ASTRONOMY 334: Modern Astrophysical Techniques
Spring 2007 - 3 credits
Lecture M 2:30-3:20; Lab W 2:00-4:25
Hewitt Undergraduate Computing and Visualization Laboratory (Space Sciences 405)
Instructor: James Lloyd
Office: 230 Space Sciences
Hours: WF 10:00-11:00
Intended for sophomores majoring or concentrating in Astronomy or related fields. Prerequisites: two semesters of introductory physics and two semesters of calculus. Recommended: ASTRO 233.
The course reviews the basic techniques employed in astrophysical research, both observational and theoretical, to explore the universe. Basic methods and strategies of data acquisition and image and signal processing are discussed. Students gain hands-on experience with visualization techniques and methods of error analysis, data fitting, and numerical simulation. Exercises address the processes by which astrophysicists piece together observations made with today’s foremost astronomical instruments to solve questions concerning the origin of planets, stars, galaxies, and the universe itself.
This course will prepare students with the appropriate vocabulary, techniques and practical computing experience to undertake a summer research internship in astronomy. All students in this course are strongly encouraged to apply for a summer internship in astronomy. The deadlines for these programs are generally late January to early February. All students in the course will be provided with letters of recommendation for summer internship applications on request.
The structure of the course will be focussed on a series of weekly labs. For each lab, you will be required to submit a written lab report. The labs will be conducted in the Hewitt Computing Laboratory on Wednesdays, and the lab report will be due before class on the owing following Monday. For most lectures and labs, there will be a homework and reading assignment.
| Assignment | Percentage |
| Homework | 10% |
| Lab Reports | 50% |
| Final Project | 20% |
| Participation | 20% |
Attendance at lectures and labs is mandatory and the participation grade is a significant fraction of the grade.
The final project will consist of a research related project. Topics will be developed early in the semester, and a proposal will be due before spring break.
Appropriate representation of ones own work and intellectual work is central to an academic community. Cornell has a code of academic integrity available at http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Academic/AIC.html. There will be a zero tolerance policy in this class for violations of academic integrity. The penalty may include failure in the course. Note that your papers may as a matter of routine be submitted to outside sources for comparison with databases of papers and open source material. You are encouraged to take the quiz at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/stu-adv/quiz.asp and read the additional resources at http://www.arts.cornell.edu/stu-adv/integrity.php to clarify any issues.
You are strongly encouraged to work collaboratively, but all submitted work that is not your own must be appropriately acknowledged. You must turn in separate and distinct lab reports for all labs.
Hewitt Undergraduate Computing and Visualization Laboratory
Resources for Summer Internships in Astronomy
IDL Resources for the Hewitt Laboratory
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