Tigers represent at state science fair

Oliver Lam, reporter

McKinley High School students had the opportunity to play the role of “scientists” during this year’s school-wide and state science fairs. Twenty-one students were selected from MHS to compete at the state science fair held on March 29. “I’

m really nervous, but I hope I do well and am able to answer the questions the judges ask me,” said Lina Hang (11) before presenting her project to the state judges.

Hang placed first in the school-wide science fair held in February to secure her spot in the state tournament with her project that determined which recently fallen asteroids may potentially be comets. The science fairs allow students to demonstrate their scientific process and apply their knowledge of science outside of the classroom.

“I was really surprised that I won, but I worked really hard and I chose a project that was out-of-the-box,” said Hang. “My project lasted approximately five months, so I put a lot of time and effort into it.”

Mary Lui (11) with her partner Abha Shammar (11) hoped to improve on their second place finish in the school-wide competition. Their project was on the effect of temperature on the viscosity of Non-Newtonian fluids such as canola oil.

“We expect to perform pretty well even though we are nervous,” said Lui a few days before the state tournament.

“Our favorite aspect of the project was presenting to the judges (in the school-wide fair), so we could show all the work we did,” said Lui.

Those who competed in the science fair dedicated their time since the beginning of the school year to their projects.

“I started to lecture them about the scientific inquiry [a modified version of the scientific process] since the first quarter,” said physics teacher Jossefin Rasay, who had her students choose five potential topics for their project.

The students later researched their fields of interest before selecting their final choice.

“I asked them why they chose the topic and checked to see if the project was researchable,” said Rasay.

The students began to plan their projects week by week and Rasay monitored their progress every three weeks until the end of the second quarter. The construction of these projects was completed during the third quarter.

“It was a long process of learning for them,” said Rasay.

Research Project Awards

  1. Lisa Yu – certificate, $100.00 cash and $200.00 savings bond from Associated Chinese University Women, Inc.
  2. Thien Nguyen -$50.00 cash from Clean Water Company
  3. Jessica Van and April Jingcu- $50.00 cash from Board of Water Supply

Chevron Poster and Cover Contest

  1. Richard Hong 2nd place, $200.00
  2. Bo-Bae Kim – 3rd place- $100.00

Teacher Awards

  1. Mrs. Jossefin Rasay – certificate, $500.00 and 1 year Armed Forces Communications/Electronics Association (AFCEA) membership
  2. Mrs. Sophia Hu – $50.00 gift certificate from Hawaiian Graphic Gift cards