“You’re going to Hollywood!” a panel of judges told senior Julia Cline. But Cline isn’t auditioning for American Idol — she’s competing in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles May 8 to 13.

As one of 1,500 finalists from around the world, Cline will compete for over four million dollars in awards and scholarships at the fair. Her project, “Earth’s Magnetosphere as a Complex Network,” explores the interaction between solar wind and the earth’s magnetic field.

Before beginning to work on the project in September, Cline didn’t know much about the earth’s magnetic field. She started the project to learn more about astrophysics in the hopes that it would bring her closer to achieving her goal of becoming an astronaut.

“Essentially, I’m looking at what effect solar winds, or solar flares, have on the earth’s magnetic field, which is called the magnetosphere,” Cline explained.

Cline advanced to the Intel fair after winning the grand prize at the Science Montgomery fair at the University of Maryland March 18 to 21. In addition to qualifying for the Intel fair, Cline also won a tour of the CIA headquarters in D.C., cash prizes and the opportunity to speak at geophysical conferences in the area.

Five other Whitman students, including award-winners junior Kevin Tyan and senior Llewellyn Smith, also competed at the fair. Science teacher Melanie Hudock requires that all science interns enter a project.

“I think they need recognition, and the recognition can open doors,” Hudock said. “A lot of colleges are there checking out the projects. A lot of the local labs are there, so kids can get jobs.”

In addition to the job opportunities that internships and science fairs present, students can gain invaluable experience from lab work.

“They’re able to apply science in a very different way that you never could do in school,” Hudock said.

Cline worked on her project as an intern for Surjalal Sharma in the astronomy department at the University of Maryland. Sharma hired Cline because she had the motivation he was looking for.

“Within the presence of significant effort, you get things done,” Sharma said.

Through her internship, Cline not only gained experience that helped with her project, but also learned skills that will stay with her into the future.

“It’s more research experience than anything else, so this is more suited to going into academia,” she said. “But it’s always helpful to have a good astrophysics background.”

Although Cline’s project took about nine months to finish, Sharma said that all of the hard work pays off in the end.

“First, you learn the science,” he explained. “Second, you learn how to work in a project. Third, you learn [research] techniques. And fourth, you can win prizes – not bad.”