Astrophysics and Astronomy Commons^™

Identifying, Analyzing, And Using Discriminatory Variables For Classification Of Neutrino Signal And Background Noise In Multivariate Analysis In The Askaryan Radio Array Experiment, Jesse Osborn

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The Askaryan Radio Array Experiment, located near the South Pole, works to pinpoint specific instances of neutrinos from outside the solar system interacting with nucleons inside the Antarctic ice, emitting radio waves. I have taken data from the ARA stations which is presumed to be background noise and compared it to simulated data meant to look like a neutrino signal. I developed a suite of variables for discrimination between the two data sets, using a computer algorithm to generate a single output variable which can be used to distinguish noise events from signal events. I maximized this discrimination process for …

Relativity Lite: A Pictorial Translation Of Einstein’S Theories Of Motion And Gravity, Jack C. Straton

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

Relativity Lite is designed for the General Astronomy sequence (PH 361-2U, SCI 315-6U) whose primary book glosses over Special Relativity and General Relativity while trying to explain the Cosmology that is based on those subjects. Relativity Lite translates the mathematical equations conventional relativity texts rely upon into pictures that are readily understood and contain within them the mathematical essentials. This book provides the comprehensive coverage needed to understand, in sufficient depth, these three linked areas of our reality.

Readers seeking this knowledge on their own, and those in other courses for nonscientists, may also find it helpful.

Adopt/Adapt
If you …

Constraining Neutron Star Nuclear Equations Of State Based On Observational Data, Alexander Clevinger

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

This project analyzes recent observational data of neutron stars. It uses this to data to constrain nuclear equations of state proposed by Oter. et al. based on the maximum masses proposed by these equations of state. I do this by using numerical integration of the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkov equation to provide equilibrium states for each proposed EoS.

Impact Of The Next Gen Pet Curriculum On Science Identity, Robynne M. Lock, Ben Van Dusen, Steven Maier, Liang Zeng

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The Next Gen Physical Science and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum was designed for physical science courses for future elementary teachers. However, this curriculum may also be used in general education conceptual science courses. The materials are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and use a guided-inquiry approach. Next Gen PET is currently being implemented at many universities nationwide. We examine the impact of this curriculum on students’ science identities at a subset of these universities. The identity framework consists of three dimensions. Recognition is the extent to which a student believes that parents, peers, and professors view them as …

Astro2020 Apc White Paper. 2020 Vision: Towards A Sustainable Oir System, Sally Oey, Terry D. Oswalt, Tom Maccarone, Fred Walter, Charles Bailyn, Jay Gallagher, Todd Henry, Derek Buzasi, J. Allyn Smith, Rachael Beaton, Jim Webb, Brad Barlow, Misty Bentz, Leslie Hebb, Patrick Kelly, Jedidah Isler, Michael Meyer, John Salzer, Simone Scaringi

Publications

Open-access telescopes of all apertures are needed to operate a competitive and efficient national science program. While larger facilities contribute light-gathering power and angular resolution, smaller ones dominate for field of view, time-resolution, and especially, total available observing time, thereby enabling our entire, diversely-expert community. Smaller aperture telescopes therefore play a critical and indispensable role in advancing science. Thus, the divestment of NSF support for modest-aperture (1 – 4 m) public telescopes poses a serious threat to U.S. scientific leadership, which is compounded by the unknown consequences of the shift from observations driven by individual investigators to survey-driven science. Given …

Engaging The Greater Lafayette Community In A Journey Through The Earth Sciences: Purdue’S Eaps Earth Science Passport Day Event, Dara Laczniak, Bradley Garczynski

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

No abstract provided.

Astronomy For Educators, Daniel E. Barth

Open Educational Resources

Astronomy for Educators provides new and accomplished K-12 instructors with concepts and projects for low-cost, high-impact STEM classroom instruction that is built around the National Academies National Research Council's K-12 Framework for Science Education.

Ua66/11/1 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Physics & Astronomy Publications, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Publications by and about the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Ua66/12 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Hardin Planetarium, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the Hardin Planetarium.

Ua66/11/2 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Physics & Astronomy Administration, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the administration of Physics and Astronomy.

The Discovery Of A Lifetime: Gravitational-Waves, Maria I Dominguez Barraza

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

This presentation offers an insight to one of the biggest discoveries made in science. The discovery of gravitational-waves had been a long journey to achieve for physicists and scientist. Now gravitational-waves are helping scientists study the universe in a more efficient way never seen before. The discovery of gravitational-waves is a sign that a new era of astronomy and physics is about to open doors for many scientists and astrophysicists.

