Astronomy for Science Literacy: A Program for Non-Science Majors

这个项目解决了非科学家的科学素养问题。它将修改涉及天文学入门课程的课程和实验室经验，这门课程通常被非理科专业的学生视为满足普通教育科学要求的一种方式。它涉及使用计算机模拟和使用商业软件进行图像处理的教育活动的发展。这些活动包括对涉及旅行者号夜空模拟的肉眼现象的实验室，涉及模拟地球的行星建模，以及涉及美国宇航局航天器行星图像和当地获得的电荷耦合器件图像的图像处理。室内望远镜是对天文研究望远镜的广泛模拟，在过去的八年里一直在开发和使用，它将进行改进，以适应更现代的计算机。最后，将开发一个课程，让高度积极的非科学专业的学生使用校园设施和位于山上的自动光电望远镜获得的数据进行简单的天文研究。亚利桑那州南部的霍普金斯大学。这些创新将使非理科学生有更多机会体验科学，并有可能提高这些未来社会领导人的科学素养。

This project addresses the problem of science literacy of the non-scientist. It will modify the curriculum and laboratory experiences involving the introductory astronomy course which is generally taken by nonscience majors as a way of satisfying a general education science requirement. It involves development of educational activities using computer simulations and image processing with commercial software. These activities include laboratories on naked eye phenomena involving the Voyager night sky simulation, planetary modeling involving the SimEarth simulation, and image processing involving NASA spacecraft planetary images and CCD images obtained locally. The Indoor Telescope, which is an extensive simulation of an astronomical research telescope that has been developed and used for the last eight years will be modified for more modern computers. Finally, a curriculum will be developed which will involve highly motivated nonscience majors in simple astronomical research using data obtained both with on-campus facilities and an Automatic Photoelectric Telescope located on Mt. Hopkins in southern Arizona. These innovations which will give nonscience students a greater opportunity to experience science as it is done have the potential of increasing the science literacy of these future leaders of society.