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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

  • 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.
  • [student:] To be able to say that I was involved in something so real is a bit surreal. I’m finding it hard to articulate what the experience was like, eye-opening, humbling, overwhelming, nothing quite fits. It’s changed me in a way I can’t really describe. Heart-opening. That would be the closest I could get to convey this feeling of just openness. Being open to new information, to new ideas, to new people, to new experiences, to myself. This unplaceable excitement for something that’s not really tangible. This was the most profound experience of my life.
  • Scientific research is a team process which takes time, creativity and grit to develop. Current classrooms and education models do not reflect this or prepare students to have those skills.
  • It is an eye opening and life changing experience for the participants.
  • NITARP has set a high standard for any professional development experience.

Related Teams

AAS - 2016