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.
By participating in NITARP, I'm leading by example as I'm trying to be a lifelong learner. The students are seeing that there are things that I don't understand, and it's not in a ‘gotcha’ type of way, but in a more reassuring way that we're all going through this together. I like collaborating with my students as if they were colleagues of mine, and I think that is a very redeeming prospect of this opportunity that will benefit them in the long run.
For me as an educator, it was really rejuvenating to come out here (and bring a student with) and dive into actual astronomical research.
[This experience] has made me realize that while I use a lot of inquiry, I don’t always involve my students in the process of developing a testable question.
