PHYS 1025Q – Introductory Astronomy with Laboratory Course

Department of Physics

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

PHYS 1025Q – Introductory Astronomy with Laboratory

Course Syllabus, Spring 2022

Syllabus information is subject to change. The most up-to-date syllabus is located within the

course in HuskyCT.

Course and Instructor Information

Instructor:

¨ Professor / Dr. Cara Battersby

o Email: [email protected]

o Virtual Office (for office hours while course is online): https://uconn-

cmr.webex.com/meet/cab16109

o Office: Gant South Building, GS113F

o Office Hours: Tuesdays 11:00am-12:00pm or by appointment (try:

https://calendly.com/battersby)

Lab TAs:

¨ Sean Oh

o [email protected]

o Virtual Office (for office hours while course is online): https://uconn-

cmr.webex.com/meet/seo15102

o Office: Gant South S105

o Office Hours: 12pm – 1pm Wednesdays or by appointment

¨ Tianye Liu

o [email protected]

o Virtual Office (for office hours while course is online): https://uconn-

cmr.webex.com/meet/til18011

o Office: Gant South S109

o Office Hours: Monday 10am -11am or by appointment

Class Meeting: Tues/Thurs 9:30-10:45am

Class Location:

•

First Two Weeks Virtual: WebEx: https://uconn-cmr.webex.com/meet/cab16109

•

Afterwards, in person: (Gant West) GW001

We hope to begin in person two weeks into the semester. If that changes, updates to the

syllabus will be sent. We know that this is a very challenging time, so please know that we care

about you and are here to help!

Lab Information

Lab Meeting Location: Gant South Building GS-321

Lab Sections:

1025Q-001L

Monday

1:25-3:25pm

Sean Oh

1025Q-002L

Monday

3:35-5:35pm

Sean Oh

1025Q-003L

Tuesday

3:35-5:35pm

Tianye Liu

1025Q-004L

Wednesday

1:25-3:25pm

Sean Oh

1025Q-005L

Wednesday

3:35-5:35pm

Tianye Liu

1025Q-006L

Thursday

3:35-5:35pm

Tianye Liu

Required Course Materials

¨ OpenStax Astronomy textbook, an open educational resource. Available for free

online, in web-view and PDF format: https://openstax.org/details/astronomy (and on

our HuskyCT page). If you prefer, a print version is available via the UConn Bookstore.

¨ PHYS1025 Lab Manual through UConn Bookstore.

¨ Expert TA online homework system. You will be able to access the online Expert TA

homework system through HuskyCT and in the course content folder will be a

document with instructions. You are responsible for having access and submitting the

first homework assignment by Friday January 28

at 5pm.

¨ iClicker mobile software. We will be using the iClickers mobile software in this course,

which can be used while class is remote or when it is in person. Instructions on

purchasing and using the iClicker Reef software will be posted in the course content

folder of HuskyCT.

Course Objectives

Astronomy is the study of the Universe, with a particular focus on stuff outside the Earth. In this

course, you will learn how we know what we know about the universe (including modern

observations and theories describing our place in the cosmos), learn about what we don’t

know, and develop the skills to begin to unravel the mysteries of the universe for yourself

(cool, right?). As part of this journey, you will learn the basics of “how to science:” hypothesis

testing, controlled experiments and observations, plus the nitty-gritty of proposals and

resource allocation in science. The focus of this course is understanding the concepts of

astronomy rather than memorizing facts.

The main objectives for the course are:

1) Hone and develop your critical thinking skills (this is a Q course after all!)

2) Develop a broad understanding and appreciation for the field of astronomy and the

basic nature of our Universe.

3) Have fun. Science is all about curiosity, exploring, and engaging. Enjoy it!

What to do if you need to miss a class?

Things happen, and we do not expect that you will be able to attend every class. Clicker

questions and in-class quizzes cannot be made up, but there is plenty of flexibility built into

those scores, that it should be no problem for you to miss a couple of classes. If you do need

to miss a class, be sure to:

1) Check in with a colleague in the class to find what you missed,

2) Read over the content in the textbook, including the assigned pre-class reading,

3) Go over the lecture notes, posted on HuskyCT, and

4) Ask any questions you have about the content after you’ve completed the three steps.

You *do not* need to email the instructors if you will miss a lecture.

Please follow all University guidance on COVID-19 quarantine procedures and do not

come to lecture if you may infect others. For the Spring 2022 semester, I have increased the

number of dropped quizzes and clicker scores, expecting that everyone may require a

few extra absences this semester due to possible illness or exposure. Unless you

experience a prolonged absence of more than two weeks, you do not need to let me know that

you will be missing class. The quiz and clicker drops are intended for just such an absence!

