Chelen Johnson
The goal of SHIPs (Searching Herschel Images for Protostars) is to find and identify stars in the earliest phases of formation in NGC 281, a.k.a. "the pac-man nebula". These stars will help us understand the history of the star formation process in that region.
I discovered that meaningful astronomical research does not require access to meter-class observatories or a Beowulf cluster. Given the right professional to collaborate with, it is something that I'm able to do while still working at the planetarium.
One thing I learned from this meeting is I love my project. It is going to be very interesting and way cool!! I can’t wait to tell my astronomy club about it.
I thought the talks and posters were great. Watching scientists talk to each other and question each other was interesting.
