GRB030725: An Amateur Discovery in a Professional Field
Berto Monard, an AAVSO member and observer, is the first amateur to discover the afterglow to a GRB before the professional community. While many afterglows have been imaged by amateurs, including the famous GRB030329, this is the first time an afterglow was discovered and published by an amateur.
Elizabeth started working at the AAVSO in 1979 after graduating with a degree in Astronomy from Smith College in Northhampton, MA. She began as technical assistant to Director Janet Mattei. Over the next 25 years the variety and number of her responsibilities grew.
Harlow Shapley once referred to Leslie C. Peltier as "the world's greatest living amateur astronomer." This was a view shared by all who knew him, or knew of him. During his active observing life, which spanned all, or parts of eight decades, he made over 132,000 observations of variable stars, discovered twelve comets and six novae.
In order to recognize the contributions of AAVSO Solar Section contributors, the AAVSO Solar Observer Awards (sunspots only) were initiated at the 1999 Annual Meeting. Sunspot awards are presented to solar observers who have reached milestones of 1000, 1500, 2000, or subsequent increments of 500 sunspot observations by September of a given year. In 2004 a SID awards program was implemented to give equal recognition to SID observers.
Elizabeth started working at the AAVSO in 1979 after graduating with a degree in Astronomy from Smith College in Northhampton, MA. She began as technical assistant to Director Janet Mattei. Over the next 25 years the variety and number of her responsibilities grew.
