AAS - 2019

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 2018 and 2019 NITARP teams attended the 2019 January AAS meeting in Seattle, WA. The 2018 class was presenting results and the 2019 class was starting up. We had 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:

2018 Teams:

NITARP Management:

Education Poster - Rebull, "A Way to Categorize Programs that Bring Data to the Classroom"

Returning Alumni Teams:

Quotes

I was very excited to learn what research we will be doing. All of the information about the program itself and what is expected of us was very good on Sunday. I do not think the reality of the experience has really hit me yet but I’m sure it will over the next several months. It just seems unreal that we will be using data from the Kepler and Spitzer telescopes and possibly Chandra as well to look into an area of star formation and try to discover new young stars! Truly amazing to be a part of this!
[student:] Initially, I wanted to pursue a career in either music education or performance as a part of the more classical community of music. The AAS conference changed that. I have never before in my life seen a more collaborative group than the AAS. The support I had while presenting my poster was unreal. This made me reflect on my pursuits in music. That community could not be any more critical or degrading than it already is. I want music in my life, but I never want to be a part of that community. This experience set me on a path, one that might one day lead me to the forefront of human knowledge hopefully for me to help push that boundary.
[student:] This program completely altered my perception of what astronomy is and what astronomers actually do. Sure, there is a lot of data analysis and paper writing, but seeing everyone come together at AAS showed me the passion these people have for their careers and it was a really cool thing to see.
There is no limit to what teachers and students participating in NITARP can do! With the expertise of scientists, mentoring teachers, and the enthusiasm of students and teachers working as a team, NITARP provides an experience like no other program out there. The long-lasting impact goes far beyond the year long experience to increase quality and quantity of space related programs in the classroom and community.
[student:] [NITARP is] truly a once in a lifetime experience. The friendships and connects that I made throughout this program would have never happened without it. It truly opens students to new experiences and helps them figure out what they want to do later in life. Along with that, AAS was a massive learning experience for anyone with an interest in astronomy. It’s just at a level of knowledge that you can’t get while in high school without this opportunity.

AAS - 2019

Quotes

Related Teams