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AAS - 2016

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 2015 and 2016 NITARP teams attended the 2016 January AAS meeting in Kissimmee, FL. The 2015 class was presenting results and the 2016 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, and a special article on NITARP alumni at the AAS. All of the posters we presented are here:

Quotes

  • [student:] This program has made me want to be the smartest I can be and never stop learning. I want to be be knowledgable about everything (an impossible task) and this experience has taught me to self educate and never stop looking for an answer and a new question.
  • I was nearly moved to tears watching the students share our research at the poster session. I was expecting them to act more like disinterested teenagers but they certainly did not. Their enthusiasm was infectious. I wish I had videotaped the entire poster session to share with all my other students.
  • [student:] . Astronomy was always looking at constellations and going to the moon before I joined NITARP. It's been eye-opening.
  • [student:] Yes, I believe that astronomers have to really love their work to do it. I now know that there is so much more to astronomy than what I thought before. It is quite amazing.
  • Programs such as NITARP keep good teachers in the classroom teaching and leading our next generation of scientists. Good science teachers need to be challenged, inspired, and motivated by the science they fell in love with as a student themselves. This happens when they are able to participate and engage in current, active, real experiences such as this. [... ]These programs make good teachers better, improve the quality of education they can deliver, and keep those highly trained, effective people in the classroom doing what they do best.

Related Teams

AAS - 2016