astronomy 201

North Seattle Community College Fall 2005

Astrobiology

This is a coordinated studies class, combining Astronomy 201 (Life, The Universe and Everything) and Biology 100 (Biological Principles). Though you will get credit, upon passing, for both classes, you will receive the same grade in each class.

Course meeting times: MW, 10 — 11:50 a.m. and TTh, 10 — 12:50 p.m.

Lectures and discussions will be held in Room AS 1623; labs will be performed in either AS 1622 or AS 1623. There is a lab fee for the course, which you’ve already paid.

Text: Life in the Universe by Bennett, Shostak and Jakosky

Additional readings will be handed out throughout the quarter; it is your responsibility to check the website to make sure you are up-to-date in terms of readings.

Other equipment:

• Access to a calculator that can handle scientific notation is strongly recommended.

• An e-mail account that you will check a couple of times per week for updates from the instructors.

Course purpose and goals: This course is designed to give you an overview of what we deduce to be the sequence of events which culminated in the appearance of life on Earth, and how these conditions and events could have been replicated elsewhere in the universe; in short, a glimpse at the field of astrobiology. Astrobiology is a relatively new program (you can get a MS or Ph.D. in it at the University of Washington) at some universities, so much of the resources you will have access to are web-based. However, some principles do not change with time: We will emphasize the reasoning behind the assertions of this field, and the observations of systems on Earth that developed that reasoning. We hope you take away from the class a sense of the lengths to which some humans go to seek life off of this planet, and how they go about this task.

Prerequisites: Formally there are none, except a willingness to learn about topics in math, physics, biology, chemistry and, of course, astronomy. An understanding of math at the MAT 098 (intermediate algebra) level will certainly enhance your appreciation of the class material, but is not crucial.

Instructors:	Tracy Furutani	Suzanne Schlador
Office:	IB 2422A	IB 2428A
Phone:	528-4509	528-4579
Office Hour:	MW, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m., 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.	TTh, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. or by appointment
e-mail:	tfurutani@sccd.ctc.edu	sschaldo@sccd.ctc.edu

Course website: http://northonline.sccd.ctc.edu/tfurutani/ and click on the astrobiology link.

Grading: Water on Enceladus (Group Activity 1) 50

Scientific paper seminar (GA 2) 50

Berkeley Grant Proposal Game (GA 3) 50

Book report poster abstract 10

Book report poster presentation 40

Assignments, 20 pts. each, best 10 of 11 200

Lab reports, various point values 200

Quizzes, 20 pts. each, best 10 of 11 200

Total 800

Grades will be assigned as follows:

Your total points: 760 - 800 4.0

720 - 759 3.7

680 - 719 3.3

640 - 679 3.0

600 - 639 2.7

560 - 599 2.3

520 - 559 2.0

480 - 519 1.7

440 - 479 1.3

400 - 439 1.0

< 400 0.0

This schedule is subject to a minimal amount of change.

Group activities: There will be three of these projects, one called “Water on Enceladus” at the beginning of the quarter, one involving the critical reading and analysis of a scientific paper during the quarter, and one called “The Berkeley Grant Proposal Game" at the end of the quarter. You will work in teams and, at the end of the project, each team will make a short presentation by a team representative. Your group members will all receive the same grade; some points will be earned during the project and some will be earned at the presentation.

Book report project: You (and, optionally, a partner) will select one science fiction book to read and critically review. There will be a handout in class which will list some appropriate books; you are encouraged to suggest possible candidates to us. Please get our approval before proceeding on the project so that we are clear on what book you are reviewing. The critical review focuses on whether the life forms mentioned in the book live up to the criteria for extra-terrestrial life we discuss in class. There are two parts to this project; the first is a book report abstract in which you will briefly outline the critical argument you will make about the book, and the second, and major, part is a poster in which you will more fully explain your answer.

Assignments: There will be weekly assignments due on Mondays before the quiz. These assignments can be worked on individually or in a group and turned in as such (in other words, with one or more names at the top of the assignment). They are designed to help you understand the necessary math, chemistry, physics and biology. We will take some class time to go over the assignments in the week before they are due.

Quizzes: There will be weekly open-note, closed-book quizzes on Mondays; they are each thirty minutes long, with some short answer-type questions and one or two paragraph or two essay-length questions. The questions will be modelled after the questions in the class exercises. Since the grading policy indicates the lowest quiz score will be dropped, there will be no make-up quizzes, since the “0” on a missed quiz can simply be dropped (once!).

Research paper seminar: You will choose a scientific paper from a set of current journal articles. Your group will summarize the paper and present the key points to the class that tie the paper to the key points stated in the course up to that point. In addition to the presentation, your group will submit a written version of the presentation. This simulates “journal clubs” as you might find in research groups at universities. There will be a handout on this assignment during the course.

Laboratory reports: Lab coats and materials are provided. No goggles are necessary, though you may bring your own if you wish. Labs are scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays. Some labs will be longer than others; all lab reports will be due on the next lab session following the collection of data and results. Due to the time-sensitive nature of the labs, and the difficulty in obtaining cultures and reagents, there will be no make-up labs. It is not necessary to purchase a lab notebook; we will provide handouts for all labs.

Cheating: Please don't. I will use the policy outlined in the Student Conduct section of the Student Handbook (as I will for all administrative aspects of this course). Remember, a group project is the result of a roughly equal sharing of ideas from each member of the group. Collaboration is absolutely essential. An individual quiz, however, is an evaluation of what each individual understands. Please do not collaborate on these endeavors. And, yes, plagiarism (of ideas or words without attribution) is cheating and will be referred to the Secret Punishment Committee.

Attendance: We will not take attendance during the quarter, but, since there are so many group activities scheduled during the quarter, it is imperative that you come to each meeting. Please call Tracy (528-4509) or Suzanne (528-4579) if you are going to miss class, so that we can discuss what you have missed. More importantly, you should notify your teammates!

Chemical sensitivities: Due to the increasing numbers of individuals developing chemical sensitivities and the increasing awareness of such conditions, everyone who attends this class is asked to refrain from wearing any fragrance or perfume. The greatest feasible efforts will also be taken to ensure a fresh air environment free of not only the above-mentioned fragrances but also potentially harmful substances such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, carpet odor, organic solvents, etc. Individuals who are unsure of the importance of this policy should see the Associate Dean for additional information.

Other notes: The use of pagers and cell phones is a symptom of our ever-increasingly wired society. In the classroom these devices can easily destroy concentration and make it difficult to learn. Please switch your devices to a “silent” setting during class.

Dates to remember:

Last day to drop course November 21

Last day of instruction December 12

Chapter numbers refer to the Bennett et al. text; please keep up with the reading!

September 26

Chapters 1 and first half of chapter 2

Assignment 1 handed out

Group activity 1 (day one)

Biology lab safety procedures

Lab #1: Ubiquity of Microbes

Group activity 1 (day two)

Lab #1: Ubiquity of Microbes