Chelen Johnson
This virtual team collects all independent research presented in 2010, and done by NITARP or Spitzer alumni with students outside of a formal NITARP team. Four different teams presented results in 2010!
Seeing and hearing about scientists at work, on different projects, brought to life the reality of scientists doing scientific work.
I did not anticipate the amount of people that were not "NITARP" but instead simply "fellow" astronomers and researchers that came by our team's poster to discuss our findings. That for me was [..] was a most pleasant surprise.
I had an amazing, exhausting time at the [2012] AAS meeting. I found myself continually challenged by the intellectual level and knowledge being shared. I was surprised and very encouraged to see a high proportion of people which are generally considered underrepresented in the sciences. That was a terrific take-home message for my students. It was an excellent experience all around, and gives me confidence that my team and I will be able to do a good job with our project and be great representatives of the NITARP program.
