Junior Madeleine Cochrane was able to go beyond the school-wide science fair and participate in the regional and state science fair.

Cochrane found a new way to measure the speed of sound accurately for her project.

“My project was the effect of temperature on the speed of sound, a pretty general topic,” Cochrane said. “However, when I was looking for speedometers online, they ranged from $800-3,000. So as a student on a budget, I made it the mission of my project to find a new and innovative way to measure the speed of sound without spending any money.”

Cochrane’s physic teacher Thomas Bright found her project interesting because of its simplicity.

“The best experiments in the world are the simplest ones,” Bright said. “I mean hers is very simple, very elegant, and very understandable to anybody. It was a simple project, well done, home-grown, and that to me is the best type of project to have.”

With this project, Cochrane won first place in the regional science fair and competed in the state science fair.

“The state competition already took place the Friday and Saturday that spring break started,” Cochrane said. “I didn not win anything, but it was an honor to be in the same room as people who were developing remedies for cancer and paralysis.”

She was awarded a first place prize and $300 from American Industrial Hygiene Association. Cochrane was also invited to compete in the Aerospace Corporations 38th Annual Memorial Science Competition May 21.

“To be honest, I do not know what to expect because it is not a normal science fair,” Cochrane said. “I will be competing with other projects and researchers in the field for physics. It should be exciting. It is another opportunity to show off my work to a greater community and possibly make a difference.”

Nevertheless, Cochrane is proud of her achievements and project.

“I was not expecting my project to come up with such accurate and precise results based on my technique to determine the speed of sound,” she said. “I am excited about my accomplishment.”