Young Women SCORE! High

Antiviral energy drinks, teacher support for learning numbers in elementary schools and connecting to the future using orchids, these were the subjects for the top three prizewinning projects at the SCORE! science festival held at OIST on Saturday, November 2. SCORE! - Science in Okinawa: Research for Enterprise - is a science festival for high school students with a difference. At SCORE! the students are judged as much on their presentation skills and the potential of building a business from the project, as they are for scientific content.  Over 75% of the contestants at SCORE! were young women. University of the Ryukyus Vice President Tomiko Hokama, member of the judging panel, commented, “As someone working to support female researchers, seeing so many female students here today makes me very happy. I want to foster an environment where these women can do research and work when they get to college and later when they enter the workplace.”

Thirteen teams gave presentations throughout the day to a distinguished panel of judges that had a challenging job to select clear winners. The first prize, an all expense paid study tour to San Francisco and Silicon Valley, was awarded to the team from the National Okinawa College of Technology for their project “The development of  an antiviral energy drink by using azuki and honey.” Second prize went to Kaiho Senior High School for the project the “Fundamental research on teachers support at elementary school with sense of number.” Third prize went to Chubu Norin Senior High School with “Connect to the future! Putting thought on the Lequois Heart.”  A special prize was also awarded to Kyuyo Senior High School for the project ,“The research of Habenaria Dentata, an Okinawan wild orchid.”

SCORE was jointly organized by OIST, the American Consulate General, Naha and the Okinawa Prefectural Government. Many thanks also to all the sponsors whose generosity made SCORE an unforgettable day for the young scientists of Okinawa.