Astronomy and Cosmology: Stars and Stories

8 credits: Astronomy and Cosmology: Stars and Stories

Dates: Tuesday June 24 - Thursday, July31 (Full Session)
Meeting Times: Tues. 6-10 PM; Thurs. 5-11 PM on Campus

Trip to Table Mountain Star Party July 22-27 (camping)

Join us for our sixteenth summer of astronomy adventures combined with a study of science, story, and sustainability. We will explore inquiry-based science education (STEAM), archeoastronomy, mythology, literature, philosophy, history, and the world's cosmological traditions. Activities include telling star stories, working with virtual planetarium programs, star-finding and fieldwork, and developing a substantial project.  We will employ qualitative and quantitative methods of observation and investigation, virtual and hands-on activities, and strategies that foster inquiry-based learning and engage the imagination. We will compare scientific and cultural cosmologies, and students will consider basic astrophysics and planetary sciences. Through writing, reading, lectures, films, workshops, discussions, and presentations, we will cultivate an interdisciplinary study of science, story, and sustainability in the context of comparative mythology, literature, earth and sky sciences, indigenous sciences, and environmental ethics. Participants will deepen their understanding of the role that cosmology plays in our lives through the stories we tell, the observations we make, and the questions we ask.

Students will participate in studies that include virtual and “in-person” field studies as they develop observation skills in the field, and using virtual programs such as Stellarium. On Tuesday nights, we will conduct lectures, workshops, and star-finding activities the classroom though we may sometimes do observations in the computer lab or outside. On Thursday nights, we will focus on observational astronomy and we will meet on campus, or local field trip sites, to do naked-eye observations, use binoculars, star maps, and navigation guides, operate Dobsonian reflector telescopes, and use virtual programs to identify objects in the night sky. Students who want to maximize their proficiencies and learning are encouraged to check equipment and to work on their own outside of class.  

The field trip to the Table Mountain Star Party gives students background, experience, and skills in intensive astronomy fieldwork, observation, and identifying deep sky objects, astronomy education, and a complex understanding of the relationship of cosmology and astronomy in the  arts, sciences, humanities, and culture.

Students will attend the Table Mountain Washington Star Party to participate in intensive astronomy field studies during the dark skies of the new moon. We will take vans and camp in the rugged backcountry of Eastern Washington at Jameson Lake. Students will develop their observation skills as they use binoculars, star maps, and navigation guides to identify objects in the night sky, and operate Dobsonian-mounted telescopes to find deep-space objects. Students must be able to camp outdoors and provide their own camping gear and supplies, though we will share general supplies provided by the college. We will organize and return college astronomy equipment and gear on Monday, July 28, from 10 AM-12:30 PM).

4 credits: BINARY STAR ASTRONOMY RESEARCH - Upper-Division Group Contract
Dates: Wednesdays, June 25-Aug. 20 (Full session) 
Meeting Times 6-8 PM on Zoom

The Institute for Student Astronomical Research (InStAR) is hosting a 4-credit online contract for Evergreen students who want to participate in an upper-division astronomy research group-contract on binary stars. To be successful, students must complete the InStAR online coursework and demonstrate their understanding of scientific and astronomical research methods, and basic concepts of astrophysics. All sessions and learning will be virtual on Zoom. Students must work as a team to select a binary star or another target, write a proposal, conduct observations with a remotely-located robotic telescope, analyze data, write a peer-reviewed scientific paper for publication in the Journal of Double Star Observations (JDSO), Astronomy, Theory, Observations, and Methods Journal (ATOM), or Robotic Telescope Student Research and Education Journal (RTSRE). Students must attend class, complete the InStAR Canvas Course Module, participate in group research meetings outside of class, give a public online presentation of their findings, and work to finalize their paper for publication. Students will work online and remotely with Rachel Freed, Ph.D., Astronomy Education, Russell Genet, Ph.D., Research Advisor. Students must be motivated to work independently, and in teams, and to carry a research project through with support of faculty and research mentors. Students who demonstrate advanced work can earn upper-division credit.

12 Credits:  Combination of 8 credit and 4 credit (Binary Star Research upper division group contract) sections

Students are encouraged to take two sections: Stars and Stories: Astronomy and Cosmology (8 credits), and Binary Star Astronomy Research Group Contract (4 credits). This gives students background, experience, and skills in astronomy education, fieldwork, research, writing, and publication, as well as a complex understanding of the relationship between the arts, sciences, humanities, and culture.

Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:

4 - Introduction to Astronomy with Field Studies

4 - Comparative Cosmology in Literature, Cultural Studies, and the Philosophy of Science

4 or *4- Astronomy and Binary Star Research Methods, quantitative analysis, and an introduction to scientific writing and communication