Introductory Astronomy Laboratory SCI-103L Spring 2010 Course Information

Instructor	Dr. Fred Jaquin, F374 (Ferrante), W: (315) 498-2437 E-mail: jaquinr@sunyocc.edu
Class Schedule	SCI-103L-001 Tuesday through Thursday in Ferrante 381 10:30 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. There will either two or three laboratory investigations each week in the summer. See summer schedule link below for precise days required.
Office Hours	Dr. Jaquin: Monday – Thursday 7:00 am to 8:00 am, Scheduled laboratory days 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Course Web Site	None at this time
Course Goals	This lab is to be taken either concurrently with the Science 103 ‘Introductory Astronomy’ course or after completing it. The laboratory will consist of a series of investigations designed to familiarize the student with the elementary techniques used by astronomers to understand the geography of the night sky, the physical nature of the planets, stars, and galaxies, and the scale associated with those objects.
Course Objectives	You are required to attend and complete 13 laboratory investigations during the semester. The topics may include those listed below and the instructor may amend or alter the list to fit the schedule of the material covered in lecture.
	1. Using Two-Dimension Maps of the Stars 2. Using the Star and Planet Locator 3. The Celestial Sphere 4. Constructing the Shape of Mercury’s Orbit from Maximum Elongation Observations 5. The Orbit of Comet Halley at next Apparition. 6. The Mass of Saturn from Spectroscopic measurements. 7. Investigating the Size and Density of Pluto from Eclipses of its Satellite Charon 8. Telescopes and Binoculars in Astronomy 9. Estimating the Temperature and Luminosity of the Sun from its Angular Size and Spectrum 10. Introduction to Spectroscopy	11. Comparing the Properties and Character of the Brightest stars in the Sky with the Nearest Stars. 12. Estimating the Distance to a Cepheid Variable Star and Stellar Parallax 13. Estimating the Distance to an Open Cluster (Including effects of interstellar reddening) 14. Estimating the Distance, Diameter, and Age of Globular Clusters 15. Investigating the Structure of the Milky Way Galaxy 16. Classifying Galaxies in the Hubble Classification 17. Estimating the Age of the Universe using Hubble’s Law of Expansion 18. The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence
Textbook	No textbook is required. Instructions will be distributed at the beginning of each laboratory period. However there are some required supplies that the student must provide. Required Supplies · a planisphere, called “The Star and Planet Locator” available at the bookstore. · a metric ruler (About 12 inches is sufficient) · pencils and pens · a scientific calculator (capable of scientific notation, trigonometric functions, and logarithms).
Reserve Materials	None at this time.
Attendance	Attendance at all laboratory sessions is required.
Scheduled Investigations (100% of your Final Grade)	All investigation (lab) reports are graded and the investigation report grade maybe supplemented with a Performance Evaluation (like a short quiz on the material just covered) score. Missed investigations due to absences generally cannot be made up and are assigned a zero grade. Please, check with the instructor if you anticipate missing a laboratory period. There are no make-up investigations.
Disputing Grades	If you are not satisfied with the way in which I graded your investigations you should follow the following steps. First see me and ask for a justification of the grade I awarded you. If you are unsatisfied with my explanation and wish to go to the next level in resolving the dispute, you may initiate a grade dispute procedure as per the instructions in OCC’s academic rules (PDF version at http://students.sunyocc.edu/ ).
Determining Your Final Grade	Your final grade is computed by simply taking the average of all your individual investigation grades and expressing that average as a percentage out of 20 (e.g. an investigation average grade of 16.7 points corresponds to 16.7/20 = 83.5%) Greater that 89% final grade is an A, final grade percent between 79% and 89% is a B, final grade percent between 69% and 79% is a C, final grade percent between 59% and 69% is a D, final grade percent below 59% is an F
Students with Disabilities	The Office of Services for Students with Special Needs (OSSSN) at Onondaga Community College is available to assist students who have a documented disability. If you require special accommodations for this class, visit the OSSSN in Academic Rm. 108, or call them at 498-2245.  In addition, please see me to discuss your individual circumstance concerning this course.
Academic Integrity	Students at Onondaga Community College are expected to adhere to the highest values of intellectual and academic honesty and integrity.  Violations of academic honesty will not be tolerated.  We all know what cheating is and it will not be tolerated. Although you will be working in close quarters, you are expected to express your own thoughts and not simply copy from the group you work with. The Performance Evaluations are individual tests of your knowledge on the material covered during that laboratory period. These evaluations are to be conducted following the highest ethical standards. Cheating on the Performance Evaluation or unethically completing the laboratory investigation will result in a non-revocable zero assigned to that investigation. A second instance of unethical behavior will result in dismissal from the class and award of a failing grade.
Help	One unavoidable truth about college is that it is not easy. If it were, everyone would be a college graduate. How you react to the normal periods of frustration that all students face says a lot about you and directly determines your likelihood of success. Many students make the mistake of giving up on themselves too quickly. Remember, sometimes it’s in struggling with a challenging assignment and actually figuring it out that the most powerful learning happens. So, at the first sign of trouble, take action. Above all, talk to me if you’re having difficulties. I may be able to help, but only if I know you’re struggling.

Link to Astronomy Laboratory Schedule for Summer 2010