Astrophotography, a portal for engaging non-STEM majors in science.

Mario A De Leo–Winkler,Gabriela Canalizo,Gillian Wilson

doi:10.1186/s40594-016-0053-0

Mario A De Leo–Winkler, Gabriela Canalizo + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-016-0053-0

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Abstract

BackgroundWe report the results of an undergraduate course in astrophotography designed to engage non-STEM majors in the natural sciences to train future amateur astronomers and citizen scientists. Over 200,000 students enroll in introductory astronomy elective classes every year in the US alone, which will possibly be their only encounter with a natural science. The course relies on constructivist educational methods to teach data reduction and image processing methods while addressing mathematical anxiety. The goal of the course is to offer a positive experience in the natural sciences which has been linked to the education of potential citizen scientists and amateur astronomers, groups which historically have analyzed a great amount of data and have provided numerous discoveries.ResultsStudents enrolled in the course reported a higher understanding of data reduction, image processing, telescope and camera use. Most students were eager to take up astrophotography as a hobby, opening the path to become future citizen scientists and amateur astronomers. We found that the methods required to practice astrophotography create a natural constructivist teaching environment.ConclusionsThe course can be reproduced elsewhere to teach non-science major students techniques in data reduction and image processing as positive experiences to introduce them to STEM fields in the future.

Highlights

We report the results of an undergraduate course in astrophotography designed to engage non-STEM majors in the natural sciences to train future amateur astronomers and citizen scientists
Statistics We consider that the theoretical goals of the course were achieved, with a majority of the students reporting a higher understanding of how telescopes, cameras, and image processing work
The nature of astrophotography requires the employment of emerging technologies such as digital cameras, computerized telescopes, and data processing software; data reduction in astronomy permits students to follow multiple paths to obtain a good result; the subjective nature of image processing allows instructors to place additional emphasis on the process, not the method; the need of practical sessions to acquire photographs enhances the use of the material seen in the classroom

Summary

Introduction

We report the results of an undergraduate course in astrophotography designed to engage non-STEM majors in the natural sciences to train future amateur astronomers and citizen scientists. Over 200,000 students enroll in introductory astronomy elective classes every year in the US alone, which will possibly be their only encounter with a natural science. The course relies on constructivist educational methods to teach data reduction and image processing methods while addressing mathematical anxiety. The goal of the course is to offer a positive experience in the natural sciences which has been linked to the education of potential citizen scientists and amateur astronomers, groups which historically have analyzed a great amount of data and have provided numerous discoveries

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Results

Conclusion