Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The 42nd American Samoa Annual Science Fair is underway this week at the Governor H. Rex Lee Auditorium through to March 28th, showcasing the remarkable talents of budding young scientists from elementary schools across the Territory. Day 2 of the Fair featured Elementary students from Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8 Clusters.

These aspiring scientists and innovators are competing to impress the judges with their creative and insightful science projects, highlighting their dedication and passion for discovery. The annual event was postponed in February 2025.

Funded by the USDOE Consolidated Grant of Insular Affairs, this year's ASDOE Annual Science Fair celebrates the theme "Spirit of Discovery."

The event commenced on Monday with Science Explorers Day, a special occasion dedicated exclusively to K-2 Cluster students. This non-competitive day invited the public to explore and celebrate the creativity of the Territory’s youngest scientists, emphasizing exploration and engagement over formal judging.

The competitive spirit kicked off yesterday with students from Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8 Clusters presenting their projects for evaluation.

Competition categories include Behavioral and Social Science, Biochemistry, Botany, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Engineering, Environmental Science, Marine Science, Medicine and Health, Microbiology, Physics, Technology, Zoology.

Samoa News had the opportunity to meet with three promising young scientists who shared insights into their fascinating science projects.

Adonai Gaoa, a Grade 8 student from Faleasao Elementary School in Ta'u, Manu'a, presented his project titled "How Do Corals Spawn?" He revealed that his inspiration came from a swim where he marveled at the vibrant beauty of various coral species beneath the ocean's surface.

"Corals are magnificent ocean creatures that play a crucial role in building strong reefs, which help protect coastal areas from erosion," Adonai explained. "But I found myself wondering—how do they find mates when they're immobile on the ocean floor?"

Through his research, Adonai discovered that corals engage in a process called broadcast spawning, where they release tiny bundles of eggs and sperm into the water column. These bundles rise to the surface, where they mingle with those of other corals from the same species to ensure fertilization and the continuation of their ecosystem-building legacy.

His science teacher Ms. Cinaraselyn Suafo'a-Tafaoa stated that this was a good opportunity for her students to experience firsthand how they measure to other students in Tutuila in their knowledge of science. She point out that students in Manu'a need more resources to help them in their studies. A total of 22 students and four teachers from Faleasao and Fitiuta Elementary Schools make up the contingent from Manu'a.

Solomarie Ili, a Grade 8 student of Tafuna Elementary School, poses beside her science project at the 42nd ASDOE Annual Science Fair- Elementary Division on the second day of the fair. Day 3 of the fair will focus on high school students or the Secondary Division. [photo: Asi A. Fa'asau]

Tafuna Elementary Grade 8 student Solomarie Ili is competing in the Behavioral and Social Science Category and her project is titled, "Does birth order influence your personalities?"

Do you find that firstborn children are natural leaders? Are middle children competitive? Is the youngest child dependent on others? These are the questions she addresses and she explores whether birth order influences personality by conducting personality tests and interviews.

According to Solomarie, in the early 1900s, Austrian Pschotherapist Alfred Adler suspected that birth order leads to differences in personalities among siblings. Since then, studies have been conducted around this theory to prove or disprove it.

Jonathan Ulu, a Grade 7 student from Kanana Fou Elementary is a Rheumatic Fever patient and has to have regular antibiotic shots.

"My doctor always advises me to eat and drink healthily," he said. "I try to stay away from sweets and sodas. My favorite soda is Coca Cola, and as I was reading the label on the back of the can, I found out it contains 39 grams of sugar.

"I thought, oh, maybe it's not that much. That's when I went to find out what 39 grams of sugar looks like and to my surprise, it truly was a lot of sugar! This led me to do this project so I can visually show my family and classmates how much sugar they are drinking each time they open a can of soda."

He conducted a survey to identify five popular soda flavors and compared the sugar content as indicated on their labels. The top five favorites — Sprite, Mountain Dew, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper — were analyzed for their sugar levels. His findings revealed that Sprite had the highest sugar content at 48 grams, followed by Mountain Dew at 46 grams. Pepsi contained 41 grams of sugar, while Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper each had 39 grams, making them the sodas with the lowest sugar content among the favorites.

In an exclusive interview with Program Directors Magdalene Augafa-Leauanae and Dr. Joserose Jyothybhavan, they applauded science teachers for their dedication in sparking and sustaining their students' interest in the field of science.

"The quality of projects we've seen, particularly from the young K-2 students, is incredibly encouraging. It demonstrates that they have a solid grasp of basic scientific principles," Augafa-Leauanae shared enthusiastically.

Dr. Jyothybhavan, originally from India, but has lived and taught in the Territory for over 20 years, expressed his delight at the potential shown by local students in scientific studies.

Having previously taught at Tafuna High School and Samoana High School before stepping into his current role as a Coordinator at the American Samoa Department of Education, Dr. Jyothybhavan has been instrumental in inspiring and guiding students in scientific exploration.

One notable example is a student who conducted research on using traditional Samoan medicinal plants to prevent mosquito larvae from developing. That student, Dr. Andrew Pati Ah Young, went on to achieve remarkable academic success, earning a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is now a research scientist at Gilead, a biotech company, where he contributes to the development of groundbreaking therapeutics for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

The 42nd ASDOE Annual Science Fair continues today with Secondary Registration in full swing, as participants prepare to showcase their projects and take center stage in this celebration of scientific discovery.