The design of an adaptive optics telescope: the case of DAG

In this paper, we describe in detail the optical design of DAG, a new 4 m telescope for Turkey. DAG is an "adaptive optics friendly" telescope, in a sense that each design decision is taken considering the potential impact on the AO performance (vibrations, static aberrations etc.) The objective is to make this telescope fully ready for AO at first light. It is designed as a Ritchey-Chretien combination, 56 m focal length, with Nasmyth foci only, and active optics. Its total RMS error is expected to be 45 nm up to Zernike mode 78, and 26 nm for the higher, non AO corrected modes. A final design optimization has been done by the telescope manufacturers, demonstrating that our AO-based requirements can be satisfied, without much difficulty.Publisher's Versio

Women in limnology: From a historical perspective to a present-day evaluation

Research in limnology is nurtured by the work of many fascinating and passionate women, who have contributed enormously to our understanding of inland waters. Female limnologists have promoted and established the bases of our knowledge about inland waters and fostered the need of protecting the values of those ecosystems. However, on numerous occasions, their contribution to the advancement of limnology has not been duly recognized. Here, we review the presence of women in limnology through the history of the discipline: from the pioneers who contributed to the origins to present day' developments. We aim at visibilizing those scientists and establish them as role models. We also analyze in a simple and illustrative way the current situation of women in limnology, the scientific barriers they must deal with, and their future prospects. Multiple aspects fostering the visibility of a scientist, such as their presence in conferences, awards, or representation in societal or editorial boards show a significant gap, with none of those aspects showing a similar visibility of women and men in limnology. This article raises awareness of the obstacles that women in limnology faced and still face, and encourages to embrace models of leadership, scientific management, and assessment of research performance far from those commonly established.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Astronomy Week: An Investigation Of The Implementation And Identity Formation Of Participants

Abstract: our society has a great need for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals and educational institutions are currently having difficulty keeping up with society\u27s demand (Carnevale, 2011). Outreach efforts are a key strategy to encouraging young people to pursue STEM careers and evaluation methods need to be used to ensure that this outreach is efficient and effective in helping young students see themselves as prospective STEM professionals (Moskal, 2011). The purpose of this dissertation study was to investigate the implementation of an astronomy week supported by the center for mathematics and science education (CMSE) and its impact on student identity formation. Three classrooms implemented the CMSE astronomy week curriculum and accepted a visit from the starlab mobile planetarium. Data consisted of field notes from classroom observations, interviews with students and teachers, the Draw a Scientist Test (DAST), and surveys from both teachers and students. Results provide evidence that this outreach effort was a significant science event that helped change the stereotypical beliefs about scientists, especially in minority students. Drawings of scientists and written responses provided valuable insight into participants\u27 identity formation and desires to pursue a career in science. Results also provide suggestions for improving the programmatic and curricular aspects of the outreach program. Teacher interviews and questionnaire responses were particularly valuable in the development of suggestions for improving the program

Predicting LIS Scholarly Research Directions In The Era Of Data Science

Abstract Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to present the quantitative analysis of scholarly literature published worldwide on Data Science in the field of Library and Information Science (LIS). Design/methodology/approach –The Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database was used as the main source for extracting data from the published documents during the period 2010-2019. The analysis of the published documents was based on the following important trends: Number of Data Science publications in all fields, Number of Data Science publications in the LIS field, the most cited document type on Data Science in LIS perspective, the most prolific author, the most productive publication year, the most productive country, annual citations, highly cited journal and research article on Data Science in LIS perspective, highly contributing research organizations and group authors on Data Science in LIS field and highly contributing universities on Data Science in LIS field during the period 2010-2019. The types of documents considered in this study were research articles, conference proceeding papers, book chapters, book reviews and editorial material. Findings –The findings of this study showed that the USA possessed the highest number of publications on Data Science in the field of LIS. The total number of publications on Data Science including all fields was 106,028 and the number of publications on Data Science in LIS perspective was 3,799 during the period 2010-2019. The year 2019 was identified as the most productive year as the research output in this year was maximum. IEEE was identified as the most productive research organization/group author, Wuhan University China as the most productive university and the Journal of Scientometrics was declared as the most prolific journal on Data Science in LIS perspective during the period 2010-2019. Bornmann Lutz, from Germany, was identified as the most prolific author with a total of 69 publications and the article titled “Business Intelligence and Analytics: From Big Data to Big Impact” was the highly cited article on Data Science in LIS perspective during the period 2010-2019. Originality/value –The study will be of great importance for students, scholars, educationists, professionals and researchers who intend to perform Scientometrics research studies in the LIS field

