to the Star-Bulletin
