INTRODUCTION
TO FIU ASTRONOMY LABS
Welcome to the Florida
International University astronomy program! In both the AST 2100L Solar
System and AST 2201L
Stellar Astronomy Lab courses you will learn about the scientific process,
as well as learn a lot
of extremely interesting information about the mysterious Universe we live in.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding due dates, grades, or
assignments, please contact :
Your TA :
______________________________ Email
: ______________________________
THINGS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER IF TAKING THIS COURSE:
This
course will require you to attend class, on time, each and every week. Because
there are no
quizzes/tests
and no make-ups, being late to class or missing even one class will greatly
penalize
your
overall course grade.
This
course will require you to understand certain mathematical concepts and skills
including
scientific
notation, the Metric system, unit conversions, basic operations, averages,
fractions,
basic
trigonometry, and basic algebra. If you do not have a sufficient math
background you
may
encounter difficulties.
This
course will require you to set aside some time in the evenings on occasion for
astronomical
observing activities. If
you often work at night, you will need to make the proper arrangements.
We do not consider work
a valid excuse for incomplete work or absences.
This
course will require you to make use of computers and the internet in and
outside of class.
Be
sure that you have access to a personal computer or computer lab on campus.
This
course is associated with a lecture course. Although you do not have to take
both or even
enroll
in both at the same time, it is suggested that you take them concurrently.
LAB SYLLABUS
ATTENDANCE
TO ALL LABS IS MANDATORY! Because there are no quizzes/tests and
lab
complements the lecture course, your presence in lab is vital. There will NOT
be any make-
ups,
unless you have documented extenuating circumstances of a valid reason (see the
included
form)
and contact your TA immediately. In cases when possible, you should make the
arrangements
with your TA before the absence. If you have an unforeseen absence and
would like
to schedule a
make-up appointment, you MUST contact your TA within 3 days of your
absence…
NO EXCEPTIONS.
If you do not attend class and do not do a make-up, you will not be given
credit
for any of that
week’s work. Attendance will be taken within the first 10 minutes class each
week
so don’t be
late. Being late may mean you won’t have time to finish and/or may miss completing
important lab
activities.
ATTENDANCE TO ALL LABS IS
MANDATORY! Because there are no quizzes/tests and lab
complements the lecture course, your presence in lab is vital. There will NOT
be any make-ups,
unless you have documented extenuating circumstances of a valid reason (see the
included form)
and contact your TA immediately. In cases when possible, you should make the
arrangements with
your TA before the absence. If you have an unforeseen absence and would like to
schedule a make-up
appointment, you MUST contact your TA within 3 days of your absence...NO
EXCEPTIONS. If
you do not attend class and do not do a make-up, you will not be given credit
for any of that week's
work. Attendance will be taken within the first 10 minutes class each week so
don?t be late. Being
late may mean you won't have time to finish and/or may miss completing
important lab activities.
REQUIRED
MATERIALS TO BRING EACH CLASS:
your
FIU Astronomy Lab Manual
for purchase the first day of lab in class; $20 CASH ONLY
Note that the lab manual is not for sale in the bookstore
pencil
(work done in pen will not be accepted and/or graded)
-
a scientific calculator
HOMEWORK: Although your TA
will often give a brief presentation to review the material
and
give instructions, it may not be sufficient for your success. Before you come to
class each
week,
you must complete a pre-lab exercise and turn it in as you enter the classroom
each week.
No
pre-labs will be accepted after the first 15 minutes of class. This exercise is
worth 15 points
towards
your graded work for that week.
IN-CLASS
ASSIGNMENTS:
The in-class activities of lab are part hands-on experiments and
part
calculations and internet exercises. All work MUST be completed and turned in
by the end
of
the 2 hour, 45 minute class each week If you find this task difficult, you
may review the lab
material
online before class each week…the lab will be posted one week ahead of time for
you
to
get a head start if you need. Realize, however, that you may NOT skip class
even if you do
all
the work at home. Attendance is required for your TA to accept and grade your
work. No
late
work will be accepted unless you have special permission from your TA. The
in-class activities
are
worth a total of 85 points towards your graded work each week.
