Chelen Johnson
Finding Infrared Excess in the SEIP (fIRes) will be looking for stars with infrared excesses in the Spitzer Enhanced Imaging Products catalog.
The surprising part of our research was the time we spent on communication, and the value of saying something out-loud has to understanding it.
My general impression is how big and varied the whole conference was. I knew the number coming in—but sometimes our imagination fails us. To see all the posters, papers, booths, and talks was truly astonishing.
One evening, while working on some homework, I had the realization that THIS WAS REAL. There is no right answer, in fact, no one knows the answer. I can't just go and ask someone the answer. It was like a light bulb went off and I experienced a feeling of excitement and also felt a little bit scared. I thought to myself -- Is this how astronomers feel about their work? It was a great feeling and exciting that I too am part of this now.