● Gravitational-waves are energycarrying waves propagating through a gravitational field, produced when a massive body is accelerated or otherwise disturbed. ● Gravitational-waves prove the existence of Black Holes. ● Laser …

Engaging Adolescent Kyrgyzstani Efl Students In Digital Storytelling Projects About Astronomy, Nadezhda Chubko, Julia E. Morris, David H. Mckinnon, Eileen V. Slater, Geoffrey W. Lummis

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This research is based on the Journey through Space and Time (JTST) educational astronomy project for primary and junior high school science curricula in Australia, which seeks to improve students' astronomy content knowledge through science inquiry. The focus of the current project is on the learning needs of students for whom the language of instruction is a foreign or second language (EFL/ESL). This article reports the results of a pilot case study conducted in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in December 2017. The research employed a Type II Case Study design. Data were collected through video and audio recordings of classroom interactions. The …

Application Of Bradford’S Law Of Scattering On Research Publication In Astronomy & Astrophysics Of India, Satish Kumar, Senthilkumar R.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present study is focused on examining the application of Bradford’s law of scattering on research articles published in the field of Astronomy & Astrophysics by Indian scientist during 1988-2017. The bibliographic data was retrieved from Web of Science (WoS) bibliographic data base for different period of time. Total 18,877 journal’s article have been published by Indian scientist in the field of Astronomy & Astrophysics during 1988-2017 which was further retrieved and analyzed separately for different blocks of 10 years as well as for 30 years consolidated too. The core journal of the field was identified. The Bradford law of …

How Middle Level Science Teachers Visualize And Translate Motion, Scale, And Geometric Space Of The Earth-Moon-Sun System With Their Students, Jennifer Wilhelm, Merryn Cole, Cheryl Cohen, Rebecca Lindell

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Faculty Publications

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Astronomy Education Research.] We examined teachers’ spatial-scientific reasoning and the alternative conceptions they held regarding Earth-space content. While participating in a professional development (PD) workshop, teachers engaged in an integrated mathematics and science project-based unit designed to foster spatial reasoning and improve lunar-related conceptual understanding. The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test-Rotation (PSVT-Rot) and the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI) were used to assess understanding. We found the teachers held similar alternative conceptions as their students. Moreover, we discovered that teachers had limited understanding of the Earth-Moon-Sun scale, motions, and geometric configurations. To …

Spatial Thinking In Astronomy Education Research, Merryn Cole, Cheryl Cole, Jennifer Wilhelm, Rebecca Lindell

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Faculty Publications

This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Astronomy Education Research.] Multiple studies show that spatial thinking skills contribute to students’ performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. The study of astronomy is no different with the understanding of many astronomical phenomena requiring spatial thinking skills. This paper describes traditional and contemporary approaches to characterizing and measuring spatial thinking skills and suggests how they inform research in astronomy education. It summarizes previous literature in astronomy education research and categorizes the research approaches of astronomy education peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings that explicitly consider the role of spatial …

A Spatially-Resolved X-Ray Spectroscopic Analysis Of The Luminous Northeastern Rim Of The Galactic Supernova Remnant W28 (G6.4-0.1), Sarah Norris, Thomas Pannuti

Celebration of Student Scholarship Poster Sessions Archive

No abstract provided.

Lunar Ice Cube: Development Of A Numerical Model For Attitude Control, Alexander Roberts, Benjamin Malphrus, Kevin Brown

Celebration of Student Scholarship Poster Sessions Archive

No abstract provided.

Msu And Citizen Cate: A High Definition Look At The Sun’S Inner Corona During The 2017 Solar Eclipse Over Hopkinsville, Kentucky., Jessie Anderson, Ethan Caudill

Celebration of Student Scholarship Poster Sessions Archive

No abstract provided.

Symmetry Of Energy Divergence Anomalies Associated With The El Niño-Southern Oscillation, Evan Kutta, Jason A. Hubbart, Timothy P. Eichler, Anthony R. Lupo

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a dominant source of global climate variability. The effects of this phenomenon alter the flow of heat from tropical to polar latitudes, resulting in weather and climate anomalies that are difficult to forecast. The current work quantified two components of the vertically integrated equation for the total energy content of an atmospheric column, to show the anomalous horizontal redistribution of surface heat flux anomalies. Symmetric and asymmetric components of the vertically integrated latent and sensible heat flux divergence were quantified using ERA-Interim atmospheric reanalysis output on 30 model layers between 1979 and 2016. Results …

Motivations Of Educators For Participating In An Authentic Astronomy Research Experience Professional Development Program, Luisa M. Rebull, T. Roberts, W. Laurence, Michael Fitzgerald, D. A. French, Varoujan Gorjian, G. K. Squires

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Astronomy Education Research.] The NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) partners small groups of educators with a research astronomer for a year-long authentic research project. This program aligns well with the characteristics of high-quality professional development (PD) programs and has worked with a total of 103 educators since 2005. In this paper, surveys were explored that were obtained from 74 different educators, at up to four waypoints during the course of 13 months, incorporating data from the class of 2010 through the class of 2017. This paper investigates how participating teachers …

