The Establishment of a Robotic Telescope Facility for Undergraduate Astronomy Laboratory Instruction

一个远程操作的机器人天文台通过实施一个积极收集数字（CCD）图像形式的学生天文台，在本科天文学教育中创建了一个示范性的实验室科学课程。我们打算模仿成功的爱荷华州自动望远镜设施（部分由NSF-ILI计划资助，http://denali.physics.uiowa.edu/）。爱荷华大学实验室手册“宇宙成像”（Mutel and Palen 1997）中描述的实验室练习被改编为我们的课程。这些练习与当地发展的实验室相结合和实施，是天文学实验室经验的一个组成部分。该天文台位于校园以北约35英里处，距离达拉斯-沃斯堡大都会区最近的黑暗天空地点。连接到互联网的远程操作望远镜对天文学教育非常有价值，因为它们允许学生通过个人电脑进行个性化实验和检索数据。在一个附加的气象站的帮助下，整个晚上监测观测条件，一个完全自主的望远镜提供了实验室计划的灵活性，允许排队观测，最大限度地利用好天气，而不需要现场操作员。机器人望远镜的技术已经迅速成熟，目前在从K-12到研究生院的学生项目中使用。拟建的天文台是用于天文学实验室，伴随着入门课程，主要由非理科生组成。我们的目标是通过在实验室中实施实验形式，为学生提供对科学研究过程的深刻理解。利用来自机器人望远镜的数字图像，学生们以类似于天文学研究的方式进行实验。学生们的动力来自于对自己数据的所有权意识。第二个重点是通过使用天文台的定向项目，为物理学生提供更高水平的研究机会。我们正在改编来自爱荷华大学设施的仪器、软件、教学实践和程序，以及适用的练习（Downey和Mutel 1996， ASP会议系列，第101卷，第380页）。这些练习是实验课程的核心。我们的最终产品是一个自动化的学生天文台和一套出版的入门天文学实验室适合任何程序访问

A remotely-operated robotic observatory creates an exemplary laboratory science curriculum in undergraduate astronomy education by implementing a student observatory that actively collects data in the form of digital (CCD) images. We intend to model this observatory after the successful Iowa Automated Telescope Facility (funded in part through the NSF-ILI Program, http://denali.physics.uiowa.edu/). Laboratory exercises described in the University of Iowa Laboratory Manual, "Imaging the Universe" (Mutel and Palen 1997) are adapted for the our program. These exercises, combined and implemented with locally developed laboratories, are an integral component to the astronomy laboratory experience. The observatory is located approximately thirty-five miles north of the our campus, at the nearest dark-sky site to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Remotely-operated telescopes linked to the Internet are highly valuable for astronomy education since they permit students to conduct individualized experiments and retrieve data via a personal computer. With the assistance of an attached weather station to monitor observing conditions throughout the night, a fully autonomous telescope provides flexibility to the laboratory program by allowing queue-scheduled observing making the most use of good weather without the need for an on-site operator. The technology for robotic telescopes has matured rapidly and is at present in use in programs involving students from K-12 through graduate school. The proposed observatory is used for astronomy laboratories that accompany introductory courses, populated largely by non-science students. Our goal is to provide students with a solid understanding of the scientific research process by implementing an experimental format into the laboratory. Using digital images from the robotic telescope, students conduct experiments in a manner similar to those employed in astronomical research. Students are motivated by having a sense of ownership of their data. A secondary focus is to enhance upper-level research opportunities for physics students through directed projects using the observatory. We are adapting instrumentation, software, instructional practices and procedures, and applicable exercises from the University of Iowa facility (Downey and Mutel 1996, ASP Conference Series, Vol. 101, pg. 380). These exercises are the centerpiece of the laboratory curriculum. Our final product is an automated student observatory and a set of published introductory astronomy laboratories suitable for any program with acce