Three best presenters, one finalist represent MHS at Pacific Symposium for Science and Sustainability

By Reagan Paz

r.paz@trojantimes.org

From Dec. 2 – 4 at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, 22 students from MHS presented at the Pacific Symposium for Science and Sustainability.  Of the 22 students, Sophomore Rachel Sakuma, and Juniors Kyle Yamada and Kailee Yogi were named Best Presenters in Concurrent Sessions, and Sophomore Viola Mocz placed fourth as a finalist.

“I feel very honored to be a finalist this year, actually twice in a row. I’m very grateful for this opportunity to go learn more from other students,” Mocz expressed.

Students who participated in the Pacific Symposium for Science and Sustainability presented their science fair topics and were chosen to attend.

For her presentation, Mocz developed a computer program based on evolutionary game and graph theory with a construction of artificial retinas. Sakuma did her presentation on the comparison of different pH levels on artemia. Yogi tested distilled, filtered and ionized water in order to find the best way to treat it and Yamada compared different propagation techniques effect on growth rate of the endangered native Hawaiian Hibiscus, Ma o Hau Hele, which is incidentally the official state flower.

Each of the four students have participated in the Symposium in previous years. Mocz was a finalist in her freshman year as well, placing sixth. Yogi, who presented at the Symposium for the third time this year, was named a Best Presenter in her sophomore year as well as this year.

This was both Sakuma and Yamada’s first time being awarded as a Best Presenter. “As a freshman, I did (not do very well). I guess because you get nervous, and I didn’t have much experience,” Sakuma explained.

This year, they prepared more by practicing their presentation to develop better speaking skills and getting help from teachers. “It doesn’t matter if you are the smartest researcher in the world, if you can’t communicate your ideas then it all goes to waste,” said Yamada.

The students found the Symposium to be a good learning experience for them. “I enjoyed watching other people and learning from their projects,” said Yogi. “You get to see how other students think. You get to understand and find out what their projects are … A lot of the high schools, they have really complex projects, so it’s really interesting to learn about what they think,” Sakuma added.

Each of the four students hope to attend the Symposium again in future years and improve their performance. “I hope to become a better presenter … being more effective, because sometimes the judges can be confused as to what I say. And also I want to become a better scientist (and) a better researcher,” Mocz expressed.

Mocz, being a finalist, received an expense-paid trip to the 50^th National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, which will take place in Bethesda, Md. in May 2012.