Hempfield High School student Marian Bechtel has been named one of 40 finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search.

The junior from Landisville is the only finalist from Pennsylvania selected to compete in what is considered America's most prestigious pre-college science competition.

Previous Science Talent Search participants have gone on to win seven Nobel Prizes.

Marian was selected because of her research into a method of locating land mines that relies on sound waves to reduce the risk of accidental detonations.

She and the 39 other finalists will gather in Washington, D.C., from March 8 to 13 to compete for $630,000 in awards, including a $100,000 top award from the Intel Foundation.

The honor is the latest accolade for Marian, who has spent several years working on her project, "A Stand-Off Seismo-Acoustic Method for Humanitarian Demining."

Her parents, Felicia and Tim Bechtel, are both geophysicists who work with NATO and had discussed the issue of mine detection with their daughter.

Her research earned the grand champion and senior champion awards at the North Museum Science & Engineering Fair in 2010 and 2011.

She also won a third-place prize at an Intel science fair in Los Angeles last May and was recently named a Davidson Fellow by the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, earning a $25,000 scholarship.

As a Science Talent Search finalist, Marian will display her work to the public and meet with notable scientists and national leaders. Last year, President Barack Obama honored the participating students in a White House ceremony.

The top winners will be announced at an awards ceremony March 13 at the National Building Museum.

Marian is the second Lancaster County student to participate in the competition at this level in the past two years.

In 2011, Penn Manor High School senior Ben Clark was a top-10 finisher for his research into how stars are formed.