Summer "Visit" - 2020 - OIRMA

Quotes

• [student:] “Real astronomy” is being curious, and wanting to turn that curiosity into answers. This means articulating your problem, then coming up with a way to solve that problem, even if it means taking a detour from what you originally thought you would have to do to reach your solution. I loved that things weren’t set in stone, and that we often adapted our methods on the spot in order to suit our needs. This entire experience taught me that, as I had expected, not everything is sunshine and roses, and that sometimes, you have to do a bit of unexpected grunt work in order to achieve a goal.
• Best thing was the collaboration with all involved and the students being more like peers.
• [student:] The best thing about this week was the sensation of work and progress. Learning about the relevant astronomy was definitely fun and valuable, but when we analyzed light curves, pored through databases, and created spreadsheets of candidates, I felt that I had taken tangible steps towards my goal. At that point, I had actually done astronomy, not just learned about it.
• Real astronomy is DATA. It is having to think outside the box to turn the invisible visible by using multiple sets of information from potentially multiple sources. I expected this would be part of the research project but was surprised by the ability to successfully change methods for data collection during the project.
• [student:] An astronomer must be patient, curious, and willing to learn. They also must not be afraid to take risks, to embarrass themselves, and to ask questions. They have to be content with sometimes admitting that they made a mistake or were wrong about something, and that it’s okay to not know everything.

Related Teams

• OIRMA/Gorjian