Chelen Johnson
Stellar Teachers and Rebull with SPHEREx -- All-Volunteer NITARP 2026 team studying stars with SPHEREx.
[At my first AAS,] I felt like I got to meet a lot of people and learn some cool things, and think about how to best educate people. It feels like a lot of people with a common goal, very connected and leaving was kind of sad, like separation. Other than my group, I did not run into another NITARP teacher after Sunday; I don't think I realized how big this conference was.
When I look at how the intellectual process changed over the last year I imagine it going from a diffuse look at research and the entire conference experience to the extreme focus on our own project during the year and finally reaching outward again in Seattle to incorporate new information and understandings. Returning to AAS made the experience complete.
Standing by the poster nearly all day, my three girls described our [research]. To say that I was proud would be a gross understatement.
