Two Lincoln-Way North High School students and their teacher had an opportunity to work alongside astronomers from California and Arizona this summer, examining images from the Spitzer Space Telescope and producing photometric measurements for each point source observed.
Seniors Rebecca Rosignolo and Joey Romero travelled to the California Institute of Technology – home of the Spitzer Science Center – on Aug. 5 where they met up with three other teams of scientists, teachers and students.
“This was one of the best experiences of my life,” said Rebecca, who learned how to find variable stars, verify her findings and how to create light curves and flux-luminosity graphs.
“We knew as we walked through the poster covered walls that this would be an out of this world experience,” added Joey.
The Frankfort teens earned the privilege to attend the workshop after their teacher, Lincoln-Way North science teacher Margaret Piper, was named a member of the NASA/Infrared Processing and Analysis Center Teacher Archive Research Program earlier this year. She was one of only 14 middle school, high school and community college faculty members selected for the program nationwide.
“I’m a researcher at heart,” said Piper, who was encouraged to apply for the program by Spitzer Teacher Research Program Manager Luisa Rebull.
Rebull suggested Piper apply for the program after they met at a Hands on Universe conference for educators last year. Both Piper and Rebull were presenters at the conference.
Piper has been heavily involved with the Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wis., using puffy paper and solar senses to share the wonders of the universe with blind children and hearing impaired children.
“Just because they can’t see doesn’t mean they can’t experience the universe, said Piper. “They can see it another way.”
At Lincoln-Way North, Piper teaches a variety of science classes, including astronomy and physics. She has incorporated much of her work with the NASA/Infrared Processing and Analysis Center Teacher Archive Research Program into her classes at North.
Students have been using archival data and the Spitzer Space Telescope to research variable stars in the infrared. They hope to find an undiscovered star.
In January, Piper and her students have been invited to present their work at an American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in Seattle.
“Our kids will have original research work that has been shared with the astronomy community,” said Piper.
