Named in honor of Linda M. French, planetary scientist at the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An active teacher, French has encouraged undergraduate research in planetary astronomy by using a hands-on approach to observing and data analysis and by arranging for students to observe at major facilities. Involved in research on the shapes, spin states and surface compositions of small solar-system bodies, she has emphasized the properties of Trojan asteroids in an effort to understand their origins. (M 12805) _ _.