Chelen Johnson
The AGNatha team will be using WISE data to identify anomalous AGN in Gaia.
We had a staff meeting this morning and the kids presented our research and shared our experiences to the entire staff. They did an outstanding job and many of our teachers have commented to me how impressed they were by what they did. One of our teachers (and MIT grad) asked a couple of good questions and commented afterward to me he was impressed that they could explain the answer (noting that they were not just number crunching).
Real astronomy involves working as a team to find an answer. The NITARP program provides a unique, real-life experience in real astronomy to the teachers and students involved.
Since starting with NITARP, my Astronomy Research Course has grown by leaps and bounds. Much of this has to do with conversation I have and connections I make at the AAS each year.