Chelen Johnson
Stellar Teachers and Rebull with SPHEREx -- All-Volunteer NITARP 2026 team studying stars with SPHEREx.
I can't begin to tell you what a wonderful experience this week was for me and my students. The skills and knowledge we all picked up were great.
It was very special to be in the room when the announcement of planet Kepler 10b (an estimated 1.4 X the size of the Earth) was discovered. I turned to my student Inga and asked, "How does it feel to be one of the first people on planet Earth to know about this discovery?" She replied, "I never thought of it like that ... it's pretty cool."
I LOVED the chance to talk with some of the students that have been involved in the NITARP program. It was really good to hear of their insights and thoughts about the program, the process, and how it influenced their year and future plans.
