Imaging the Universe: A New Curriculum for Undergraduate Astronomy Laboratories

想象宇宙：本科天文学实验室的新课程

• 批准号: 9455621
• 负责人: Robert Mutel
• 金额: $ 8.17万
• 依托单位: University of Iowa
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1995
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1995-06-01 至 1997-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9455621&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Imaging; Universe; New; Curriculum; Undergraduate; Imaging; Universe; New; Curriculum; Undergraduate

The project extends and enhances the development of an innovative undergraduate astronomy curriculum based on CCD cameras and robotic telescopes. The emphasis of the new curriculum is hands-on planning and analysis of the student's own images rather than traditional methods using observations from professional astronomers. The primary audience is the non-science major in large introductory courses. The project has three components. The first is revisions and additions to the new laboratory curriculum already written. We have developed fourteen observing laboratories as well as fifteen computer based tutorial exercises during the current grant period. Based on comments from teaching assistants and students who have used the draft version of the curriculum, we will revise existing labs and add about fifteen additional labs. The revisions will attempt to make the hands-on approach more direct, make the mathematical level more nearly uniform, and better emphasize the imaginative and creative skills of the students. The new observing labs will cover astronomical topics not yet addressed in the current manual,, including orbits of minor solar system objects, properties of variable stars, variability in active galaxies, and spectral line observation of nebulae and bright stars. New computer-based laboratories will include extensive use of the astronomy databases and images available over the Internet using the Mosaic user interface. The second component is the development of a software system to schedule and control a automated telescope system using commercially available hardware. the system would be completely self-contained and controllable from any site on the Internet. We have already developed a prototype system for a custom mount and dome using a low cost PC. The system would allow interested colleges and universities to set up a complete CCD-based laboratory for large introductory classes with minimal effort and expense. It could also be used to operate remote dark-site tel escopes which could be shared among several schools. The third component is the development of an HTML Internet site at the University of Iowa for dissemination of on-line information related to the use of CCD cameras and robotic telescopes in the teaching of astronomy.

该项目扩展并增强了基于CCD摄像机和机器人望远镜的创新本科天文学课程的开发。 新课程的重点是对学生自己的图像进行动手计划和分析，而不是使用专业天文学家观察的传统方法。 主要观众是大型入门课程中的非科学专业。 该项目有三个组成部分。 首先是对已经编写的新实验室课程的修订和补充。 在当前赠款期间，我们开发了14个观察实验室以及15个基于计算机的教程练习。 根据使用课程草案的助教和学生的评论，我们将修改现有实验室，并增加大约15个实验室。 修订将试图使动手实践更直接，使数学水平更加统一，并更好地强调学生的富有想象力和创造力。 新的观察实验室将涵盖当前手册中尚未解决的天文主题，包括次要太阳系对象的轨道，可变星的性质，活性星系的可变性以及星云和明亮恒星的光谱线观测。 新的基于计算机的实验室将包括使用Mosaic用户界面通过Internet提供的天文学数据库和图像。 第二个组件是开发软件系统，该软件系统使用市售硬件安排和控制自动化望远镜系统。 该系统将完全由互联网上的任何站点提供独立且可控制。 我们已经使用低成本PC开发了用于自定义安装和圆顶的原型系统。 该系统将允许有兴趣的大学和大学建立一个完整的基于CCD的实验室，以减少努力和费用，为大型入门课程建立。 它也可用于操作远程的深色站点电视节目，可以在几所学校中共享。 第三部分是在爱荷华大学开发HTML Internet网站，用于传播与使用CCD摄像机和机器人望远镜在天文学教学中使用的在线信息。