Chelen Johnson
This virtual team collects all independent research presented in 2013, and done by NITARP or Spitzer alumni with students outside of a formal NITARP team. In 2013, we have one article in The Physics Teacher, and one poster on young stars.
I am fortunate to be able to employ my software-development skills for a program as worthy as NITARP. Its hard-working mentors and participant teachers inspire me to make an extra effort in creating the best software product possible. I have gained many interesting insights from interactions with users of my software.
The surprising part of our research was the time we spent on communication, and the value of saying something out-loud has to understanding it.
Being able to be physically present at Caltech and the AAS expanded the impact of this program significantly. It was in these settings, in particular, where one could see how the scientific enterprise typically works and how ideas are often shared.
