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Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Stars In Her Eyes

Instead of watching television like other kids, Naomi Sue Bates grew up gazing at the stars. She remembers lying in the grass and watching meteor showers more spectacular than fireworks. Naomi is 18 now and a senior at Franklin High School in Franklin, West Virginia. She is still looking at the heavens--but these days she uses a giant telescope.

Last week Naomi was named a finalist in the Westinghouse High School Science Contest, a big competition for future scientists. In March, 40 finalists will travel to Washington to present their projects. The winner will get a $40,000 scholarship.

Naomi's project demonstrates the theory that the Milky Way galaxy (where Earth is) has a spiral shape. Naomi used a 40-foot radio telescope, which picks up radio waves from space. She studied a printed version of the waves to find areas with lots of hydrogen gas. She plotted those areas to make a map that showed the galaxy's shape. "Some galaxies look like blobs," says Naomi, "but not the Milky Way. It has a spiral shape."

For the first 10 years of her life, Naomi's family lived without electricity. They still do not own a TV. "I really liked not having electricity," Naomi says. "You had to do things differently. Just imagine what it's like not having a refrigerator or freezer!"

Some kids at school can't understand why Naomi has stars in her eyes. "People think I'm crazy," she says, "but I love what I'm doing!"

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