Experiential Education on the Edge: SETI Activities for the College Classroom

In a sophomore-level, interdisciplinary honors class, we introduced students to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence through assigned readings, student presentations, classroom discussions, and multiple experiential activities. In this paper, we present four of these novel experiential activities. In the first, students suddenly find themselves trying to make contact with an unknown person who is simultaneously trying to contact them. The second is a course-long role-playing exercise patterned after a "first contact" simulation held annually at the CONTACT: Culture of the Imagination conferences. The third and fourth are parts of a unique final exam where students must respond as a group to two surreal encounters, one being a "2001"-style monolith that shows up, as in the film, entirely without warning or instructions. For the final, we also developed an assessment rubric appropriate for this kind of open-ended test. We conclude by discussing recommendations for implementing similar experiential education activities, both specifically and in spirit, in other classes. Outlin

Interpreting the Ionization Sequence in Star-Forming Galaxy Emission-Line Spectra

High ionization star forming (SF) galaxies are easily identified with strong emission line techniques such as the BPT diagram, and form an obvious ionization sequence on such diagrams. We use a locally optimally emitting cloud model to fit emission line ratios that constrain the excitation mechanism, spectral energy distribution, abundances and physical conditions along the star-formation ionization sequence. Our analysis takes advantage of the identification of a sample of pure star-forming galaxies, to define the ionization sequence, via mean field independent component analysis. Previous work has suggested that the major parameter controlling the ionization level in SF galaxies is the metallicity. Here we show that the observed SF- sequence could alternatively be interpreted primarily as a sequence in the distribution of the ionizing flux incident on gas spread throughout a galaxy. Metallicity variations remain necessary to model the SF-sequence, however, our best models indicate that galaxies with the highest and lowest observed ionization levels (outside the range -0.37 < log [O III]/H\b{eta} < -0.09) require the variation of an additional physical parameter other than metallicity, which we determine to be the distribution of ionizing flux in the galaxy.Comment: 41 pages, 17 figures, 9 tables, accepted to MNRA

0\u3csup\u3e+\u3c/sup\u3e States in \u3csup\u3e130,132\u3c/sup\u3eXe: A Search for E(5) Behavior

The level structures of 130,132Xe were studied with the inelastic neutron scattering reaction followed by γ-ray detection. Level lifetimes were measured using the Doppler-shift attenuation method and low-lying excited states in these nuclei were characterized. With a focus on the decay properties of the 0+ states, these nuclei were examined as representations of the E(5) critical-point symmetry

Teaching Visual Literacy in the Astronomy Classroom

No Abstrac

“Hot Seat” Questioning: A Technique to Promote and Evaluate Student Dialogue

Several approaches have been proposed to include students in classroom dialogue, including “think-pair-share” and “talk to your neighbor.” I recently implemented an additional technique in which four students answer questions in a “Hot Seat” at the front of the classroom. An unforeseen by-product of this was student-initiated peer instruction outside of the classroom. A small case study (approximately 50 students) on the effect of the Hot Seat using the midterm exam showed that students were 9.5±3.2% more likely to correctly answer a question related to material covered while they occupied the Hot Seat. Analysis of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test revealed that they were twice as likely to learn their Hot Seat material. A survey revealed one likely reason: Students typically spent 15–60 additional minutes preparing for class on their two assigned Hot Seat dates. Curiously, students received no significant benefit (2.2±3.6%) from their second turn in the Hot Seat, possibly reflecting student immunization to its motivational pressure