AST 4031 -- New Course

Mon Apr 28 10:59:12 2014

Approvals Received:
Department
on 04-24-14
by Terry Thibeault
(tlfoley@umn.edu)
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
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.
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)
Auto-Enroll
Course:
No
Graded
Component:
LEC
Academic
Progress Units:
Not allowed to bypass limits.
4.0 credit(s)
Financial Aid
Progress Units:
Not allowed to bypass limits.
4.0 credit(s)
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.

Student⿿s 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.

Student⿿s 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:

  • They explicitly help students understand what liberal education is, how the content and the substance of this course enhance a liberal education, and what this means for them as students and as citizens.
  • They employ teaching and learning strategies that engage students with doing the work of the field, not just reading about it.
  • They include small group experiences (such as discussion sections or labs) and use writing as appropriate to the discipline to help students learn and reflect on their learning.
  • They do not (except in rare and clearly justified cases) have prerequisites beyond the University's entrance requirements.
  • They are offered on a regular schedule.
  • They are taught by regular faculty or under exceptional circumstances by instructors on continuing appointments. Departments proposing instructors other than regular faculty must provide documentation of how such instructors will be trained and supervised to ensure consistency and continuity in courses.

<no text provided>
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:
  • thinking ethically about important challenges facing our society and world;
  • reflecting on the shared sense of responsibility required to build and maintain community;
  • connecting knowledge and practice;
  • fostering a stronger sense of our roles as historical agents.


<no text provided>
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 
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>
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>
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.

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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>
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?

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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>
Statement of Certification: This course is certified as Writing Internsive effective  as of 
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.
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.
Strategic Objectives - Core
Curriculum:
Does the unit consider this course to be part of its core curriculum?

Yes
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