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.
Over all, the NITARP experience was nothing I had ever experienced before as a teacher. The research was very interesting and challenging at the same time.
I've enjoyed working with NITARP teachers and seeing just how talented they are and how passionate they are about what they teach and about their kids. They want to learn as much as they can here so that they can go and make their classrooms better.
I think the best part about the trip and NITARP as a whole is the chance to do authentic research and learn the methods and techniques used to tease as much information out of the data as possible. It still amazes me (and this is what I try to instill in the students in my astronomy classes) that we can learn so much from a tiny point of light if we are just clever enough to know how to look at it.
