IDATA Undergraduate Mentors
What is IDATA?
A new, three-year, National Science Foundation (NSF) project, IDATA, Innovators Developing Accessible Tools for Astronomy, is the next leap from Skynet Junior Scholars in astronomy accessibility. While Skynet Junior Scholars allows diverse students (including those with sensory impairments) to use the Skynet telescope network to take astronomical images, IDATA goes a step further by recognizing that astronomical images begin as numbers on a spreadsheet. IDATA participants will explore non-visual ways to interact with and analyze astronomy data. Teams of undergraduate and graduate students, all within seventy-five miles of Yerkes Observatory, will work with national leaders to design and test online data processing software that can be used by anyone, regardless of visual ability.
A new, three-year, National Science Foundation (NSF) project, IDATA, Innovators Developing Accessible Tools for Astronomy, is the next leap from Skynet Junior Scholars in astronomy accessibility. While Skynet Junior Scholars allows diverse students (including those with sensory impairments) to use the Skynet telescope network to take astronomical images, IDATA goes a step further by recognizing that astronomical images begin as numbers on a spreadsheet. IDATA participants will explore non-visual ways to interact with and analyze astronomy data. Teams of undergraduate and graduate students, all within seventy-five miles of Yerkes Observatory, will work with national leaders to design and test online data processing software that can be used by anyone, regardless of visual ability.
My name is Sophia Vlahakis, and I am a second year undergraduate physics student at the University of Chicago. I am a big fan of science fiction and hope to one day become involved in space exploration. I also love working with kids and during the school year I participate in a tutoring program, teaching students of all ages math, science, and literacy skills. I have always loved science and astronomy, and am excited to be a part of a project that can make this more accessible to everyone.
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