Discuss the latest discoveries in Astronomy with leading scientists from around the nation. In this course, the Astronomy Department's weekly professional visitors make simplified in-class presentations on their research. Students will have the opportunity to discuss the techniques, significance, and scientific context with both the visitor and the faculty instructor. There will be both preparatory and follow-up discussion before and after the visit for students to gain a complete understanding of the context, motivation, methodology, and scientific discoveries associated with each project presented. ASTRO 420 students will discuss the presentations in the advanced context of the professional scientific literature.

Course Requirements:

There will be weekly reading from the scientific literature to provide background on the visitor's presentation, and weekly written homework summarizing the speaker's project: 1) context and hypothesis, 2) experimental or theoretical method, 3) scientific results. Students also will be required to choose a follow-up to one of the semester's topics and write a term paper to explore the science in greater detail than discussed in class. Class participation will be evaluated by contributions to class discussions. All students are expected to participate in discussion, which will contribute to the course grade.

Intended Audience:

Upper-level Astronomy and Physics concentrators and minors, although other students with sufficient background are welcome.

Class Format:

Two 1.5-hr class sessions with the visitor attending about half of the session on Thursday.