AAS - 2017

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 2016 and 2017 NITARP teams attended the 2017 January AAS meeting in Dallas, TX. The 2016 class was presenting results and the 2017 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:

2016 teams:
- Science Poster - Orr et al., "Finding High Quality Young Star Candidates in Ceph C Using X-ray, Optical, and IR Data"
- Education Poster - Orr et al., "STEM Education is Missing This ..."
- Science Poster - Kilts et al., "Searching for Short-Term Variable Active Galactic Nuclei: A Vital Step Towards Using AGN as Standard Candles"
- Education Poster - Kohrs et al., "NITARP: Changing Perceptions of Science Among Secondary Students and Teachers"
Returning Alumni teams:
- Education Poster - Bensel & Cool, "Are We Alone? GAVRT Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Project"
- Education Poster - Tran et al., "Analysis of Visual Double Stars"
- Science Poster - Johnson et al., "An Infrared Search for Young Stellar Objects in IC 1396"
- Science Poster - Wilson et al., "Searching for Infrared Excesses around White Dwarf Stars"
- Education Poster - Linder et al., "Confirming and Improving Ross Variable Star RV Del"
- Science Poster - Linder et al., "Rotational Study of Ambiguous Taxonomic Classified Asteroids"
NITARP Management:
- Evaluations And Impact (presented as education poster): Rebull et al., "The NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP): Lessons Learned"

Quotes

I especially value the NITARP experience for putting me in the position of being a novice trying to master content that was over my head. I gained a much greater understanding of how some of my students must feel sitting in my or another’s class. It has helped me be a more empathetic educator while also helping me to better understand how to reach and motivate those students.
I was expecting professional astronomers to be much more aloof, but everyone that a I engaged with was very open to the interaction and more than willing to talk and share their knowledge.
[student:] I plan to attend college and major in astrophysics. I hope to someday work for NASA or a private research facility. This experience gave me the confidence I needed to solidify these career goals, transforming my fear into impatience.
I wish I’d been aware of this opportunity years ago.
[student:] Prior to this research experience, I’ve always felt as if the odds were stacked against me becoming an astrophysicist. I once doubted my mathematical aptitude, my ability to thrive in a male-dominated field, and my capacity to overcome the adversity of applying to prestigious universities while living in a rural community. However, through this program I’ve learned that I have the potential to be truly successful in the astronomical disciplines. It is imperative that these program remain accessible to all students in order to build a generation that is scientifically literate and prepared to take on even the most daunting global problems.

AAS - 2017

Quotes

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