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.
NITARP has transformed my life and the way I teach, so it's difficult to find anything that has NOT been influenced by this experience!
Honestly, I left [the 2013 AAS] a bit more in love with astronomy. I just plain had fun wandering and treated myself to time as a learner. It is not often we, educators, get to slide out of expert mode and into learner mode.
[NITARP] was also one of the strongest experiences I have had in my 20+ years teaching. Your program is amazing and you are wondering. It is priceless. I know you invest so much into it; I wanted to share a bit of the impact you are having. Thanks for doing what you do so well.
