Super Students
Saturday, February 13, 1999
Name: Blake Kurisu
Age: 13
School: Waiakea Intermediate
Favorite subject: Earth science
Pastimes: Golf, piano, reading, video games
Future: Orthodontist
Blake Kurisu didn't just ponder the subject of pollution -- he did something about it. Curiosity led
to experimentStaring into nearby Waiakea River one day, the Waiakea Intermediate eighth grader had an idea: Why not turn his curiosity about water pollution into a project to enter in the local science fair? He teamed up with friend Mari Ono to investigate whether the river was polluted.
After gathering water samples from the river's start, middle and end, tests for chemical makeup, water quality and bacteria were run. A Board of Water Supply staffer was interviewed and Kurisu took aerial shots of the river from a twin-propeller plane.
Tests showed the water was polluted, but Kurisu's board contact assured him it was safe -- Kurisu had tested surface water and not the deep wells that provide drinking water.
The result: He won at the school level and is heading to state competition. He had won local and state awards for a similar project last year.
"They thought that our research was pretty good," Kurisu said excitedly. "We put a lot of time into it. It was good to see that our efforts paid off."
"He is such a terrific kid," said Jill Kubojiri, adviser for the Building Club, for which Kurisu is president. "He is such a team player. He does well in everything."
Kurisu also is student body president, and holds a 4.0 GPA.
By Kimberly K. Fu, Star-Bulletin
