A Rock Named Judy

The ancient Greeks named the stars after heroes. Now the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is doing it too. That's how a lump of rock numbered 23155 became Asteroid Judithblack, in honor of a 19-year-old student who won a US $1500 prize for her scheme to improve the efficiency of an automated box-cutting machine in a factory near her home in Warrenpoint ,Northern Ireland. Black, who is now an EE major at Queen's University, in Belfast, says getting an asteroid named for her "was better than the money!" The next Intel ISEF will be held 10 to 15 May 2009 in Reno, Nev. (see http://societyforscience. org).