Introduction to Astronomy
Spring 2008
Group Projects

Hubble-Bubble Award Nominees


To view Spring '99 projects click here.

To view Fall '99 projects click here.

To view the Summer '00 projects click here.

To view the Spring '01 projects click here.

On this page, you will find the group assignments. The first person whose name is listed in each group is the group leader. Make sure that you have been assigned to a group; if you haven't, please contact me as soon as possible or you won't get a grade for the project.

NOTE: I typed these names in rather quickly. If you find any error (my apologies), please let me know, and I can make the necessary changes.

The Assignment

Each group is assigned to research a particular topic from astronomy on the Web and write and submit a report that will be posted on this site (the details of the report format are listed below). It is the responsibility of all members of the team to see that the report is submitted by the due date. In addition, it is a goal of this exercise that those members of the group who are not experienced on the Web or with web page construction, learn from the other members who have more experience. If you need assistance in this respect, please make it a point to meet with me.

FIRST ASSIGNMENT:

Details of the Report

The topics listed below cover areas of astronomy that we have (or will have) talked about in class this semester. I have tried to select topics from planetary science, stellar astronomy, galactic astronomy, and cosmology that we don't have time to study in detail in class. In most cases, these topics represent active areas of research, and many questions remain to be answered. Please Note: If you aren't sure exactly what I want you to research for your topic, I would be happy to discuss it with the group.

Your report should consist of three sections (I use some generic titles here, these can be different depending on your topic):

  1. Background Information
    This comprises an introduction to your topic so that your classmates can understand the latest developments. It should be a minimum of 2 to 4 paragraphs with at least 2 reference URL's.
  2. Latest Developments
    This section discusses the latest developments about your topic that you have found on the Web. It should be a several paragraphs with at least 2 reference URL's.
  3. Future Prospects
    The last section should discuss possibilities for resolving crucial questions that yet remain. This should be at least 2 to 4 paragraphs with at least 2 reference URL's.

NOTE: You may use a reference URL in more than one section; however, you must have at least 4 different reference URL's. A word of caution about URL's: make sure to type the URL exactly; one wrong character renders the URL useless. It is good practice to electronically copy the URL directly from the browser to your report.

The group leader should email the report to me. Here is the required email submission format.

Some Ground Rules (more may added at a later date)

  1. The report is due by 10:00 pm on the designated date. Late reports will receive a 20% reduction in grade for each day after the due date.
  2. Everyone in the group receives the same grade; however, if a group member does not make an adequate contribution, it is the leader's responsibility to notify me of this and the grade for that person will be reduced.
  3. Group leaders will receive 3 points extra credit; however, the rest of the group should evaluate their leader's performance, and on their unanimous recommendation, the amount of extra credit may be reduced.
  4. You may not write an extra credit report on your group's topic.

One Last Remark . . . This all has some purpose.

I will post all of the reports on the Web for you to read. Some of the better ones will be nominated for a coveted Hubble-Bubble award. The information from the reports from those Nominees will be fair questions on the final exam.