June 7, 2008
Hawaii’s brightest kids
I wasn’t a big fan of science fairs when I was a kid. We were required to submit a project each year, but mine were always embarrassingly simple creations compared to the stuff some of my peers were doing. I remember distilling a tiny flask of grain alcohol one year from a massive quantity of ingredients. Science was never my best subject. It still isn’t, but I find myself looking on in admiration now whenever I find news about science fair winners. Today’s kids aren’t making pin-hole cameras and ping pong ball models of the solar system. They’re finding practical applications for some very sophisticated, very advanced science.
Lisa Mocz, of Mililani High School, will be paying her own way through college thanks to the scholarships she’s won at local, state and national science fairs the last few years. Her project this year in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Atlanta is “A New Model of See-through Vision: Image Reconstruction in Scattering Media from Quantum Exit Probabilities for Aerial, Terrestrial and Underwater Robot Inspection.” Could someone explain to me what that means? The words are all familiar. Put together that way, though, they don’t quite track for me. I understand it has something to do with robotics. But See-through vision? Scattering media? Quantum Exit Probabilities? I confess total ignorance. Some of her scholarships are from the Office of Naval Research and the Department of Homeland Security. I do know what that means. It means that Lisa Mocz is shaping your future and mine. She’s applying her talents, education and intelligence towards building a better world.
Two young men from Hawaii who accompanied Lisa to Atlanta are both contributing to our store of knowlege about medicine and diseases. Nolan Kamitaki, a sophomore from Hilo, took a second place award for “Programming a Network Approach to Contain the Spread of Epidemics, Second Year Study.” A sophomore! At - what? - probably fifteen years old? - Nolan is creating the science that may help us control future epidemics. Micah Maetani, a Honolulu senior, contributed “Growth Inhibition of Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Effect of Methanolic Extracts from Various Nuts.” I understand that just fine. This young man may be helping to create a cure for prostate cancer from natural ingredients.
Are you impressed? I’m totally blown away by what these kids are doing. Congratulation Lisa, Nolan, and Micah, and mahalo. Mahalo nui loa for applying your gifts and your hard work towards improving life on this big blue marble for all of us.
[tags]education, Hawaii students, science fairs[/tags]
Posted by skeet @ 9:36 pm • Education, current events
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June 8th, 2008 at 7:55 am, Ernesto Says:
I was the Assistant Biology Head during my High School days. And I love Fairs as we were not only assigned to oversee it, and manage the students doing the projects and not worry about having to cook the projects up ourselves.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:27 pm, skeet’s stuff » Sharing the Good Stuff Says:
[…] at an early age, and it’s news worthy of sharing. If you missed it last week, go read about three young people who are helping to shape our future and I think you’ll see what I […]
June 9th, 2008 at 5:04 pm, skeet Says:
Ernesto, it’s really amazing what young people can do given the least bit of encouragement. Science fairs are a wonderful conduit for students, allowing them to reach up and out into the world of adult scholarship. Wish I’d understood all that when I was in school.