Using Two Simulation Tools To Teach Concepts In Introductory Astronomy: A Design-Based Research Approach, Pamela A. Maher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Technology in college classrooms has gone from being an enhancement to the learning experience to being something expected by both instructors and students. This design-based research investigation takes technology one step further, putting the tools used to teach directly in the hands of students. The study examined the affordances and constraints of two simulation tools for use in introductory astronomy courses. The variety of experiences participants had using two tools; a virtual reality headset and fulldome immersive planetarium simulation, to manipulate a lunar surface flyby were identified using a multi-method research approach with N = 67 participants. Participants were recruited …

Eclipse Ballooning Stem Outreach For Elementary, Middle, And High School Education, Peter Henson, Fnu Anamika, Denise Buckner, Marissa Saad, Caitlin Nolby

2017 Academic High Altitude Conference

To promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education through ballooning, the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC) organizes an annual Near-Space Balloon Competition (NSBC) for students in grades 6 - 12. Students across the state of North Dakota have the opportunity to launch experiments into a near- space environment. The students learn how to write proposals, design payloads, and analyze data. They learn through an active, inquiry-based style that will prepare them for real-world engineering and critical thinking jobs. In 2016, NSBC proposed Great American Eclipse as the theme for the competition, thus the students were focused on designing …

Experiential Learning Opportunity (Elo) And Utilization Of Field-And-Data- Based Information Obtained Through The Infusion Of Technology: Highlights On Nasa Stem And Earth Science Curricula, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Matthew Khargie, Shuayb Siddiqu, Sol De Leon, Katina Singh, Newrence Wills, Krishna Mahibar

Publications and Research

There is a greater emphasis on hands-on involvement and critical thinking skills in the geosciences and other STEM fields to inspire and engage K- 16 students to value scientific content and enable them to discover the well-documented nature of the fundamental scientific principles needed to explain various earth science and other STEM-related core phenomena. NASA MAA curricula are ideal for engaging K1-16 students in this context, since grade-specific lesson plans open-up a plethora of pedagogically sound and relevant earth science activities. These include earth’s materials and properties, meteorites, robotics, hot air balloon, flight simulation, star gazing, material science, crystal growth, …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 93, No. 2, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Kast, Monica. Total Solar Eclipse Lowers Temperatures
• Collins, Emma. Students Receive a Gouda Opportunity – Hilltopper Creamery
• DeLetter, Emily. Dean of College of Education to Retire After 28 Years – Sam Evans
• Ziege, Nicole. Student Government Association Has First Meeting of New School Year
• Alvey, Rebekah. New Program Supports First-generation Students – Intercultural Student Engagement Center
• Collins, Emma. Advertising & Public Relations Officially Change Departments
• Gibson, Helen. Hello from the WKU Talisman
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon re: Donald Trump
• Leonard, Nicole. Your Opinion, Not Theirs …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 93, No. 1, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• The Great American Eclipse
• Kast, Monica. Timothy Caboni Talks Budget in Meeting with Editors
• DeLetter, Emily. Back Home – Timothy Caboni
• Collins, Emma. Campus Construction Continues with Completion of Restaurant – The Den
• Ziege, Nicole. Student Government Association President Signs Anti-discrimination Letter – Andi Dahmer
• Alvey, Rebekah. New Space Serves as Link to Downtown Businesses – Gordon Ford College of Business
• Henderson, Andrew. Hey, How Are Ya?
• Editorial Cartoon re: Eclipsse
• Huff, Taylor. Eclipse of Morality – U.S. Government
• Gabhart, Ebonee. Analyzing What Constitutes a …

Prospecting For Iron In The Galactic Supernova Remnant W49b, Eddi Akers, Taylor Ray, Thomas G. Pannuti

Celebration of Student Scholarship Poster Sessions Archive

No abstract provided.

Psr B1509-58: When The Galaxy Has A Question, Brandy Anderson, Austin Howard, Maggie Quesinberry, Thomas G. Pannuti, Jeannie Justice

Celebration of Student Scholarship Poster Sessions Archive

No abstract provided.

Community Astronomy Lab Offered, Becky St. Clair

Andrews Agenda: Campus News

No abstract provided.

Ua35/3 Memoranda, Wku Provost

WKU Administration Documents

2017 memoranda issued by the WKU Provost to faculty and staff via email.

• Faculty Mentoring Award
• Undergraduae Mentoring Award Recipients
• Fall 2017 Modified Class Schedule & the Great American Eclipse
• Strategic Planning

Using Student Characteristics, Student Spatial-Content Knowledge, And Teacher Spatial-Content Knowledge To Predict Student Spatial-Content Knowledge Of Lunar Phases, Kyle A. Curry

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

Student demographic characteristics of gender and race/ethnicity, students’ spatial-content knowledge as measured by pre-instructional performance on the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI) (Lindell & Olsen), and post-instructional performance on the Purdue Visualization of Rotations Test (PSVT) (Bodner & Guay, 1997), and teachers’ spatial-content knowledge as measured by the two assessments were considered to predict students’ overall understanding of lunar phases as measured by post-instructional results on the LPCI. A mixed modeling approach was used in a hierarchal manner to evaluate the student learning outcomes. Results showed that student gender was not a significant predictor of post-instructional student performance, but students …