Some figures Start date: November 25, 2022 End date: February 25-26, 2023 (officially), however in reality it is still ongoing project Real (expected) end date: September, 2023 Participants: 11 school (9th-11th form) and undergraduate (1st-4th year) students Project goal and tasks This specific TESS-UA project is the first of its kind. Thus, its main goal was to create the concept and develop the strategy of our experimental research projects as well as prove this type of scientific research is achievable. Tasks: Create the minimal required set of tools for the research, such as programs and examples of scientific articles. In addition, the step-by-step algorithm of the research and data are necessary. Recruit the participants, at least 7-8 students. Provide short (3-4 days) basic training for participants. Choose the objects of interest and make the research according to the algorithm. Write scientific articles with the methods and results summary, complete proofreading and submit to scientific journals. Publish the scientific articles. Prepare the students for the «First step to the stars» conference, make presentations, write and publish the abstracts (as conference proceedings). Collect and analyze the results of the TESS-UA-2022 project, determine the key flaws of both the strategy and the algorithm, and improve them. As of September 13, 2023 stages 1, 2 & 8 are successfully completed; stages 4, 5, 6 are in progress; stage 7 is partially completed and stage 3 is failed. Key organizers and executors of the project Dmytro Tvardovskyi – concept, strategy, creation of the Splitter code for data processing, recruitment, basic training, mentorship. Kateryna Andrych – one of the developers of «MAVKA» program. Oleksandra Pyshna – mentorship. Mykyta Bilodid – mentorship. Research topics Eclipsing binary stars. Singular pulsating stars (including multiperiodic variability). Eclipsing binary stars with pulsating components. Project results Publish 5 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals (in process). Study ~20 variable stars (done). Discover 6 new variable stars (done). Two of the TESS-UA-2022 participants became mentors of TESS-UA-2023A. About 1500 computed variable stars’ extrema timings. Cool facts The students of TESS-UA-2022 discovered 2 eclipsing binary stars with strong reflection effect. The temperature differences between components in these systems are estimated to be several hundred degrees Celsius. Significant fraction of the studied eclipsing binaries show evidence of slightly elliptical orbits. One of the researched variable stars has extremely strange O-C curve behavior, not similar to any other O-C curve, previously known for the stars of this type. Project conclusions Full-fledged scientific researches of variable stars, conducted by beginners (including high school students) are possible. The research topic appeared to be not too complicated even for high school students, however with its own complications. As expected, the main pros of our strategy are: Relatively fast research process. The possibility for each mentor to supervise multiple student (up to 10-15) due to significant unification, especially at the early stages of the research. If complete and sufficient training is provided, the students are able to conduct further research on their own. The main cons and expected challenges of similar future projects are: At the late stages of the research the quantity of mentors must increase up to 1 mentor per 3-5 students. This is necessary due to considerable difference even between the stars of the same type and thus, between the research methods. Already calculated masses of the stars or at least obtained spectral observations are required for some specific types of further calculations. If the variability of the star was discovered by our student or the star is simply poorly studied, the physical parameters are unknown. The idea of getting sufficient amounts of spectral observations is currently impossible due both financial limitations and estimated waiting time of about a year. The motivation level of the participants and their mental readiness that the results will be obtained not in one or a few days (like in an olympiad) but in several months, is even more important than the level of prior training. The level of knowledge and skills is also critically important. And usually it is critically low. Thus, we created the course for preliminary training of participants and their selection. During TESS-UA-2022 it was absent, during TESS-UA-2023A its duration was about 3 weeks and prior to TESS-UA-2023B they are estimated to take 2.5 months. Message from the CEO of NUAAR Prior to the start of NUAAR team’s work (in October 2022) the analytical research about the current stage of Ukrainian astronomy was made. Several significant problems were discovered and as the first steps to solve them were laid in the concept and strategy of TESS-UA projects. TESS-UA is quite simple research. They would never receive a Nobel prize and even a Scopus journal-level discovery needs a great amount of luck. However, their level is sufficient for average peer-review journal. Since on average a student has chosen 3 objects, most students, even taking stars at random, discovered at least one new variable star. This research was made with modern high-quality data and new (for majority of students) methods and software. Educational methods were also different from standard “1 student + 1 professor” system. It wasn’t either dull button pressing by a student, only several most annoying processes were automized. Students have the opportunity to choose their objects of interest and the complexity of the research to some extent. Unification level among the researches is quite high, but the diversity of final results is achieved due to different physical processes is achieved due to different in each particular star. The concept of TESS-UA is similar to territorial defense units (TDU) of Ukraine, inside our team we usually call it “astronomical TDU”. Variable stars research is not something really popular (unlike black holes), however it is simple, relatively fast, and with a lot, with very lot of participants. Thus, it is efficient in the current state of Ukrainian astronomy. We have a huge to-do list prior to consider the quality of such projects as sufficient and prior to call the influence of TESS-UA projects and NUAAR itself as the key for the future of Ukrainian astronomy.  Related projects First step to the stars TESS-UA-2023A Variable Stars Lectures