ASTRONOMY

Professors: William Herbst (Chair), Arthur R. Upgren

Assistant Professor: John J. Salzer

Adjunct Professor: Jurgen Stock

Research Associate: Edward Weis

Introductory and General Education Courses. The Astronomy Department offers a number of general education courses (AST 105, 107, 109, 111, and 135) intended for non-science majors who want a broad introduction to various aspects of astronomy. These courses do not require calculus and are designed to meet the needs of students who will take only a few science courses during their time at Wesleyan. The standard introductory course for potential majors and other science-oriented students is AST 155. It assumes a good high school preparation in physics and some knowledge of calculus. Potential majors with a good knowledge of astronomy may place out of this course by demonstrating proficiency in the material; anyone wishing to do so should speak with the instructor.

Major program. The Astronomy major is constructed to accommodate both students who are preparing for graduate school and those who are not. The basic requirement for the major is successful completion of the following courses: Physics 113 (or 115), 116, 213, 214, and 215; Mathematics 121, 122, 221, and 222; and AST 155, 211, 221, 222, 231, and 232. Physics 224 is strongly recommended but not required. Additional upper-level physics courses are also recommended but not required. Ability to program a computer in at least one of the widely used languages in the sciences, such as C, Pascal, or Fortran is required for AST 231, and all astronomy majors are, therefore, expected to acquire this faculty. Opportunities for learning how to do this without taking a full course in computer science are provided by the department.

Potential majors with graduate school aspirations should complete or place out of the basic physics and mathematics courses listed above preferably by the end of their sophomore year and should also take AST 155 and AST 211 during their first two years. Some students may also wish to take Physics 224 and/or AST 222 as sophomores. Since physics GRE scores are an important admission criterion at most astronomy graduate schools, those planning to go on for a Ph.D. are best advised to double major in physics. This can be accomplished by taking the following additional set of courses, normally in the junior and senior years: Physics 224, 315, 316, and 325. Others, such as Physics 313 and various laboratory courses, are optional. Additional mathematics courses, such as Math 229, may also be chosen. Students considering graduate school are strongly urged to do a senior thesis project (AST 429, 430); honors in astronomy requires completion of a senior thesis.

All astronomy majors and potential majors are encouraged to enroll each year in the 0.25 credit course AST 431 which meets in the spring semester. This is a research discussion course that provides a broad exposure and introduction to topics of current astronomical interest. Majors are also encouraged to serve as Teaching Apprentices in a general education course at least once during their junior or senior years and to participate in the observing programs with the 20-inch or 24-inch telescopes of Van Vleck Observatory.