Please read this whole assignment before beginning.
The purpose of this assignment is threefold:
- Learn about the diversity of jobs related to astronomy
- Learn about the diversity of people studying astronomical subjects (Student Learning Outcome 3.2)
- Practice choosing reliable reference sources (Student Learning Outcome 7.1)
Instructions
Write a report about an astronomer, astronaut, or rocket engineer. Many of these folks may go by different titles, such as astrophysicist. That’s okay, you can tell by what they study. Your report should be on someone studying or working on something space-related.
- The scientist or engineer you choose must be a minority in their field.
- I encourage you to choose someone who is currently working or recently retired rather than a person from history.
- You may NOT choose Neil DeGrasse Tyson or Stephen Hawking.
- When you have chosen your astronomer, please post to the discussion so that no one else chooses the same astronomer.
- You must check one of your sources by submitting the Evaluate Websites form.
- You will be peer reviewing two classmate’s papers. This peer review will be due two days after the assignment is due.
Details
- This should be 1-2 pages long, and not a huge amount longer. Please focus on these topics:
- What do they research? How is their work relevant to the topics in this class?
- Where did they go to school, how long did they study? Anything else interesting about their pathway?
- Use at least two references other than the text.
- You may e-mail the astronomer directly. If you do so, please include their entire reply e-mail as an attachment to your submission, since a citation won’t help me check. Be warned, they might be busy and not reply to you in time.
Notes and Hints
Please read the attached rubric so you know how the paper will be graded.
You will also be reviewing two classmates’ papers, grading them according to the rubric, and giving suggestions as to what to change and what you found most interesting.
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Rubric
Short Essay Rubric (1)Short Essay Rubric (1)CriteriaRatingsPtsThis criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeFactual accuracyThis is simply about whether the facts in your paper are correct.10.0 ptsAll content and facts correct8.0 ptsFewer than 5 minor factual errors5.0 ptsFewer than 3 major factual errors2.0 ptsMany factual errors0.0 ptsIncorrect10.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeTopic coverageDo you cover the topic adequately in a paper of the specified length?10.0 ptsThorough coverage of topic8.0 ptsCovered, but information missing5.0 ptsCoverage lacking2.0 ptsMissing most information0.0 ptsNot covered10.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeChoice of reference material”Science magazine” articles of reasonable length. Books other than our text or introductory astronomy texts. Good references from the internet. (Be warned, I’m very picky about what constitutes a “good” internet reference. Wikipedia does NOT count, though it can be a starting place to give you ideas of search terms or by using the “References” section at the bottom of a Wikipedia page.)10.0 ptsAppropriate, trustworthy, thorough8.0 ptsAppropriate, trustworthy6.0 ptsAppropriate4.0 ptsQuestionable source2.0 ptsProblematic/non-specific source0.0 ptsNot an acceptable source10.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCitationsCitations are like a bibliography. You can learn how to do citations or write a bibliography here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ or here: http://www.southseattle.edu/tutoring/writing-center.aspx5.0 ptsCited appropriately4.0 ptsCitation is missing the full web addresses of sites2.0 ptsCitation is web address only, nothing else1.0 ptsCitation incorrect0.0 ptsNot cited5.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWritingI don’t put much weight on your English writing skill because this is not a writing class. That said, I need to be able to understand what you’ve written, and I will deduct a few points for errors. Length must also be appropriate to the assignment.5.0 ptsNo errors, easy to read. Length appropriate.3.0 ptsReadable. Length appropriate.0.0 ptsUnreadable. Length inappropriate.5.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSubject (astronomer) is a minority5.0 ptsFull Marks0.0 ptsNo Marks5.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAt least one source validated through the Evaluate Sources form5.0 ptsFull Marks0.0 ptsNo Marks5.0 pts
Total Points: 50.0PreviousNext