Spotlight on youth

From mountainous Boulder, Colo., Vancouver teen Abby Kinney has her sights set on the stars — or more accurately, on an asteroid passing near Earth. Over the course of the 39-day Summer Science Program at the University of Boulder, Kinney, of Columbia River High School, has operated a research-grade telescope to take images of a near-Earth asteroid and calculated its orbital path, including the chance it will impact Earth in the future. Kinney and her colleagues worked closely with university professors, met prominent guest speakers, and took behind-the-scenes tours of local scientific and cultural sites as part of this program.