ST. CROIX - From finding the best way to lower electric bills to stopping a viral infection, the scope of student projects and experiments presented at Good Hope School's annual science and engineering fair continues to advance each year.

Good Hope School, which is affiliated with the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, announced the fair winners on Wednesday.

More than 100 students competed for awards, including cash prizes and technology accessories. Winners in the upper school level also competed for an opportunity to represent the Virgin Islands at the 2008 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world's largest pre-college science competition.

Kristian Fennessy, a sophomore at Good Hope, set out to prove whether locally grown eggs have more protein than store bought eggs and egg substitutes.

He used eggs from chickens raised at his home, eggs purchased from a grocery store and Egg Beaters, a low-calorie substitute made from real eggs. The locally grown eggs had the most amount of protein, while the eggs purchased in a store had the least amount of protein. The egg substitute, he said, had slightly more protein than store bought eggs.

"I think it had to do with freshness," Fennessy said. "You don't really know how long eggs have been sitting in the store."

Fennessy said he had a hard time deciding what project to do this school year, until he looked at the chickens at home and wondered which of the eggs were more nutritious.

He said taking part in the science fair is hard work, but it is also a learning experience. His project, "Got Protein?" received an honorable mention.

"You learn new things by looking at other people's projects," Fennessy said.

After moving into a new house her father built a year ago, Good Hope ninth-grader Carisma Bishop wanted to find a way to lower electrical costs. Her experiment showed that for every $1 spent on incandescent light bulbs, a person spends just 21 cents using more energy efficient light bulbs, such as compact fluorescent lights.

Bishop said she was a bundle of nerves while she presented her project to a panel of judges Wednesday. It was her first time participating in the science fair.

"Now I know what to expect," she said.

As Good Hope senior Leah Guthrie talked about her project, "Do Not Enter," she was confident and relaxed.

Guthrie worked in a laboratory over the summer and found a chemical treatment that can stop viruses from entering cells.

"There are a lot of diseases that are caused by viruses, such as HIV/AIDS and the common cold," she said. "If we can figure out how to keep the viruses from entering the cells, fewer people would get sick."

Guthrie, who won first place Wednesday, worked on the project while working as a summer intern at the National Institutes of Health, one of the world's foremost medical research centers.

Guthrie said she plans to study biomedicine and do research into virology and gene therapy.

Jane Coles, Good Hope science department chair and fair director, said the students chose projects in their area of interest. She said the overall quality of experiments improves each year. Coles said the science fair is important in helping students to understand how science works.

"They're good and they are more creative," Coles said. "The judges have been impressed with the creativity and wealth of knowledge among the students."

Coles said she tells parents that working on the science projects are not like video games, where one can reset the game and start over. If the student makes a mistake, they have to keep trying until they get it right.

"The students are also getting practice in presenting themselves and getting their ideas across," Coles said.

Six students will attend the national Intel competition in Atlanta in May. Two individuals and one team will compete. Two other students will attend as observers.

The science projects will be on display for the public today from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. An awards ceremony will be held March 11.

- Contact Aesha Duval at 773-4428 or e-mail aduval@dailynews.vi.