Just do your best to get caught up remotely and let me know if you have any questions.

How to Succeed in this Course

A photograph of our tiny home world, Earth. This photo was taken by the Voyager spacecraft in 1990

from 3.7 billion miles away. The sun’s bright rays caused reflections in the camera that you see as the

lines across the image. The tiny pixel of light is our entire Earth. This photo was popularized by, and the

quote is from, Carl Sagan in his book “Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space,” and the

image is from NASA.

Your success in this class is important to me. We will all need accommodations because we

all learn differently. If there are aspects of this course that prevent you from learning or exclude

you, please let me know as soon as possible. Together we’ll develop strategies to meet both

your needs and the requirements of the course. Mathematics is the language of science, and

success in the course will require some basic proficiency in algebra and trigonometry. Here are

some resources if you have questions, need a refresher, or are just feeling a bit overwhelmed:

¨ The UConn Q Center is an excellent resource (free of charge!) if you need help with

math concepts in lab or homework assignments: http://qcenter.uconn.edu.

¨ The Physics Learning Resource Center (free of charge - located in room Gant South

S-216 of the physics building -- https://physics.uconn.edu/academics/undergraduate-

program/learning-resource-center/) is staffed by experienced physicists

¨ And of course, your professor and TA’s office hours!

Other suggestions for how to succeed in this course:

¨ Come to lecture and lab!

¨ Read before lecture and lab! The unannounced quizzes will include questions from

assigned pre-class readings. Reading the lab manual before lab will help you to

efficiently complete the activity within the allotted time.

¨ Come to office hours!

¨ Plan, ahead, especially with your final project observing proposal and any planned

absences.

Grading and Course Work

This course is designed to reward hard work and in-class participation. Intelligence is fluid and

learning to learn is an important component of this class.

Final Projects: Observing Proposals

There are no exams in this course. Instead, 25% of your final grade will be comprised of the

final project, a telescope observing proposal (and the associated abstract and panel review),

which will be completed in groups formed within your lab sections. These should be your

standard lab groups and should generally be 3 people (4 maximum). The final projects will be

evaluated in the final week of lab during a panel review, so the deadline (to be announced) is

hard, and late projects cannot be accepted.

Many facilities in the US are “open-skies” – this means that the telescopes do not belong to

anyone – the best projects are selected by a panel review. Many of the lectures and labs

throughout the semester are designed to prepare you to write your own telescope observing

proposals; in fact, in one lab, you will practice doing a peer panel review of observing

proposals to choose the best projects for the telescope. A proposal abstract will be due

midway through the course (*March 4

*), this is designed to give you early feedback on your

project, so you have time to adjust as needed. More details about the final proposal and panel

review will be given later in the course, but for now, get those gears turning about new

observations to explore the Universe!

Labs

Labs are conducted during your specified lab section according to the course schedule.

Please see the separate lab syllabus for details. Participation is required for labs. Your

score will be based on a set of questions handed in during the lab. There is a worksheet you

will need to print and complete each week.

Policy on Lab Attendance

The general policy of the Department of Physics is that satisfactory completion of the lab is

required as part of your course grade. Missing more than two lab sessions will result in an

automatic grade of F for the entire course. Please see the lab syllabus for full details and

COVID make-up policies.

Any questions pertaining laboratory policies or procedures should be directed to your lab

instructor (Sean Oh or Tianye Liu) or the physics teaching lab staff: James Jaconetta

([email protected]) – Lab Technician, Diego Valente ([email protected]) –

Director of Physics Teaching Labs

Homework

This course will include approximately 11 online homework assignments, about one per week,

through the online Expert TA system through HuskyCT. Detailed instructions on how to register

will be given on HuskyCT. You are responsible for making sure you are registered by the

time your first homework is due, Friday January 28

by 5pm. We all have lives and things

happen, therefore, the lowest two homework scores will be dropped, no questions asked. Late

homework assignments will lose 20% for the first day late and 10% for each additional

day late.

In-Class Quizzes

There will be approximately 12 short in-class unannounced quizzes throughout this course,

about 1 per week. The quiz questions will be a mix of short-answer and multiple-choice and

will cover material from the lectures and from the assigned readings. The three lowest quiz

scores will be dropped. We will go over quiz answers right away, so it is not possible to make

up any missed quizzes.

Grade Component

Weight

Online Homework

25%

Clickers

10%

In-class Quizzes

15%

Lab Activities

25%

Final Project: Abstract

Final Project: Proposal

15%

Final Project: Panel Review

iClickers

We will be using iClicker cloud mobile software for this course (if you have a physical clicker

you prefer to use please email the instructor). The main reason is that education research

demonstrates that by actively engaging you will learn more (yay!), and hopefully have more fun.

You will receive credit for your iClicker use (see distribution above), for both participation (3 pts

per question) and for correct answers (1pt per question). Any final clicker score of 70% or

higher will earn an “A” (100%), and all scores will be similarly scaled up by 30%. This amount

Grading Scale (%)

93-100

83-86

73-76

63-66

90-92

A-

80-82

B-

70-72

C-

60-62

D-

87-89

B+

77-79

C+

67-69

D+

0-59

Homework Clickers

Quizzes Lab

Final Project

has been increased from previous semesters to account for expected additional COVID-

19 exposure/illness-related absences!

Here are a few example situations (assuming we have 22 classes with clicker questions and 4

questions per day, but this will vary!) to help understand the clicker grading scheme:

¨ If you miss 2 classes, answer every question for classes you attend, but never get one

right, your raw score will be 68%, then will be scaled up to a 98%.

¨ If you miss 4 classes and get only ½ of the questions correct for the ones you answer,

your raw score will be 72%, then will be scaled up to 100%.

¨ If you miss 6 classes, but get every question correct, your raw score will be 73%, then

will be scaled up to 100%.

This means that if you need to miss a few classes, can’t get the software to work, or get

some answers wrong– don’t sweat it – just consider it one of your many freebies.

The first three classes (Jan. 18, 20, and 25th) will not count for credit with the iClicker, to give

us ample time to get everything set up and tested. You are responsible for making sure you are

ready to go with your clicker from our fourth class (Jan. 27

) forward. You can check that

everything has worked by tracking your daily clicker grades on HuskyCT, these will generally

be posted by the morning of the day after class.

You will need to purchase the iClicker student app and register your netID on HuskyCT.

You should have received an email on how to do this. You can make an account here:

student.iclicker.com and follow their guidance. In the app profile, enter your netID. You can

check that this has worked by tracking your daily clicker grades on HuskyCT.

If you have questions about the use of iClickers or how to register it for this class, please

contact iClicker student support learn.iclicker.com/HowCanWeHelp.html, or contact CETL

Education Technology at: (860) 486-5052 or [email protected]

Night Observing, Astronomy Seminar, and Colloquia Write-up Extra Credit

There will be occasional opportunities for night observing with the UConn Astronomy

Association (they are the best!) and also a handful or special astronomy seminar and colloquia

throughout the semester.

• Night Observing will be held at the discretion of the UConn Astronomy Association.

Night observing opportunities will be announced in class. On HuskyCT

announcements, we will post a link to a googledoc sign-up sheet with all the details

(time and location) of the night observing and this is also where any announcement of

cancellation (e.g. due to poor weather) will be made, usually a few hours ahead of time.

There will be extra credit night observing sheets handed out at the session that you can

turn in for extra credit (within one week of the night observing session).

• Astronomy Seminars and Colloquia for extra credit will be announced in class and

are on some Wednesdays from 2-3pm and some Fridays at 3:30pm, respectively.

Astronomy seminars and colloquia will be announced in class. If you attend an

astronomy seminar or colloquia, write a short summary of the talk (2 paragraphs), and

submit it to the instructors within one week of the talk, you can receive extra credit.

If you attend and do the extra credit write up for these special events (night observing, an

astronomy seminar or colloquia), you can receive 0.5% extra credit toward your final grade for

each event, for a MAXIMUM of 1.5% extra credit (3 events total, any combination) toward your

final grade.

Other Extra Credit

There may be up to two additional extra credit opportunities announced during the course of

the semester, centered on submitting an original astronomy-themed creative project or

submitting an original astronomy-themed meme. The activity during the final class on

Thursday, April 28

will provide students with the chance to earn points back to improve their

in-class quiz scores. Additionally, the winners of the panel review for each lab section will earn

back 10% towards their final project abstract grade.

Lecture and Lab Schedule

Subject to change – daily reading assignments will be given in class.

Dates

Lecture Topics

Reading

Chapters

Lab Activity

Jan 18 – 20

Introduction, Scale of the

Universe

Syllabus,

Ch. 1

No Lab

Jan 25 – 27

The Sky Above, Seasons

2, 4

No Lab

Feb 1 – 3

Phases of the Moon, Planetary

Motion

Impacts

Feb 8 – 10

Gravity, the Nature of Light

Light and Seasons

Feb 15 – 17

EM Radiation, Spectra

5, 6

Cosmic Photoshoot

Feb 22 – 24

Telescopes

Spectroscopy

March 1 – 3

Solar System, Stars

7, 16

Telescopes

March 8 – 10

Stars (cont’d)

17,18

Scaling the Solar

System

March 15 – 17

Spring Break

March 22 – 24

Stars, Gas and Dust, Star

Formation

19, 20

Judging Science

Mar. 29 – 31

Search for Planets, Life in the

Universe

21,30

The Sun

April 5 – 7

Stellar Evolution

Exoplanets

April 12 – 14

Stellar Death, Black Holes,

relativity

23, 24

No Lab / The Sun (rain

date)

April 19 – 21

Milky Way, Galaxies, Galaxy

Evolution

25, 28

Make-up Lab:

Weighing Black Holes

April 26 – 28

Dark Matter, Big Bang Model

28, 29

Final Project Panel

Review

General Rules of Conduct

In all your efforts, we expect that you will work to foster a respectful, welcoming, and

inclusive environment. We expect every member of our class to embrace the diversity

(including age, background, gender identity and expression, ethnicity, national origin, religious

affiliation, sexual orientation, and other visible and non-visible categories) of this classroom as

we pursue our shared study of astrophysics. We will be working closely throughout the

semester and we expect all students to contribute to a respectful, welcoming, and inclusive

environment.

Academic Integrity

Group work is accepted and encouraged for most lab assignments and the final project.

Clearly label the names of everyone who contributed to collaborative assignments. Don’t

cheat. Not even once, not even a little bit. Copying someone else’s work, letting someone

copy yours, seeking or using homework solutions (found online, from a friend, anywhere) is

cheating. If you are found to be cheating in any way, Prof. Battersby and Mr. Hatchfield will

report the incident to Academic Misconduct and recommend failure of the course.

Take responsibility for your learning process and be a part of the community of scholars at

UConn. Similarly, plagiarism in any form, meaning the failure to adequately document the

source(s) of one’s work, is wrong. Both copying and plagiarism violate the UConn Student

Code. See Appendix A: Academic Integrity in Undergraduate Education and Research:

http://community.uconn.edu/the-student-code-appendix-a/ Instances of copying or plagiarism

will be handled under the guidelines specified in the Student Code

(http://community.uconn.edu/the-student-code-preamble/). You are responsible for acting in

accordance with this code. “I didn’t know” is not an excuse.

UConn policies

Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment and Related Interpersonal Violence

The University is committed to maintaining an environment free of discrimination or

discriminatory harassment directed toward any person or group within its community –

students, employees, or visitors. Academic and professional excellence can flourish only when

each member of our community is assured an atmosphere of mutual respect. All members of

the University community are responsible for the maintenance of an academic and work

environment in which people are free to learn and work without fear of discrimination or

discriminatory harassment. In addition, inappropriate amorous relationships can undermine the

University’s mission when those in positions of authority abuse or appear to abuse their

authority. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, the University prohibits

discrimination and discriminatory harassment, as well as inappropriate amorous relationships,

and such behavior will be met with appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including

dismissal from the University. Additionally, to protect the campus community, all non-

confidential University employees (including faculty) are required to report sexual assaults,

intimate partner violence, and/or stalking involving a student that they witness or are told about

to the Office of Institutional Equity. The University takes all reports with the utmost seriousness.

Please be aware that while the information you provide will remain private, it will not be

confidential and will be shared with University officials who can help. More information is

available at equity.uconn.edu and titleix.uconn.edu.

Students with Disabilities

The University of Connecticut is committed to protecting the rights of individuals with

disabilities and assuring that the learning environment is accessible. If you anticipate or

experience physical or academic barriers based on disability or pregnancy, please let me know

immediately so that we can discuss options. Students who require accommodations should

contact the Center for Students with Disabilities, Wilbur Cross Building Room 204, (860) 486-

2020 or http://csd.uconn.edu/

Inclement weather and emergency preparedness

In case of inclement weather, a natural disaster, or a campus emergency, the University

communicates through email and text message. Students are encouraged to sign up for alerts

through http://alert.uconn.edu. Students should be aware of emergency procedures, and

further information is available through the Office of Emergency Management at

http://publicsafety.uconn.edu/emergency/