Chelen Johnson
SIRXS (SEIP IR Excess Survey) : looking for IR excesses around stars found within the Spitzer Enhanced Imaging Products (SEIP) source list.
It's really fun to do this project, not just by myself, but with a student.
It was refreshing to learn that NASA wants scientists to get/stay in communication with the public, including schools, regarding the science being done. Engagements translates to representation and support from a grassroots mindset.
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).
