Elizabeth Lada facts for kids

Elizabeth Lada is an American astronomer. She studies how stars are born and grow inside big clouds of gas and dust in space. She wants to understand how these young stars and star groups, called "clusters," form and change over time.

Her Journey in Science

Elizabeth Lada went to Yale University and earned her first science degree in Physics in 1983. Later, in 1990, she received her Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Texas. Today, she is a Professor of Astronomy at the University of Florida, where she teaches and continues her research.

Awards and Honors

Elizabeth Lada has received many important awards for her amazing work in astronomy.

Early Recognition

In 1992, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) honored her with the Annie J. Cannon Prize. This award is given to talented women in astronomy. She was also named a Hubble Fellow while working at the University of Maryland. This is a special research position for promising young scientists. In 1999, she received an NSF CAREER award, which supports early-career faculty who are great researchers and teachers. A year before that, in 1998, she was given a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). This is one of the highest honors the United States government gives to young scientists and engineers.

Fellow of the American Astronomical Society

In 2023, Elizabeth Lada was named a Fellow of the AAS. This is a very high honor from the American Astronomical Society. She received this recognition for several reasons:

• She was a pioneer in using special cameras that see infrared light. This helped her study hidden groups of young stars inside giant gas clouds.
• She did important work on how stars form, including figuring out the sizes of stars in these clouds.
• She was one of the first to accurately measure how often young stars have disks of dust and gas around them, which are where planets can form.
• She has also helped the astronomy community a lot by serving on many important groups and committees.

See also

In Spanish: Elizabeth Lada para niños