Chelen Johnson
Stellar Teachers and Rebull with SPHEREx -- All-Volunteer NITARP 2026 team studying stars with SPHEREx.
NITARP is without a doubt one of the two most valuable pieces of professional development work I have done in 25 years of teaching, and by far the most rewarding content-related work. I think that what you are doing is really unusual and valuable.
The most interesting thing I learned was that it is possible for very young students to wrap their heads around complex “higher level” science if they are motivated and engaged.
I very much enjoyed meeting the other NITARP astronomers and participants. I was especially interested in the students’ experiences. Keeping the students in the loop and continuing to focus them on the big picture were especially good lessons from the past I plan to apply in the coming year.
