Independent persons

One out of every 20 women in the U.S. who has a Ph.D. in astronomy completed the Maria Mitchell Association's astronomy internship program.

Dr. Dorrit Hoffleit founded the program in 1957, the first year she served as director of the Maria Mitchell observatory. In Hoffleit's 21 years as director of astronomy at MMA, she mentored more than 100 students: female students only — 97 in all — for the first 19 years, in an attempt to boost the number of American women in astronomy. She retired from that post in 1978, but the mission of the MMA - to encourage women to pursue careers in astronomy - lives on.

While the program was originally designed for women, it now admits men, with one-third of the interns being male.

Vladimir Strelnitski became the MMA's director of astronomy 12 years ago. Strelnitski carried on Hoffleit's legacy, bringing the internship to a new level and raising the professional expectation for each student's performance. For the past 12 years, every student has had to give a presentation at the American Astronomical Society conference. They also lead the open nights at the Maria Mitchell observatory and teach about the night sky.

This year, the MMA received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring for its 52-year old astronomy internship program. On Jan. 6, on behalf of the Maria Mitchell Association, Strelnitski will accept the award in Washington, D.C. I

FILE PHOTO Vladimir Strelnitski