GRADING: The astronomy
laboratory course is 1 credit, consisting of two main segments:
an
indoor lab (100 points each) each week and one observing lab (200 points).
There will be
some
opportunity for extra credit as well (maximum of 70 points). The grading scale
for the
lab
course is a normal ten point scale: (100-90=A, 89-80=B, 79-70=C, 69-60=D,
59-0=F).
Plus
and minus grade breakdowns can be used and will be decided by your TA. Although
the
scheme
for grading is set, the grading of the content and quality of your work is up
to the lab
instructor.
YOUR TA HAS THE FINAL SAY REGARDING GRADES.
LAB
RESOURCES:
You can find all information regarding labs on our homepage. If you
Have
any questions, please see this resource first before contacting your TA.
http://www.fiu.edu/~astrolab/lab.html
FIU CAMPUS
OBSERVING INFORMATION
One of the most important aspects of the science of astronomy is observing. If
it were not for many
long nights at the
telescope observing the sky, astronomers would not have the data necessary to
discover all of
the interesting things they hope to learn. Therefore, in this lab course, you
will be
required to do some
astronomical observing. Hopefully, this will allow you the opportunity to gain
an understanding of the
scientific process as well as a wide appreciation for the beauty and mystery
of the night sky above
us.
During the course of the semester you will be required to complete ONE observatory project:
either
The Planets or The Moon. These can be found in the back of your lab manual.
Each consists of a
night-time observing
activity at the campus observatory as well as some internet activities.
Which
project you complete
will be determined by what you observe at the telescope when you attend
observatory. The
observing project is worth 200 points towards your lab grade.
To complete Activity 1
of the observing project you will need to sign up for a telescope observing
session. A sign-up
calendar is located at http://my.calendars.net/fiuobsv
The sign-up times are
typically posted a week ahead of time. There are a limited number of
spots open for each
night session and approximately 250 students enrolled in the lab courses, so
plan ahead … don’t wait
until the last minute to complete this portion of the assignment. Your
TA has final say in all
decisions regarding this portion of the assignment. You knew about the
assignment from the
first day of class so no exceptions will be made for incomplete observing
activities, unless the
your TA eliminates it as a course requirement due to excessive inclement
weather.
The FIU campus observing
pad is located on the northern lawn of the Chemistry & Physics (CP)
building on the
University Park campus. From the SW 10th St. parking lots, it will
be on your left
as you walk towards the
CP building. Walk up to the building, take the sidewalk on your left…
the pad is at the end of
the path. From Graham Center, walk thru the CP building breezeway and
then take the sidewalk to
your right. The observing pad is at the end of the path.
In order to make
attending observatory easy for students, we have both a webpage and a telephone
hotline. The observatory
days and hours of operation, the weather conditions, due dates, and other
information can all be
found on the observatory webpage. Using either the webpage OR the hotline,
you can check each day
to see if the observatory will be open each evening. Both the hotline and
the observatory webpage are
updated each day about a half hour before the first time slot for that
night. If either source
says that observing is cancelled, you do NOT need to attend, however, you
must sign-up again for a
different night. If these sources say the observatory is scheduled to open,
you MUST attend or risk
having your grade penalized 30 points. If you sign-up for a session and
then must cancel, please
make sure to cross your name off the list or contact your TA
to cross off your name,
so that other students may have the chance to attend in your place.
The
Astronomy Hotline number is (305) 348-7470
The observatory
webpage is http://www.fiu.edu/~astrolab/obsv.html
LAB
MAKE-UP FORM
Lab make-ups will only be allowed in extreme cases and if certain conditions
are met by the student. Acceptable
reasons for an absence
include death in the family, INS issues, athletic team events, car
trouble/accident, severe
health issues, events
planned prior to the semester start, etc. The student must make arrangements
with their TA
(if the absence is
foreseen) OR must contact their TA within 3 days (if the absence was
unforeseen). To obtain a
make-up, you must
provide some supporting documentation. Lab make-ups are a privilege, not
a right. It is up to
your TA's
discretion whether or not s/he will allow one, and how.
Name :
Lab TA :
Date Absent :
Lab Missed :
Reason for Absence
(ATTACH RELATED DOCUMENTS) :
Signatures :
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