Chelen Johnson
This is my third AAS. I understand so much more than I did the first time, but I STILL HAVE SO MUCH TO LEARN! This is a fantastic professional development opportunity, and generates so many ideas each time I come.
I have already talked to my department about adding an astronomy research class to our class choices next year and they are very enthusiastic.
I’ve always thought that probably most astronomers were just normal people who had a passion for astronomy, and my experience confirmed that. I felt like many of the astronomers I talked to were able to have normal conversations as well as “wow” me with lots of data and analysis.