Erika DeBenedictis

Education

DeBenedictis attended Saint Pius X High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Career

In 2000 a main belt asteroid was named after her. The asteroid, 23131 Debenedictis was discovered on 5 January 2000 by the Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research Team in Socorro. In 2008, she further became connected to asteroids when she attended the Summer Science Program, which teaches astronomy through a curriculum based on asteroid observations and orbital calculations.

At the program in Socorro, New Mexico, just a short distance from where the asteroid was discovered, she had the opportunity to observe her namesake.

She enrolled at the California Institute of Technology in 2010.

Achievements

• In 2007 her computer science project won second prize in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.".