Catalog description
Literature review, proposal writing, reproducible analysis, data archives, observational planning, ethical conduct, scientific visualization, and conference-style communication.
Learning outcomes
- Construct reproducible literature and archive searches with exact provenance.
- Quantify uncertainty, calibration, selection effects, and model consequences.
- Write feasible observing or archive proposals with time, risk, and data-management plans.
- Use public archives and research software ethically with correct attribution.
- Critique figures and communicate evidence, uncertainty, and limitations.
- Peer-review and revise a capstone proposal to a professional standard.
Resources
There is no single adopted textbook. Required readings are exact documentation pages and policies listed in reference-log.md: NASA ADS, Gaia EDR3 Chapters 4, 8, 9, 12, and 13, MAST, SDSS SkyServer DR18, NASA Exoplanet Archive, SIMBAD, Astropy, NASA Open Science, and the AAS Code of Ethics.
Cadence rationale
This 3-credit course uses 14 lectures and 7 workshops in seven matched two-lecture units. Each workshop follows the second lecture because research practice needs both a conceptual method and a concrete artifact. Seven problem sets mirror the workshops; the final unit uses the capstone proposal and peer review rather than adding a separate weekly lab. This preserves time for revision and archive access while making the 14/7/7 structure explicit.
| Lecture | Focus | Workshop | Problem set |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | What Makes a Result Reproducible? | ||
| 02 | Literature Search as an Experiment | Lab 01 | PS 01 |
| 03 | Archive Discovery and Query Provenance | ||
| 04 | Identifiers and Cross-Matches | Lab 02 | PS 02 |
| 05 | Uncertainty Propagation and Calibration | ||
| 06 | Model Selection and Residuals | Lab 03 | PS 03 |
| 07 | Reproducible Coding and Environments | ||
| 08 | Scientific Visualization and Figure Critique | Lab 04 | PS 04 |
| 09 | Observational Planning and Time Allocation | ||
| 10 | Ethical Conduct and Data Stewardship | Lab 05 | PS 05 |
| 11 | Statistical Ethics and Inference | ||
| 12 | Conference-Style Communication | Lab 06 | PS 06 |
| 13 | Capstone Proposal Design | ||
| 14 | Synthesis and Peer Review | Lab 07 | PS 07 |
Assessment
| Component | Weight |
|---|---|
| Seven workshops | 28% |
| Seven problem sets | 21% |
| Literature/archive portfolio | 15% |
| Capstone proposal | 26% |
| Presentation and peer review | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Policies
Students may revise and resubmit with a change log to improve mastery and grade. Collaboration is welcome when disclosed; submitted code, prose, figures, and citations must be attributable. Cite archives, software, data products, and papers. Do not upload restricted or identifying data. Local accessibility, integrity, attendance, late-work, safety, and calendar language must be finalized before instructional use.