AST 248: Search for Life in the Universe

Syllabus

Spring 2008

Lecture: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:50-5:10 PM Room: ESS 001
Instructor: Prof. Fred Walter (ESS 459; 632-8232; fwalter at mail.astro.sunysb.edu)
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 2:00-3:30, Monday 9-10, 2-3, or by appointment

TA: Dharmesh Jain (Dharmesh.Jain at stonybrook.edu)
Office Hours: Mondays and Fridays 12:00 - 1:30 PM


Lecture Schedule

Week   Date Topics Reading
1 Jan 29
Jan 31
  Introduction
Estimation: The Drake Equation
BS1-2, P 1-2
2 Feb 5
Feb 7
N* The Sun
Why the Sun Shines
BS 3, 10
3 Feb 12
Feb 14
N* The Stars: Other Suns
Starbirth
BS 11.1, 11.4
4 Feb 19
Feb 21
Ns Stellar Evolution
The Galaxy
BS 3, 10
5 Feb 26
Feb 28
fp
nh
Planets
Overview of the Solar System
BS 7
6 Mar 4
Mar 6
nh Extra-Solar Planets BS 11.2
7 Mar 11   UFOs as evidence for alien visitation P 9
7 Mar 13   Test 1 (weeks 1-6) BS 1-3, 7, 10, 11.1-11.2, 11.4; P 1-2, 9
8 Mar 25
Mar 27
fl What is Life?
The Nature of Biological Evolution
BS 5
9 Apr 1
Apr 3
fl The History of Life on Earth BS 4,6; P3,5
10 Apr 8
Apr 10
fl Mars
Europa
BS 8,9; P4
11 Apr 15 fl Titan BS 9.3
11 Apr 17   Test 2 (weeks 7-11) BS 4-6,8-10; P3-6
12 Apr 22
Apr 24
fl
fi
fc
Extra-Solar Planets
Evolution and Intelligence
BS 11, 12
13 Apr 29
May 1
fc
L/T
SETI
Lifetimes of Civilizations
P7, BS 12
14 May 6
May 8
  Where Are They?
Space Travel
B13, P10


*** note: this plan is subject to change ***

Readings

Readings from the textbooks should be done BEFORE the lecture. That way the lecture can be used to clarify, and not just introduce, concepts.

BS refers to chapters in Bennett & Shostak's Life in the Universe.
P refers to chapters in Pickover's The Science of Aliens.


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