Astronomy (11) This project is introducing modern data acquisition and image processing techniques as an integral part of the astronomy courses. The new laboratory facility consists of: two computer controlled optical telescopes of modest aperture (16 and 10 inches), charged coupled device cameras, an inexpensive fiber fed spectrograph, a heliostat (for solar observations) with an associated high resolution spectrograph, a small (3 m) radio telescope and computers for telescope control, data acquisition and analysis. This facility is dramatically enhancing the laboratory experience for over 300 undergraduate students who are participating in the astronomy laboratory courses each year. Students are able to obtain digital images and spectra of the Sun, planets, stars, nebulae and bright galaxies. This collaborative learning experience will concretize many of the abstract concepts covered in lectures and provide students with an understanding of real data. Students in elementary courses can collect and analyze scientifically useful data. This is providing a unique experience for introductory students who are non-science majors. Experiments are being adapted from a wide range of sources, including published and web-based material.
