Chelen Johnson
This virtual team collects all independent research presented in 2014, and done by NITARP or Spitzer alumni with (or without) students outside of a formal NITARP team.
[In my classroom, I will] increase my emphasis that what is written in a textbook is not the final word on a subject. Science is an ever-evolving mechanism of discovery and nothing remains fixed in perspective or proof.
I found it most interesting to see the scientific process in action. Scientists were questioning scientists, sometimes fairly aggressively.
High school students are hungry for authentic research experiences, and both high school teachers and students benefit immensely from having contact with a professional astronomer. This may seem inefficient (because it costs a lot of money to connect individuals with professionals), but it can change lives, and there are wonderful ripple effects.
