Mon Apr 28 10:59:12 2014
Approvals Received: |
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Approvals Pending: | College/Dean > Provost > Catalog > PeopleSoft Manual Entry | |
Effective Status: | Active | |
Effective Term: | 1153 - Spring 2015 | |
Course: | AST 4031 | |
Institution: Campus: |
UMNTC - Twin Cities UMNTC - Twin Cities |
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Career: | UGRD | |
College: | TIOT - College of Science and Engineering | |
Department: | 11092 - Astrophysics, MN Inst for | |
General | ||
Course Title Short: | Astrophysical Data | |
Course Title Long: | Interpretation and Analysis of Astrophysical Data | |
Max-Min Credits for Course: |
4.0 to 4.0 credit(s) | |
Catalog Description: |
Introduction to analysis techniques with applications to modern astrophysics and methods to interpret and analyze the large data sets from experiments. Principles and methods of analysis, with applications to current research. For senior undergraduate and graduate students in Physics and Astronomy. |
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Print in Catalog?: | Yes | |
CCE Catalog Description: |
<no text provided> | |
Grading Basis: | A-F only | |
Topics Course: | No | |
Honors Course: | No | |
Online Course: | No | |
Instructor Contact Hours: |
4.0 hours per week | |
Years most frequently offered: |
Other frequency | |
Term(s) most frequently offered: |
Spring | |
Component 1: |
LEC (no final exam) |
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Auto-Enroll Course: |
No | |
Graded Component: |
LEC | |
Academic Progress Units: |
Not allowed to bypass limits. 4.0 credit(s) |
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Financial Aid Progress Units: |
Not allowed to bypass limits. 4.0 credit(s) |
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Repetition of Course: |
Repetition not allowed. | |
Course Prerequisites for Catalog: |
[Math 2243 or 2373 or equivalent, Math 2263 or 2374 or equivalent, Ast 2001] or #. | |
Course Equivalency: |
No course equivalencies | |
Consent Requirement: |
No required consent | |
Enforced Prerequisites: (course-based or non-course-based) |
Astrophysics or Physics majors. | |
Editor Comments: | <no text provided> | |
Proposal Changes: | Adding a new course | |
History Information: | <no text provided> | |
Faculty Sponsor Name: |
Maria Scarlata | |
Faculty Sponsor E-mail Address: |
scarlata@astro.umn.edu | |
Student Learning Outcomes | ||
Student Learning Outcomes: |
* Student in the course:
- Can identify, define, and solve problems
Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome. The students will be able to describe and analyse quantitatively processes, relationships and techniques relevant to the topics included in the course outline, and applying these ideas and techniques to analyze critically and solve advanced or complex problem. In order to address this outcome, I will devote part of the lectures to the analysis of well-defined problems routinely encountered in real astrophysical research. As an example, we will discuss various techniques to compute galaxy luminosity function. How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated. Students capability of identifying and solving complex problems will be assessed via project homework focussed on the application of the statistical tools discussed during the course. - Have mastered a body of knowledge and a mode of inquiry Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome. By the end of the course, students will be able to demonstrate a knowledge and broad understanding of Statistical Astronomy, and show a critical awareness of the significance and importance of the topics, methods and techniques discussed in the lectures and their relationship to concepts presented in other courses. During the lectures the students will actively participate by presenting papers and projects prepared as part of the homework. How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated. Student learning will be assessed via project homework focussed on the application of the statistical tools discussed during the course, and during the final exam. - Can communicate effectively Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome. The students should be able to write down and, where appropriate, either prove or explain the underlying basis of astrophysical laws relevant to the course topics, and discuss their applications. Part of the lectures will be devoted to student presentations and discussion of the project homework. How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated. Students capability of communicating effectively will be evaluated via the written presentations of their homework, and the presentations given in class. | |
Liberal Education | ||
Requirement this course fulfills: |
None | |
Other requirement this course fulfills: |
None | |
Criteria for Core Courses: |
Describe how the course meets the specific bullet points for the proposed core
requirement. Give concrete and detailed examples for the course syllabus, detailed
outline, laboratory material, student projects, or other instructional materials or method.
Core courses must meet the following requirements:
<no text provided> |
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Criteria for Theme Courses: |
Describe how the course meets the specific bullet points for the proposed theme
requirement. Give concrete and detailed examples for the course syllabus, detailed outline,
laboratory material, student projects, or other instructional materials or methods. Theme courses have the common goal of cultivating in students a number of habits of mind:
<no text provided> |
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LE Recertification-Reflection Statement: (for LE courses being re-certified only) |
<no text provided> | |
Statement of Certification: |
This course is certified for a Core, effective as of
This course is certified for a Theme, effective as of |
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Writing Intensive | ||
Propose this course as Writing Intensive curriculum: |
No | |
Question 1 (see CWB Requirement 1): |
How do writing assignments and writing instruction further the learning objectives
of this course and how is writing integrated into the course? Note that the syllabus must
reflect the critical role that writing plays in the course. <no text provided> |
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Question 2 (see CWB Requirement 2): |
What types of writing (e.g., research papers, problem sets, presentations,
technical documents, lab reports, essays, journaling etc.) will be assigned? Explain how these
assignments meet the requirement that writing be a significant part of the course work, including
details about multi-authored assignments, if any. Include the required length for each writing
assignment and demonstrate how the minimum word count (or its equivalent) for finished writing will
be met. <no text provided> |
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Question 3 (see CWB Requirement 3): |
How will students' final course grade depend on their writing performance?
