Lincoln-Way Central and West Students Attend NASA Program

Two Lincoln-Way students got a close-up glimpse at the galaxy by participating last month in a science program at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif.

Emily Venezio, a junior from LWCHS, and Ashley Pavlak, a senior from LWWHS, along with science teacher Peg Piper and University of Illinois sophomore Matt Piper traveled to the CIT, home of the Spitzer Science Center, to attend a NASA/Infared Processing and Analysis Center Teacher Archive Research Program.

The program was intended to steep students in a session for higher level of astronomy lessons. 

During the week of July 8-13 the Lincoln-Way group met up with other teams of scientists, teachers and students at CIT. On July 13, Piper and her students also visited the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy at the Dryden Air Force Base.

“This experience has definitely made me change the way I view astronomers and astronomy itself. I learned that astronomy takes an incredible amount of focus to get the job done correctly, no matter how long it may take, as astronomers have to have a great deal of patience to achieve this,” stated Venezio.

Pavlak added, “I really enjoyed and learned a lot from this amazing opportunity with NITARP. I have always been interested in astronomy, so this program helped me to broaden my knowledge. I learned more how stars are formed, the telescopes used, and the way the telescopes take their pictures (infrared wavelengths).”

This is Peg Piper’s second time through the NITARP cycle. Last year she took two students from Lincoln-Way North High School, seniors Rebecca Rosignolo and Joey Romero, to CIT to attend the workshop. Students examined images from the Spitzer Space Telescope and produced photometric measurements for each point source observed.

Piper was named a member of the NASA/Infrared Processing and Analysis Center Teacher Archive Research Program last year. She was only one of 14 middle school, high school, and community college faculty members selected for the program nationwide.

“In my second spin through the NITARP cycle, now as a mentor teacher,  I am finding my focus to be shifting from how the heck am I going to learn all this stuff, to look at all the different types of learners we have in our group,” she said. 

While discussing the details of the program, Piper said, “It was great when students and teachers compared results, found differences and then went back and problem solved. It was especially pleasing when student results turned out to be correct results and they then helped their teacher see the error of their ways.”

Piper noted the experience at the workshop is directly applicable to her classroom stating, “Team work does not mean everyone is working hand in hand, but instead that the group is working towards the same end product, with each individual finding their own way. Individual work and subsequent sharing allows learners to leapfrog over each other towards the end product.”

At LWCHS and LWWHS, Piper will be teaching science classes, including astronomy and physics. She noted she will incorporate much of her work with the NITARP program into her classes.

The students met with their teacher at the end of July and worked for over three hours sifting through images from the WISE satellite. Students plan to work through the fall and then present their research program at the American Astronomical Society Jan. 6-10, 2013, in Long Beach, Calif.

“Our kids will have original research work and share that with the astronomy community,” said Piper.