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AAS - 2015

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 2014 and 2015 NITARP teams attended the 2015 January AAS meeting in Seattle, WA. The 2014 class was presenting results and the 2015 class was starting up. We had many alumni raise money to come back as well. We sent about 50 people to the AAS and had a grand time. Please see the special article on NITARP at the AAS. All of the posters we presented are here:

Quotes

  • [student:] I did not anticipate the heavy use of computer software in astronomy. As a programmer-in-training, I love working with computers. After learning the power of data and plots in astronomy, I must say that it is the career that I have been waiting for so far.
  • [Through NITARP, I've made contacts such that even though my NITARP year is ending], I feel I am just beginning what will be a great adventure.
  • My ideas about astronomy has changed significantly, thanks to NITARP. Quite simply, I didn't understand the role of archival data in modern astronomical research. Previously, I considered it an intellectual exercise, work suitable for a reference librarian, but not real research. I now know it to comprise the future of astronomy, and the very picture of MOST of tomorrow's scientific research.
  • [student:] NITARP teaches collaboration skills, research skills, and general life skills that are valuable to a student whether or not they choose to pursue astronomy further.
  • [student:] I really was surprised at the vastness and variety of everything presented at the conference. I had no idea what the AAS conference would be like since I've never attended a convention event like this one, and was shocked to realize how progressive and advanced astronomy was. It's amazing to realize that the knowledge presented at the conference was just the surface of the knowledge really possessed by the brightest minds in astronomy.

Related Teams

AAS - 2015