Re: Physicists teaching astronomy

[Bernard Cleyet <anngeorg@PACBELL.NET>]

 " ... Astronomy isn't about finding and naming the stars
and planets in the sky.  This is fun, but it's like teaching bird-watching
in biology...there's little science in it."


Not quite -- such data is necessary to relate ecological effects, e.g.
DDT. global warming, etc.

Here's an example from a "Twitchers'" site




                                (The following is an excerpt from the
February 1997 issue of the BWD
                                Skimmer)

                                CEDAR WAXWINGS AND ORANGE TAIL TIPS *A FRUITY
                                STORY

                                Previous notes in The BWD Skimmer and
BWD ,s "Quick Takes" have
                                discussed speculation that cedar
waxwings with orange rather than yellow
                                tail tips have been feeding extensively
on the berries of Tartarian
                                honeysuckle, an introduced plant in the
eastern and midwestern United
                                States. Tartarian honeysuckle berries
contain rhodoxanthin, a red carotenoid
                                pigment. The ingestion of the pigment
has been implicated in plumage
                                variations in a number of species,
including white-throated sparrows and
                                Kentucky warblers. It has also been
shown that some species with red
                                feathering lose pigmentation when
provided a diet without rhodoxanthin.
                                Now, a laboratory study has established
that the berries are the cause of the
                                orange tail tip variation and have
suggested a striking local variation in the
                                process. Mark C. Witmer ("Consequences
of an Alien Shrub on the
                                Plumage Coloration and Ecology of Cedar
Waxwings," The Auk 113.4 .....



And if included with the naming is O B A Fine Girl Kiss Me (R N S)
Quick,  absolute magnitude, etc. it leads into H-S diagrams, and as you
would say "real astronomy".

bc (son of a twitcher, step son of a Pro. Ornithologist)

"Frohne, Vickie" wrote:
>     In my first university physics teaching job, I was given intro.
> astronomy to teach even though I'd never taken an astronomy course in my
> life.  I managed just fine, however, NOT just because I'm a physicist, but
> because I had done a lot of independent reading as a child and a teenager,
> and mostly because I'd been reading Science News every week for 20 years.
> Because of Science News, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was
> actually current in the field at the introductory level.  Without that, I
> would not have done very well with teaching astronomy.
>      After half a dozen times through the course, I'm now very comfortable
> teaching introductory astronomy for non-scientists.  However, I'd hesitate
> to teach astronomy at a much higher level.  Yes, I could probably do it, but
> I couldn't do a decent job of it unless I had easy access to a "real"
> astronomer who could answer my many questions. Good teaching requires that
> one have a deep understanding of the subject. One must be sufficiently
> knowledgable to augment the text and to put knowledge in context.  My Ph.D.
> in physics does NOT mean that I automatically and magically understand all
> of physics, or all applications of physics of which astronomy is an example.
> To think otherwise would be arrogant foolishness.   Knowledge is obtained
> only by hard work, not through ownership of a diploma.
>      BTW, modern astronomy isn't about the myths and legends of the
> constellations. These are not science, nor are they pleasant stories in
> their original versions.  Astronomy isn't about finding and naming the stars
> and planets in the sky.  This is fun, but it's like teaching bird-watching
> in biology...there's little science in it.  I don't spend a lot of time on
> celestial navigation, because it's only of slight historical interest to
> most of my students, and because the time is better spent on other topics.
>      Astronomy these days is about understanding the true scope of the
> Universe.  Thanks mostly to the HST and other spacecraft observatories, new
> discoveries in astronomy/astrophysics/cosmology are occurring so fast that
> it's literally impossible for the textbook publishers to keep up.  Textbooks
> usually start "local" with the Earth, planets, and Solar System, then move
> out to stars, galaxies, and the Universe as a whole.  Instead of naming
> constellations, my students learn "what's out there."  Most importantly,
> they learn that their place in the Universe is very small...a startling
> realization for most 18 to 22-year-olds.
>
> VickieIt is prohibited for anyone to disclose, copy, distribute the contents
> of this message.   Benedictine University does not review, edit or censor
> E-Mail communications sent out through their System.  The University
> maintains and enforces polices regarding the acceptable use of its
> technology resources.  All messages express views solely of the sender,
> which are not to be attributed to Benedictine University, and may not be
> copied or distributed without this disclaimer.