What percentage of the course grade will depend on the quality and level of the student's writing
compared to the percentage of the grade that depends on the course content? Note that this information
must also be on the syllabus. <no text provided> |
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Question 4 (see CWB Requirement 4): |
Indicate which assignment(s) students will be required to revise and resubmit after
feedback from the instructor. Indicate who will be providing the feedback. Include an example of the
assignment instructions you are likely to use for this assignment or assignments. <no text provided> |
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Question 5 (see CWB Requirement 5): |
What types of writing instruction will be experienced by students? How much class
time will be devoted to explicit writing instruction and at what points in the semester? What types of
writing support and resources will be provided to students? <no text provided> |
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Question 6 (see CWB Requirement 6): |
If teaching assistants will participate in writing assessment and writing instruction,
explain how will they be trained (e.g. in how to review, grade and respond to student writing) and how will
they be supervised. If the course is taught in multiple sections with multiple faculty (e.g. a capstone
directed studies course), explain how every faculty mentor will ensure that their students will receive
a writing intensive experience. <no text provided> |
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Statement of Certification: | This course is certified as Writing Internsive effective as of | |
Readme link.
Course Syllabus requirement section begins below
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Course Syllabus | ||
Course Syllabus: |
For new courses and courses in which changes in content and/or description and/or credits
are proposed, please provide a syllabus that includes the following information: course goals
and description; format;structure of the course (proposed number of instructor contact
hours per week, student workload effort per week, etc.); topics to be covered; scope and
nature of assigned readings (text, authors, frequency, amount per week); required course
assignments; nature of any student projects; and how students will be
evaluated. The University "Syllabi Policy" can be
found here
The University policy on credits is found under Section 4A of "Standards for Semester Conversion" found here. Course syllabus information will be retained in this system until new syllabus information is entered with the next major course modification. This course syllabus information may not correspond to the course as offered in a particular semester. (Please limit text to about 12 pages. Text copied and pasted from other sources will not retain formatting and special characters might not copy properly.) AST 4031: Interpretation and Analysis of Astrophysical Data Spring 2015 Instructor: Prof. Claudia Scarlata Tate 355 Phone: 612-626-1811 e-mail: mscarlat@umn.edu. Text Eric D. Feigelson G Jogesh Babu 2012: Modern Statistical Methods for Astronomy, Cambridge University press (copy are available in the astro-reading room) This course is meant for senior undergraduate and graduate students in physics or astronomy. Familiarity with calculus and other basic mathematical techniques is assumed. Modern astrophysics research relies on sophisticated methods to interpret and analyze the large amount of data characteristic of new experiments. In this course, students will learn the key principles and methods of analysis, with applications to current research in astrophysics. Course Content: 1) Part one The first part of the course will cover probability theory and the foundation of statistical inference: overview of probability and random variables discrete and continuous distributions limit theorems Concepts of statistical inference: classical vs. Bayesian statistical inference Maximum likelihood estimation least square method confidence intervals (the Bootstrap and the Jackknife) hypothesis testing techniques probability distribution functions (Binomial, Poissonian, Normal and Lognormal, power-law, Gamma). 2) Part two The second part of the course will deal with applied techniques that are based on the foundations presented in part one. These applied techniques include: data smoothing and density estimation: histograms, kernel density estimators, adaptive smoothing regression: least-square linear regression, weighted least-squares, nonlinear models multivariate analysis: multivariate distances and normal distribution, hypothesis tests, multiple linear regression, principal component analysis, outliers, nonlinear methods clustering, classification and data mining basic time series analysis: time-domain analysis of evenly and unevenly spaced data; spectral analysis of evenly and unevenly spaced data spatial point processes: tests of uniformity, spatial autocorrelation. For each applied statistical technique, the astronomical context will be emphasized with examples based on specialized literature. The analysis methods learned during the course will be put into practice using real-world data sets and python-based codes. Course Format: Most of the course will be in the form of lectures; a week of the course will be devoted to student-led seminars presenting group projects completed by the students. Grading: Homework 25% Presentations (1 presentations per student) 25% In-class participation 15% Final exam 35% Any changes in the grading policy or in the syllabus will be communicated to the students. Suggested Book: Zeljko Ivezic, Andrew J. Connolly, Jacob VanderPlas & Alexander Gray Statistics, data mining and Machine learning in Astronomy 2013 Princeton series in modern observational astronomy although this is not required. |
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Readme link.
Strategic Objectives & Consultation section begins below
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Strategic Objectives & Consultation | ||
Name of Department Chair Approver: |
Robert Gehrz | |
Strategic Objectives - Curricular Objectives: |
How does adding this course improve the overall curricular objectives ofthe unit? A good foundation in astronomical and astrophysical statistics is necessary in contemporary astrophysical research. This material has previously been dispersed in an uncoordinated way amongst other courses and we are now bringing this material together in a more coherent package. |
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Strategic Objectives - Core Curriculum: |
Does the unit consider this course to be part of its core curriculum? Yes |
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Strategic Objectives - Consultation with Other Units: |
In order to prevent course overlap and to inform other departments of new
curriculum, circulate proposal to chairs in relevant units and follow-up with direct
consultation. Please summarize response from units consulted and include correspondence. By
consultation with other units, the information about a new course is more widely disseminated
and can have a positive impact on enrollments. The consultation can be as simple as an
email to the department chair informing them of the course and asking for any feedback
from the faculty. Response from Galin Jones, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, in Statistics: Tom, I see no major reason to object, but I do think it is an ambitious set of topics to cover given the limited prereq requirements. Galin |
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