5 from Hawaii vie to
become country’s Top
Young Scientist

Five Hawaii students are among 400 semifinalists competing for the title of America's Top Young Scientist in the 2005 Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge.

The students and their winning projects are:

» Melissa Pomaikai Akiko Luga, Kamehameha Schools, Keaau Campus: "Phase II: Phytoceutical Potential of the Melaleuca quinquenervia."
» Lucia Mocz, Mililani Middle School: "The Fractal Model: A New Model to Analyze the Development of Fish Scale."
» Aaron Alexander Rozon, Kapaa Middle School: "Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back in the Water."
» William Lewis Sims, Kealakehe Middle School: "The Effects of Temperature on the Species of 'Opihi,' Cellana exarata."
» Robert Teruo Zane, Mid-Pacific Institute: "Oiling the Waves: Surfing with the Fire of the Ancients."

All are eighth-graders except Rozon, a seventh-grader.

The 400 semifinalists, from 43 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, were selected from 1,966 entries chosen from more than 75,000 students who entered science fairs across the country.

Students were judged not only on their innovative, complex projects, but their ability to communicate the reasoning and purpose behind them, a prerequisite of scientific leadership, said Steve Jacobs, head judge for the challenge.

The 400 semifinalists will be pared to the "Final 40" on Sept. 14, and the finalists will go to Washington, D.C., Oct. 15-19 to compete in team-based, interactive challenges designed on the theme of "Forces of Nature."

They will have to find solutions to some of nature's most extreme challenges.

More than $100,000 in scholarships and special prizes will be awarded to the winners, as well as the title of America's Top Young Scientist.