• NASA
  • IPAC

Summer Visit - 2023 - SCHARP

The summer visit to Caltech is 4 days long and is the only time during the year of work when all the participants on the team come together in person to work intensively on the data. Generally, each educator may bring up to two students to the summer visit that are paid for by NITARP, and they may raise funds to bring two more. The teams work at Caltech; the summer visit typically includes a half-day tour of JPL, which is a favorite site for group photos. Reload to see a different set of quotes.

The SCHARP team came to visit in June 2023. The 5 core team educators attended, plus 10 students.

Quotes

  • [student:] I was most surprised by how quickly much of the data we were given was processed in such a short amount of time, even when doing work "by hand." The SEDs, for instance, were expected to take a long time to complete, but even when doing them in Excel, my team was able to complete them very quickly.
  • [The best thing about the trip was] I felt like an actual researcher, and it was incredible seeing our results in real time.
  • I'm most surprised at how quickly we accomplished so many things.
  • [student:] In other academically-based programs I've participated in in the past, I have found my interest in the subject decrease as I devote more time to it. However, with NITARP, I find myself fascinated by what we do no matter how much I have already done it. Learning the new content doesn't feel like a drag; it feels deeply rewarding. I want to carry this with me as I pursue studies in the earth and planetary sciences, hopefully researching something in that field.
  • [student:] My NITARP participation has strengthened my goal of studying STEM in college. I hope to major in a field like astrophysics or biophysics with the inspiration that NITARP has given me. Having the chance to do this type of advanced research at such an early age was a special opportunity that I will take with me to college and beyond.

Related Teams

Summer Visit - 2023 - SCHARP