Chelen Johnson
CM4Seyferts (Color-Magnitude for Seyferts): Using ultraviolet images from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite and optical images and spectra from the ground based Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to find a correlation between the color and luminosity of the hot gas around supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies.
The experience has changed my understanding of astronomy and how it is done, but not of astronomers.
I did not anticipate how much the astronomers would trust us right away. I felt more like a colleague than a student, which was relieving (and maybe a bit stressful, because I probably would have found it easier to ask questions coming from a student role).
Astronomers remain focused, polite, caring and thoughtful about the future generations who will take on the study. I think this message alone has huge meaning in my classrooms [...]
