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AAS - 2011

The Winter American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting is the largest meeting of professional astronomers in the world. NITARP educators attend an AAS first to meet their team, then they go home and work remotely for much of the year, and then attend an AAS to present their results.  At any given AAS, then, we could have two NITARP classes attending - those finishing up, and those getting started. Reload to see a different set of quotes.

The 2010 and 2011 NITARP teams attended the 2011 January AAS meeting in Seattle, WA. The 2010 class was presenting results and the 2011 class was starting up. Special feature article on AAS attendees!  There were nearly 60 NITARP-affiliated folks, about 2% of the attendees at the AAS meeting!! We presented 9 posters. Also see Luisa's blog entry about this.

 

Quotes

  • It was neat that Kepler's first confirmed terrestrial planet was announced during the conference.
  • How cool for the kids see a poster right next to theirs being presented by three university professors on one side and a graduate student on the other.
  • [My students] were amazed to hear other scientists say "Well, I understood half of that talk," and they repeatedly heard astronomers make jokes about research itself - the not knowing, the knowing and then getting proven wrong, etc. The experience made a huge impression on them and that was food for my soul.
  • It invigorated me to become part of the greater message, which is the story of space and ground based observatories and the incredible infrastructure built by NASA and its commercial and institutional partners. Never in the history of this great science has so much data and use of incredible instruments been available to not just the scientific community but the general public as well. All one has to do is just ask!
  • 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.

Related Teams

AAS - 2011