• NASA
  • IPAC

AAS - 2022

The Winter American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting is usually 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 2020/21 and 2022 NITARP teams had planned to attend the 2022 January AAS meeting in Salt Lake City, UT. However, the meeting was entirely cancelled due to COVID. We still have this special article about the NITARP teams finishing and starting up. All of the posters from the 2020/21 teams we presented are here. Most of the 2020/21 teams came instead to the June 2022 AAS meeting in Pasadena, CA instead. Those posters were iPosters, so the PDF versions that are here are still the versions from Jan 2022, but the numbers are from June 2022.

The 2022 class got started on Jan 9, just before when the winter AAS would have been held. There are two teams in 2022.

Quotes

  • I always wanted to publish, as I said in my original application to the program. Somehow, being exposed to the papers in this most recent literature search, and realizing that writing papers is part of your lives, finally got me moving. Now, just today in fact, I sent off my first peer-reviewed paper with what should be the last round of editorial revisions! So, thank you for normalizing publishing to me.
  • [student:] Previously, I did not entirely understand how versatile the data collected by telescopes are. Astronomers can utilize data and surveys that were created for a specific purpose for a completely different purpose. I didn't realize this before NITARP.
  • Confusion is the normal, and much appreciated, state during a NITARP experience. But it is that healthy, wonderful form of confusion that is triggering curiosity and engagement. The experience of the professional astronomers with individuals of our limited background knowledge and skills allowed them to constantly adjust the pacing and content of the experience to keep us on the edge of comfort/confusion. This is the sweet spot for cognitive challenge and growth, so it was a true pleasure to experience it in the NITARP setting with such fidelity and control over such a long period of time. The NITARP experience is masterful at supporting our development as amateur astronomers and professional educators. I loved every minute of it… even the, “wait a minute… what? No seriously… ??????” moments. Keep doing exactly this… let us flounder to the point of ALMOST tearful frustration… and then swoop in to pull us back just inside the edge of our comfort zones… it is awesome to experience.
  • The NITARP experience provides the highest quality environment of building on the existing, limited, knowledge and skill sets of both teachers and students while challenging both in terms of both their depth and breadth. But more importantly, because it is real-world science carried out in collaboration with a team of both professionals and amateurs, it is a develops the personal perception of the participants of themselves as already being on the spectrum of what a scientist is and does… seeing themselves moving persistently along that spectrum toward a more knowledgeable and skilled place… and developing the meaningful confidence in their ability to pursue the next steps to remain engaged in STEM inquiry in the future. Participants have a personal and accurate first-person knowledge of what a career in STEM might require… which helps them to refine and define their own academic and professional development goals for the future. And, the engaging way in which this is accomplished creates new participants in the pipeline to professional participation in, and support of, the STEM disciplines.
  • [student:] NITARP gives teachers and students a deeper appreciation of astronomy research and astronomy careers.

Related Teams

AAS - 2022