NASA/IPAC Teacher
Archive Research Program

I've been involved in many professional development activities and this is by far the best one I've ever done

Chelen Johnson

NGC4051/Gorjian

IRAC Monitoring of NGC 4051 for Interday Variability: Using the Spitzer Space Telescope for a 10 day infrared monitoring of the region around the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy NGC 4051 to help determine the dust distribution around it.

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Our Participants Talk About NITARP

Thanks so much for an amazing experience. NITARP has opened doors for me in many ways. It’s exposed me to real research, it’s got me thinking about ways to innovate and create real research experiences for my students, and it’s made me aware of the numerous opportunities out there for science teachers to become better at what they do.
The most interesting thing [of my NITARP experience] was having to actually do research – researching articles & known information; looking up images in databases; doing photometry; making judgments on sources.
Because of NITARP my teaching has grown for the better. The entire project really made me appreciate and re-evaluate the scientific process. I was amazed by the support and well organized lines of communication, and found a new level of respect for Google Sheets.The number of connections I have made with other astronomy and physics teachers has really helped me find new and interesting ways to make physics more relevant to students.