Estes Park High School, Estes Park, Colorado (when in NITARP)
9, 10, 11, 12
Mr. Burke has joined NITARP as part of the 2014 class.
Mr. Burke's student Caden Brown gave a talk about his NITARP experience at Little Thompson Observatory. News article, LTO's web page, and actual video!
Mr. Burke and his students got some great media coverage about their trip to the AAS.
Mr. Burke's students from the SIRXS team presented their work to the Estes Park School Board
The 2014 class has been announced! This year, we had many fewer spots to offer, and still 4.5 times as many educators applied as we had spots. Caroline Odden and John Gibbs will be our mentor educators for this class. Look for results of their projects in January 2015!
My ideas about astronomy has changed significantly, thanks to NITARP. Quite simply, I didn't understand the role of archival data in modern astronomical research. Previously, I considered it an intellectual exercise, work suitable for a reference librarian, but not real research. I now know it to comprise the future of astronomy, and the very picture of MOST of tomorrow's scientific research.
I already have more energy in the classroom and feel the need to pinch myself constantly.
Big changes for me: I am already much more committed to having my top students conduct high end research. I am more committed to having ALL my students ASK and ANSWER their own questions more often. I wonder how I can package this experience to share with other teachers.
[At the AAS,] All the talks I attended were truly interesting. It is pleasure to have others teach me!