Dan Matthews has been serving as the volunteer director of the Kauai Regional Science and Engineering Fair, Awards Ceremony for five years.
The term is “volunteer” which means Matthews and the numerous others in the Department of Education and schools do duty of their own volition at the event where winners of this year’s field of approximately 200 students were announced on Saturday at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall.
Starting with the 200 students, the result was 100 projects being produced and whittled down through individual school science fairs to less than 40 appearing at the convention hall for judging by a panel of community professionals.
“Not every student at all the schools are here,” Matthews said. “No. Only these students. They are very special because they are the ones that took the extra steps, spent the extra time, and stretched themselves to present their research to a body of professionals.”
“They are the ones that continue a legacy over many years to: see a problem, ask a question, develop a possible solution, test that solution, and evaluate how well it worked, and present those results to others,” the volunteer director said. “These are the steps that all of these students have tackled in conducting their research. But these are also the skills that everyone needs to solve problems in life.”
Among the winners, approximately 20 people, including 16 students and four adults, will advance to represent Kauai at the state science and engineering fair that will be held on Oahu later this month.
The expense of sending these and other winners, to the state event necessitated the birth of a new community nonprofit, Kauai Student Research, which hosted a silent auction for the first time at a Kauai District Science Fair.
“These volunteers are planning, writing grants, and finding funding all year to ensure that our students succeed in their all important STEM education,” Matthews said. “This is a 100 percent volunteer organization, and every dollar they collect goes directly to supporting your students’ research.”
Results
• Top Junior Projects: First place, and Island Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge: “Is Somebody Going To Match My Freak-quency?” (Oliver Alonge, Hiiaka Acoba, Lily Santiago); Second Place: “CaCO3 (Calcium Carbonate): The Shell Solution” (Jedai Hines, Dane Jensen, Keao Shiroma); Third Place: “Genki Ball to the rescue!” (Kaioli Acoba, Jordyn Woolsey, Lincoln Duey).
• 2024 Lemelson Early Inventors Award: “Acoustic Levitation” (Maximus Israelsen).
• Top Senior Projects: First Place, and Kauai representative to the 2025 International Science and Engineering Fair, Columbus, Ohio: “Growing Together — Hydroponic Towers” (Jada Lau); Second Place: “Using the Mechanics of the Paperfuge to Create a Hand-powered Generator” (Ashley Chun); Third Place: “Bougainvillea Colors: Soil Chemistry or Genetics?” (Skylar E. Shim); Fourth Place (tie): “Evaluating the Use of Stichopus horrens (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea) as a Bioremediator” (Lauryn Hashimoto); “Breath: An Invisible Key to Young Athletes Performance and Well-Being” (Eva-Rose Rapp).
• Junior Biological Science Award: “Genki Ball to the rescue!” (Kaioli Acoba, Lincoln Duey, Jordyn Woolsey); “CACO3: The Shell Solution (Keao Shiroma, Dane Jensen, Jedai Hines).
• Junior Behavioral Science Award: “Does Color Affect Taste?” (Khloe Coviello, Terina-Ann Carillo, Xavier Agbayani).
• Junior Physical Sciences: “Acoustic Levitation” (Maximus Israelsen); “Is Somebody Going to Match my Freak-quency?” (Oliver Alonge, Hiiaka Acoba, Lily Santiago).
• Regional Senior Animal Science Award: “An eDNA Survey of Crustaceans in the Alakoko Fishpond, Kauai” (Byron Gray, Kobe Lion Clawson).
• Regional Senior Behavioral Science Award: “Breath: An Invisible Key to Young Athletes Performance and Well-Being” (Eva-Rose Rapp).
• Senior Biological Science Award: “Bougainvillea Colors: Soil Chemistry or Genetics?” (Skyler Shim).
• Senior Environmental Sciences: “Evaluating the Use of Stichopus Horrens (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea) as a Bioremediator” (Lauryn Hashimoto); “Trapping CO2 in Water with Limestone” (Violet J. Clark); “Understanding the Impacts of Nitrate and Phosphate Water Pollution on Anini Lagoon” (Sierra Holder).
• Senior Engineering and Theoretical Science Award: “Solar Powered Pump Set-up” (Jai Pacilio); “Using the Mechanics of the Paperfuge to Create a Hand-powered Generator” (Ashley Chun).
• American Psychological Association Certificate of Achievement in Research in Psychological Science: “Breath: An Invisible Key to Young Athletes Performance and Well-Being” (Eva-Rose Rapp).
• Association of Women Geoscientists Award: “Understanding the Impacts of Nitrate and Phosphate Water Pollution on Anini Lagoon” (Sierra Holder).
• NASA Earth System Science Award: “Evaluating the Use of Stichopus Horrens (Echinodermata Holothuroidea) as a Bioremediator” (Lauryn Hashimoto).
• 2025 NOAA Award: “Native Birds in Golf Courses” (Jack Chase).
• Office of Naval Research-US Navy/USMarine Corps Award Junior Division: “Scientific Slugger” (Colton Castillejos); “Acoustic Levitation” (Maximus Israelsen).
• Office of Naval Research-US Navy/US Marine Corps Award Senior Division: “Using the Mechanics of the Paperfuge to Create a Hand-powered Generator” (Ashley Chun), “Breath: An Invisible Key to Young Athletes Performance and Well-Being” (Eva-Rose Rapp).
• 2025 Regeneration Biomedical Science Award: “Ointment Efficiency on Bioengineered Skin Model: Treating Post-Surgical Scarring” (Lily Glick).
• Ricoh USA Sustainable Development Award: “A Comparison of Mycorrhizal Diversity of Native and Non-native Trees in Hawaii” (Drezdin Taylor).
• US Agency for International Development Science Champion Award: “Growing Together-Hydroponic Towers” (Jada Lau).
• US Metric Association Award: “Blooming Beats: Does Country Music Affect Plant Growth?” (Peyton Serquina).
• United States Air Force Award: “Trapping CO2 in Water with Limestone” (Violet Clark); “The Onolicious App” (Kendra Suga); “Sea Cucumber Gut Phytoplankton Examination” (Kohana Fern); “An eDNA survey of crustaceans in the Alakoko Fishpond Kauai” (Byron Gray, Kobe Lion Clawson).
• The Water Environment Federation/Stockholm Junior Water Prize: “Understanding the Impacts of Nitrate and Phosphate Water Pollution on Anini Lagoon” (Sierra Holder).
• Yale Science and Engineering Association, 11th Grade: “Using the Mechanics of the Paperfuge to Create a Hand-Powered Generator” (Ashley Chun).
