Download ESci. 420 - Our Solar System

E Sci 420: Our Solar System
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11.10 PM – 12.30 PM in DEM 112; Lab Sections Wednesday PM , James 244.
Prof. J. Bryce, James 308, julie.bryce(at)unh.edu
Teaching assistants: Amanda Houts (sections 1,4); Raleigh Koeberle (sections 2,3); Kimberly Aviado (sections 5,6)
Office Hours: posted on mycourses.unh.edu and by appointment
Objective: This course focuses on the nature and formation of our solar system and its planets and associated bodies, with emphasis on the
physical and chemical processes significant in the system’s origin and evolutionary history. Our approach provides the basis for
understanding key differences between the Earth-like terrestrial planets and those farther out in the solar system (the gas giants). We also
explore recent discoveries in the solar system (and elsewhere) and discuss their implications for the search for life elsewhere in our solar
system. Lab periods afford students an opportunity to learn techniques planetary scientists use to study the solar system.
Text (required) This term we are using 2 “short introduction books” and NASA supplemental readings. Any version of the books (new, used
or e-book) is fine.
King, Andrew (2012) Stars: A very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-960292-6.
Rothery, David A. (2010) Planets: A very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-957350-9
Week
26/28 Jan
Reading
Introduction to planetary science and the origin of the Universe
Lab 1: Thinking Quantitatively
NASA reading1
2/4 Feb
Star Formation, Formation of the Solar System
Lab 2: Astronomical tools: Electromagnetic Spectrum
King, Chapter 1, 7
9/11 Feb
The Sun and primitive planetary materials
Lab 3: Radiogenic dating and nucleosynthesis
King, Chapter 3,4
16/18 Feb
Celestial Mechanics and other Planetary Systems
Lab 4: Celestial Mechanics
King, Chapter 2 (review), 7
Rothery, Chapter 1, Skim Ch. 16
23/25 Feb
Planetary formation in the Solar System
Lab sections: Review Midterm #1: 25 Feb 2016
Catch-up
1/3 Mar
Terrestrial Planetary Interior Processes
Lab 5–Terrestrial interiors- planetary materials + thermal evolution
8/10 Mar
Terrestrial Planetary Surfaces and atmospheres
Lab 6– Cratering and Volcanism
Giant Planets – Interiors and Atmospheres
Lab 7 – Atmospheric Evolution: Venus vs. Earth vs. Mars
Rothery Chapter 3
22/24 Mar
Planetary Rings, Giant Planet Satellites, smaller planetary bodies
Lab 8 – Remote sensing (Googles Earth, Moon ± Mars)
Rothery Chapter 4
29/31 Mar
Minor bodies (and dwarf planets) in the solar system 7 Apr Midterm2
Lab – Midterm #2 review jam-sessions.
Rothery Chapter 5, 6
5/7 Apr
12/14 Apr
1
Topics (draft schedule)
Life in the Solar System… and beyond?
Lab – Life on Mars
Rothery Chapter 2
Above continued
*supplemental readings
https://web.archive.org/web/20110514231931/http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/WMAP_Universe.pdf
Week
19/21 Apr
26/28 Apr
3/5 May
Topics (draft schedule)
Earliest Earth & Early Mars
Final Lab project collaboration
Reading
*supplemental readings
Emerging Solar System stories
Final Lab project presentation
*supplemental readings
Above continued, Catch-up and Review
Lab Review
Tuesday, 17 May 1 pm – 3 pm
ESci 420 Final Exam
*denotes supplemental readings announced in class and linked via mycourses.unh.edu
Evaluation
Questions-of-the-Day (administered during lecture with an integrated learning system)
Midterms + Final (cumulative, with emphasis on post-Midterm 2 material)
Labs
10%
60%
30%
Exams: The two midterms and the final count 60% of the grade. We will weigh the best of these scores at 25%, the middle score at 20%,
and the lowest score at 15%.
Labs: Attendance is expected in all lab meetings except for the reviews. The laboratory component of the overall grade will be computed
from submitted exercises (some of these will be group-projects; some are to be done individually). The lowest score will be dropped in the
computation of the lab grade (30% overall grade component). The final lab project is a team-effort with both written and presentation
components and will count for two lab grades.
Notes on Collaborations and Academic Honesty: Collaborative work in laboratory sessions is recommended, but all students are
expected to submit independently constructed write-ups, unless a joint write-up is requested for a particular lab. TAs have in the past and will
continue to reject work clearly copied from other 420 students.
While pursuing questions requesting further research (e.g., investigations of NASA web pages/etc.), folks are required to rephrase
their findings in their own words and document their sources. TAs have the right to return without grading any submitted work that copies
material verbatim from websites and neglects proper documentation of sources.
Special Accommodation Requests and Optimizing Success: The University is committed to providing students with documented
disabilities equal access to all university programs and facilities. If you think you have a disability requiring accommodations, you must
register with Disability Services for Students (DSS). Contact DSS at
[email protected], (603) 862-2607 or
www.unh.edu/disabilityservices/clockwork. Those requesting accommodations because of a documented disability are required to provide
documentation to the teaching staff (professors and, as needed, teaching assistant) ASAP. Special accommodations for exams must be
made a minimum of one week in advance. Your academic success in this course is very important to us. If, during the semester, you find
emotional or mental health issues are affecting that success, please contact the University’s Counseling Center (3rd fl, Smith Hall; 603 8622090/TTY: 7-1-1), which provides counseling appointments and other mental health services.
Electronics Use: There are a number of compelling studies that demonstrate (1) a pen is mightier than a keyboard for enabling conceptual
learning and (2) there seem to be strong links between your electronic equipment use and your performance on exams as well as distractions
of those around you. Accordingly we will not allow the use of electronic equipment, other than those implementing clickers, in class. If you
have a compelling reason to use an electronic device during class/lab time, work it out with the teaching staff outside of class hours.
Otherwise please expect it to be confiscated during class time.
Questions of the Day: Those wishing to learn planetary science are expected to attend lecture regularly. In an effort ensure that folks are
on the same page, we will embed questions-of-the-day within most lectures, and these will generally be given using the iclicker system, and in
these cases results will usually be available on the course website within 24 hours. Every student is responsible for checking Canvas to
ensure their QotD grades are being recorded. Problems should immediately be brought to the attention of the teaching team. Make-up QotD
are not given. If a student is present in class but their iclicker is not working or has been forgotten, they may write their answers on a sheet of
paper and hand it in at the end of that class, but 2 points (usually out of a possible 5) will automatically be deducted from the QotD score.
These questions either serve as starting points for discussion, provide an opportunity to do some hands-on work with the material or reinforce
key topics of recent material (the previous lecture or lab earlier in the week). The 3 lowest Q-o-t-D’s will be dropped. Students receiving ≥
80% on all of the Q-o-t-D’s will be given half a bonus point on their final course grade.