Local Teen Tracks Asteroid

– Courtesy photo.

Stanley Yu Conducts Astrophysics Research at University of Colorado

Over 39 intense days this summer Stanley Yu of Arcadia, a student at Arcadia High School, operated a research-grade telescope to take images of a near-Earth asteroid. Yu then wrote software to measure its position precisely and calculate its orbital path – including the chance it will impact Earth in the future.

Yu participated in the 58th annual Summer Science Program (SSP) at the University of Colorado, one of 36 gifted science students who came from around the world for academic challenge, collaboration, and personal growth.

Since 1959, this unique and highly-selective program has offered teenagers their first taste of what doing research is all about. Years and even decades later, many alumni describe it as “the educational experience of a lifetime.” Most go on to earn advanced degrees and leadership roles in their chosen careers.

Yu and his colleagues worked closely with university professors, met prominent guest speakers, and took behind-the-scenes tours of local scientific, educational, and cultural sites.

SSP is an independent non-profit, operated in cooperation with Caltech, MIT, New Mexico Tech, and University of Colorado at Boulder. More information is available at www.summerscience.org.

More from Arcadia Weekly