THE EFFECTS OF A MOBILE APP-BASED SKY MAP IN TEACHING COLLEGE STUDENTS ABOUT CONSTELLATIONS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using a mobile app-based sky map to teach college students about constellations, stars, nebulae, and star clusters. The name of the app was Star Chart. The setting for the study was a community college in West Tennessee. Twenty out of 60 participants were males, with 83% of all being less than 25 years old. The first effect studied was concerning students level of attitude toward astronomy after they used the mobile app to learn about sky constellations, stars, nebulae, and star clusters. The second effect investigated in the study was regarding the ability of participating college students to identify the above astronomical objects after using the mobile app. For comparison purposes, the same measurements were taken for a control group that used a conventional print-based sky map, commonly known as a planisphere. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to compare the experimental or app-users group (n = 30) and control group (n = 30).The results of the study showed that Star Chart app users developed significantly more positive attitude toward astronomy than the planisphere users (Hotellings Trace = 0.132, F (2, 57) = 3.751, p \u3c .05, multivariate effect size 2 = 0.12). The multivariate effect size obtained showed that the difference was substantial. On the other hand, both Star Chart and planisphere groups learned comparable skills of identifying constellations, stars, nebulae, and star clusters.Since app-based sky maps are available freely for various platforms of mobile devices, they can be added to the technology repertoire of teachers and other community members involved in astronomy education. Due to time constraints, the researcher used planetarium software to simulate the sky. Hence, future researchers are recommended to replicate this study in the context of real night sky observations

Tourists, mobilities and paradigms

Kuhn's perception of paradigms changed over time, and eventually he considered the exemplar to be a defining feature of specialised scientific communities, the sole arbiters of scientific progress, who possess a shared lexicon, more or less incommensurable to non-members. The ensuing debate as to whether or not paradigms, including the new mobilities paradigm (NMP), are found in the social science is sum- marised, and claims it is of special relevance to tourism studies are examined. Authenticity has indeed been a key concept, but the 'discourse of authenticity' has not dominated tourism studies, and Western and Asian scholars, despite a slow start, are now increasingly and successfully applying Western social science concepts to Asian (especially Chinese) tourism without recourse to a 'Non-Western' or 'Asian' paradigm. However, while 'mobilities' is not a paradigm, the NMP is a useful perspective that is commensurable with different theoretical approaches to tourism and other forms of travel

Design, implementation and evaluation of transnational collaborative programmes in astronomy education and public outreach

This thesis presents a study of how science can most effectively be used to engage and educate the global public and specifically describes the role of astronomy in doing this. Astronomy has a special place in the field of science education and public engagement with science. It has great appeal for large sections of the public for several reasons. We shall use astronomy as a case study to consider the effect and impact of transnational collaborations with innovative approaches and centralised coordination in science education and public outreach. The thesis is based on eight years of designing, implementing and evaluating transnational collaborative programmes in astronomy education and public outreach, from the perspective of the practitioner. We shall also show that large global science EPO projects can result in sustainable outcomes that outlive the projects themselves and analyse the various aspects of global science communication project that are necessary for their success.History of Scienc

Scientometric assessment of selected R&D priority areas in South Africa : a comparison with other BRICS countries

A scientometric analysis of selected research priority areas in South Africa was done using the Web of Science database for a period 2002 - 2012. The performance of the country in the areas of biotechnology, energy, astronomy and palaeontology in terms of the publication output in these areas is compared using two classic scientometric indicators, the activity and attractivity indices. These are important priority areas as highlighted in various government policy documents and the aim was to identify if outputs in these field are corresponding with government policy. The study also identifies leading institutions in the country in terms of publication output while the performance is also benchmarked against that of the other BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) group of countries as well as Egypt. It is found that the country is doing relatively well in research areas in which it enjoys geographical advantage such as astronomy and palaeontology and compares favourably with comparator countries in all areas reviewed. In terms of the institutional profile and based on publication outputs over the period considered, the University of Cape Town is a leader in biotechnology and energy, University of the Witwatersrand in palaeontology and the National Research Foundation in the area of astronomy.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rajs202017-06-30hb2016Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM