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December 2012

Volume 11, Issue 1, Articles (01xxxx)

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Preparing Undergraduates for Research Careers: Using Astrobites in the Classroom

Nathan E. Sanders, Susanna Kohler, Elisabeth Newton, and Astrobites Collaboration

2012, AER, 11 (1), 010201, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2012030

Online Publication Date: 20 August 2012

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Because undergraduate participation in research is a longstanding and increasingly important aspect of the career path for future scientists, students can benefit from additional resources to introduce them to the culture and process of research. We suggest the adoption of the web resource Astrobites as a classroom tool to increase the preparation of undergraduate physics and astronomy students for careers in research. We describe the content and development of the website, discuss previous university courses that have made use of Astrobites, and suggest additional strategies for using Astrobites in the classroom.
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01.40.-d Education
01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.H- Computers in education

Experiential Education on the Edge: SETI Activities for the College Classroom

Anthony Crider and Anthony Weston

2012, AER, 11 (1), 010202, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2012033

Online Publication Date: 04 October 2012

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In a sophomore-level, interdisciplinary honors class, we introduced students to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence through assigned readings, student presentations, classroom discussions, and multiple experiential activities. In this paper, we present four of these novel experiential activities. In the first, students suddenly find themselves trying to make contact with an unknown person who is simultaneously trying to contact them. The second is a course-long role-playing exercise patterned after a “first contact” simulation held annually at the CONTACT: Culture of the Imagination conferences. The third and fourth are parts of a unique final exam where students must respond as a group to two surreal encounters, one being a “2001”-style monolith that shows up, as in the film, entirely without warning or instructions. For the final, we also developed an assessment rubric appropriate for this kind of open-ended test. We conclude by discussing recommendations for implementing similar experiential education activities, both specifically and in spirit, in other classes.
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01.40.-d Education
91.62.Fc Astrobiology and extraterrestrial materials
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.Kw Techniques of testing
01.40.G- Curricula and evaluation

The Hetu'u Global Network: Measuring the Distance to the Sun Using the June 5th/6th Transit of Venus

Jacqueline K. Faherty, David R. Rodriguez, and Scott T. Miller

2012, AER, 11 (1), 010203, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2012035

Online Publication Date: 30 November 2012

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In the spirit of historic astronomical endeavors, we invited school groups across the globe to collaborate in a solar distance measurement using the rare June 5/6th transit of Venus. In total, we recruited 19 school groups spread over 6 continents and 10 countries to participate in our Hetu'u Global Network. Applying the methods of French astronomer Joseph-Nicolas Delisle, we used individual second and third Venus-Sun contact times to calculate the distance to the Sun. Ten of the sites in our network had amiable weather; 8 of which measured second contact and 5 of which measured third contact leading to consistent solar distance measurements of 152 ± 30 million km and 163 ± 30 million km, respectively. The distance to the Sun at the time of the transit was 152.25 million km; therefore, our measurements are also consistent within 1σ of the known value. The goal of our international school group network was to inspire the next generation of scientists using the excitement and accessibility of a rare astronomical event. In the process, we connected hundreds of participating students representing a diverse, multicultural group with differing political, economic, and racial backgrounds.
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01.40.ek Secondary school
01.40.-d Education
01.75.+m Science and society
96.00.00 Solar system; planetology
01.65.+g History of science
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