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AAS - 2012

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 2011 and 2012 NITARP teams attended the 2012 January AAS meeting in Austin, TX. The 2011 class was presenting results and the 2012 class was starting up. We sent about 60 people to the AAS (the largest delegation to date) and had a grand time. Please see the special article on NITARP at the AAS. We also got a smattering of coverage in local media outlets.

Quotes

  • I found myself continually challenged by the intellectual level and knowledge being shared.
  • I had an amazing, exhausting time at the AAS meeting.
  • After two days of being totally overwhelmed by all the high level science going on around me, it was a relief and simply awesome to see that these professional astronomers were also somewhat clueless about my own research. This was such an amazing capstone to the NITARP experience, actually feeling I was on nearly the same level as everyone else presenting.
  • Of all the professional development programs in which I have been involved, NITARP continues to rank among the top few. The opportunity to work with a world-class astronomer and alongside teachers and students across the country on a real research project is amazing! Watching the project evolve from a seed of an idea in January into a two professional posters presented at the AAS the following January is fulfilling and satisfying. To think that eighteen people can work together over twelve months and thousands of miles is a true reflection of what authentic research is all about.
  • During this meeting, I really got to see science up close. Everyone here was on the [outer edges] of astronomy, carving the path for humans in space. I saw how science was conducted and because I took part in this conference and contributed to the new information gathered, I feel like I am a part of something more.

Related Teams

AAS - 2012