Chelen Johnson
CM4Seyferts (Color-Magnitude for Seyferts): Using ultraviolet images from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite and optical images and spectra from the ground based Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to find a correlation between the color and luminosity of the hot gas around supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies.
My ideas about astronomy has changed significantly, thanks to NITARP. Quite simply, I didn't understand the role of archival data in modern astronomical research. Previously, I considered it an intellectual exercise, work suitable for a reference librarian, but not real research. I now know it to comprise the future of astronomy, and the very picture of MOST of tomorrow's scientific research.
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 a poster I saw at the AAS and] my participation in the NITARP program, I will be raising the standards for my students in the future.
