At the Austin Energy Science Fair, freshman Nisha Kolagotla placed first for her project about capacitance in the Physics and Astronomy category.

“I was interested in finding the thickness of plastic wrap and I knew about capacitance since my dad is an electrical engineer,” Kolagotla said.

Later this month Kolagotla will travel to San Antonio for the State competition, where 10 students will advance to Internationals.

“The best part of competition is being judged,” Kolagotla said. “I have been competing since first grade, so I know how to say my presentation.”