Syllabus

  • Syllabus (PDF)
  • Office hours: These will be in MAL 2058D on Mondays (1430-1530) and Tuesdays (1400-1500).

External Readings

Course Outline

https://www.zooniverse.org/
No. Date Topic Readings, Slides, and Notes
1 2024/08/28 Introductions, Overview, Planets
2 2024/09/04 Discuss: Reading 1: "Report of the Panel on Exoplanets, Astrobiology, and the Solar System"
3 2024/09/11 Zooniverse Day 1
4 2024/09/18 Planetarium Day Meet at Slawson Hall, Room G174
5 2024/09/25 Discuss: Reading 2: "Discovery of the First Exoplanets"
6 2024/10/02 Stellar Spectral Classification
7 2024/10/09 Discuss: Reading 3: "Transit Photometry as an Exoplanet Discovery Method"
8 2024/10/16 Zooniverse Day 2
9 2024/10/23 Discuss: Reading 4: "Direct Imaging of Exoplanets: Legacy and Prospects"
10 2024/10/30
11 2024/11/06 Discuss: Reading 5: "Exoplanet Atmosphere Measurements from Transmission Spectroscopy"
12 2024/11/13 Zooniverse Day 3
13 2024/11/20 Discuss: Reading 6: "Exoplanet Atmosphere Measurements from Direct Imaging"
14 2024/11/27 Thanksgiving Break!
15 2024/12/04 Discuss: Reading 7: "Factors Affecting Exoplanet Habitability"
16 2024/12/11 TBD

Exams and Projects

Exams:

There are no exams in HNRS 190!

Final Project:

You will prepare a project to present at the end-of-term Honors Seminar Symposium. This project is an opportunity to apply and communicate what you have learned in seminar in order to share this information and experience with others. You will work on your own or in a pair. This could include presenting a research paper or poster on your exoplanet research, an exoplanet-focused story or movie, a “full-dome” video suitable for showing in the KU Planetarium, an exoplanet-themed game, or other innovative ways to convey relevant aspects of the world of Exoplanets to the broader public.

Key checkpoints for the final project are:

  • Week 9 (Oct 23, 2024): submit your proposed project topic and medium (poster, video, etc.) for review. Submitting more than one proposal is also OK. (10% of course grade)
  • Week 12 (Nov 13, 2024): submit some form of proof-of-concept demonstrating that your project is on- track and your plan is feasible. (10% of course grade)
  • Week 16 (Dec 9, 2024): present your final project at the end-of-semester Honors Seminar Symposium. (10% of course grade)

Exoplanet Research:

Students must create a Zooniverse user account and classify the specified number of astronomical objects on a relevant citizen-science research project at that site. Examples of relevant projects include Planet Hunters-TESS, Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, Planet Hunters-NGTS, and The Daily Minor Planet.

Class Participation

You are expected to actively participate in class discussions. This includes but is not limited to asking questions about classroom or reading topics, attending office hours, reading assigned material before the relevant class, and being a full participant in our discussions.