Rocket ships going to far-off places, doctors searching for a cure, physicists decoding the language of the universe—the world of science is an amazing thing, and one junior plans to make his contributions to the field at the Fort Hays Regional Science Fair this March.

“I’m studying how a magnet’s speed changes as it falls through a copper tube,” junior Christopher Rooney said. “I saw a demonstration at Fort Hays in August, and I wanted to investigate further.”

Rooney said that, while he has collected all his data, he still has yet to interpret them.

“I’m still in the process of sorting out all the results,” Rooney said. “I have 2.2 million data points from 15 trials to interpret.”

Rooney said he feels confident about the Science Fair.

“I’m really excited to go,” Rooney said. “I think I’ll do well.”

According to Rooney, this won’t be his only scientific endeavor during his lifetime. His interest lies mainly in the field of physics.

“I want to be scientist later in life,” Rooney said. “I think I’ll be a particle physicist, an astrophysicist, or a computer scientist.”

The Fourth Annual Regional Science & Engineering Fair will be held at Fort Hays on Saturday, March 3, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Students from grades 4 through 12 are eligible to enter. The winning entry in each category will qualify for the Kansas State Science & Engineering Fair.

12lmarcotte@usd489.com