THE city's Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall hosts all kinds of shows and extravaganzas throughout the year -- the latest in cars, computers, crafts, health and fitness, new products, and everything the senior citizen wanted to know but was afraid to ask. Today, an experiment;
tomorrow, a cureBut my absolute favorite event takes place every spring. It is free, open to the public, inspiring, fun and, most important, offers irrefutable proof that the young people of Hawaii are among the smartest on the planet, and possibly in the galaxy.
Phew, that's a relief, because these kiddos are going to become the future leaders (and taxpayers) of this land.
In that case, Hawaii has nothing to fear, if the outstanding crop of projects at the 41st State Science and Engineering Fair is any indication. The yearly endeavor of the Hawaiian Academy of Science, in partnership with the state DOE and UH College of Education, showcases some of the best minds in intermediate and high schools on every island.
As usual, it was an impressive and humbling experience to amble along the long rows of displays, marveling at the hours of work and brainpower expended by these aspiring scientists.
Just reading the titles themselves revealed a lot about individual priorities and interests. There was something for everyone:
For the jock: "Does A Baseball Go Farther When Hit by a Wooden Bat or a Metal Bat?" by Chantel Yanagawa, Kailua High; "Becoming a Tiger Woods -- the Perfect Golf Swing," by Darene Matsuoka, St. Andrew's Priory.
For the homemaker: "How Can the Amount of Bacteria Found on Kitchen Sponges and Dishrags Be Reduced?" by Sheila Vidad, Waialua High.
There was the dramatic: "Is Time Travel into the Past Possible?" by Jessica L. Elliott, Hanalani Schools; "Soda -- Sugar Rush or Death Sentence?" by Jayme Kiyonaga and Brianna Reyes, Aiea Intermediate.
There was the "Say What?" category: "How Do You Cross A Tomato With A Flounder?" by Ryan Otsuka, Iolani.
There was some ominous-sounding stuff about our H2O: "Identifying Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Within the Ala Wai Canal," by Cody Chung, Maui High; "How Safe Is Hawaii's Drinking Water?" by Kyle Karioka, Kawananakoa Intermediate.
And if you were hungry, there was always: "Snap, Crackle, POPCORN! The effect of popping corn when exposed to air, water and freezing temperature cooked at the same heat," by Naomi R. Castellano, Kamehameha; "Does the Thickness of Ketchup Affect the Way It Tastes?" by Jann Toyama, Soto Academy.
BUT the big winner at the 1998 edition of the science and engineering fair was Brian Nishiguchi of Kauai High. His project, "Effects of Three Commonly Used Herbicides on the Viability, Sex Ratio and Mutagenesis of Drosophila melanogaster," captured top honors for best public school senior research.
He won a $500 savings bond, a heavy and hernia-inducing perpetual school trophy to lug back to the Garden Island, a cool Star-Bulletin T-shirt, a trip to the international science fair, a hands-down "A" for his science grade -- and the eternal respect of this senior editor, who got to present him with a congratulatory lei and handshake at the awards ceremony earlier this month.
Hey, Brian, thanks again for reinvigorating my faith in Hawaii's young people and for renewing my optimism in life. We are going to beat this recession yet.
Diane Yukihiro Chang's column runs Monday and Friday.
She can be reached by phone at 525-8607, via e-mail at
DianeChang@aol.com, or by fax at 523-7863.