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AAS - 2013

The Winter American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting is the largest meeting of professional astronomers in the world. NITARP educators attend an AAS first to meet their team, then they go home and work remotely for much of the year, and then attend an AAS to present their results.  At any given AAS, then, we could have two NITARP classes attending - those finishing up, and those getting started. Reload to see a different set of quotes.

We were out in force at the AAS 2013 meeting in Long Beach, CA! A record number of NITARP-affiliated people attended, including the 2012 class finishing up and the 2013 class getting going. The 80 or so NITARP-affiliated folks made up about 3% of the AAS attendees.

Special article on AAS attendees!  And don't miss Danielle Miller's blog!

Quotes

  • I realized how much I have actually learned through the program when I was able to explain complicated astronomy to graduate students, professors, and people who work at observatories.
  • The NITARP experience was terrific from start to finish -- well organized, informative, and unique. I have experienced a number of well-done programs in having HS teachers and/or students participate in research, and NITARP particularly stands out. I think it is the mix of prep work done in advance by teachers and students, the collaborative format of teachers/students/scientists from different locals, the onsite time at Caltech, and the attendance and presentation of posters at an AAS . Each of these elements was important.
  • The [students from 2012] fielded questions from an astronomer from the Keck Observatory like old pros- very professional! I can't wait to see my students do the same.
  • I rarely get out among other teachers in the same field as I am, with similar interest and motivations, and even less often do I have time to be in the company of professional scientists to see and hear what they are doing, how it is being done, what technologies are being used, etc. Without this type of program to get me to a meeting like the AAS I would never be able to put all of this together.
  • After this experience, I'm more aware that beyond just teaching my students good science, my focus should be to prepare them for a career in science. I feel like I have a better understanding of the skills they'll need to be successful. I've already made big changes to my curriculum because of this program, and will continue to do so in future years.

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AAS - 2013