Three hundred fifty-eight student projects from around the state will be on display at the State Science & Engineering Fair on April 5 at the Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall.

Among the projects are: "Disaster Preparedness for Moloka'i: The Effect of Water Inundation on Kaunakakai" and "Ancient Diesel: Making Methyl Ester from Kukui Nut Oil."

The public is invited to view the projects between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. There is no admission charge. The fair is organized by the Hawai'i Academy of Science.

APPLICANTS PICK NYU AS TOP 'DREAM SCHOOL'

New York University, which receives more applications for undergraduate admission than any other private U.S. school, topped Harvard and Yale for the third year in a row as students' first choice, according to a survey.

Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., came in second in the "dream school" survey of 3,890 college applicants, Princeton Review Inc. said this week. Princeton, Stanford and Yale universities followed. New York University received a record 35,000 applications this year for the class of 2010, spokesman John Beckman said.

"Students are coming because of the renown of our academic programs, the connection of the city to its industries and the opportunities for internships that this brings," Beckman said.

The school enrolls about 39,000 students.

Source: Bloomberg News Service

SCHOOL FACT

How many children are homeschooled in the United States?

In 2003, the number of homeschooled students was 1.1 million, an increase from 850,000 in 1999. The percentage of the school-age population who were homeschooled increased from 1.7 percent in 1999 to 2.2 percent in 2003.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics