Observing Iron Stars with Spitzer

Work Summary Report
October 2005

The Iron Star Group reports that one of their objects, AS 325, will be observed on October 10th, 2005. The other object XX Oph was observed in Cycle I and that data won't be available until late spring of 2006. They have discussed writing a letter to the Principle Observer and seeing if they could share the data. They are all awaiting the arrival of the data and are anxious to get together early next spring to reduce and analyze the data.

Steve Howell has some additional ground based AS 325 (and XX Oph) spectra from June, July, August and Septempber that the team will use as part of their complete picture. The spectra of AS 325 are taken more or less throughout the eclipse.

Beth Thomas presented a session at the state educator's convention (MEA) and had about 20 people attend. She also had a friend take a lot of photos at her state convention that could also be used on the educational outreach poster.

Cynthia Weehler presented 2 workshops at San Antonio Regional Science/Math Saturday on Oct. 15, to teachers from around Texas; "Incredible Infrared: Feeling and Hearing Light" and one on the Spitzer Teacher Research Project.

Ms. Weehler presented two workshops at the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teachers (CAST) in Houston, TX, on Oct. 27-29. These workshops were co-presented with Babs Sepulveda and each was 1.5 hours long. She also gave our website to a NASA clearing-house group at the conference who had heard of us by word of mouth only but had placed us in their brochure.

Ms. Weehler used the Texas Public Radio Station (KSTX) recording studio and equipment for student Jessica Herrera to interview Dr. Tom Soifer from San Antonio about the Spitzer Telescope and Teacher Research Program. Jessica used this information to write a story for The Harvest News, the Burbank High School student paper. She was also interviewed by Rolando Martinez for The Communicator, the San Antonio Independent Schoo l District newsletter. The Spitzer Program has now been written up three times in school district newsletters.

Student Jessica Herrera and Ms. Weehler were both interviewed by Ernie Villarreal at KSTX for a story that he will produce in January, to be aired before the AA S conference in Washington D.C. where we will present our poster papers. Jessica has been working on making tri-color images using Maxim DL and writing a composite of the surveys that the teachers and students in the group answered after the trip to the SSC in Pasadena.