Chelen Johnson
This virtual team collects all independent research presented in 2014, and done by NITARP or Spitzer alumni with (or without) students outside of a formal NITARP team.
By participating in NITARP, I'm leading by example as I'm trying to be a lifelong learner. The students are seeing that there are things that I don't understand, and it's not in a ‘gotcha’ type of way, but in a more reassuring way that we're all going through this together. I like collaborating with my students as if they were colleagues of mine, and I think that is a very redeeming prospect of this opportunity that will benefit them in the long run.
One evening, while working on some homework, I had the realization that THIS WAS REAL. There is no right answer, in fact, no one knows the answer. I can't just go and ask someone the answer. It was like a light bulb went off and I experienced a feeling of excitement and also felt a little bit scared. I thought to myself -- Is this how astronomers feel about their work? It was a great feeling and exciting that I too am part of this now.
How cool for the kids see a poster right next to theirs being presented by three university professors on one side and a graduate student on the other.
