Projects and Project Teams
A major aspect of this course will be the use of what you are learning to design
and construct a working instrument. The instrument project will consist of
designing and building an optical spectrograph. This instrument will have a
solid-state optical detector and operate under computer control. It should be
able to take wavelength-calibrated spectra of bright emission-line sources (lamps).
You will carry out the project as a member of a project team. Each team will be
responsible for planning, designing, and building its own instrument. The members
of your team will all come from different segment groups so that your team quickly
collects all of the skills needed to carry out the project.
Assignments and Deadlines
Each segment will have a reading assignment, a set of paper exercises, a piece of
software to master, a practical exercise, and an evaluation/debrief. Because other groups
will need access to the hardware, your group must complete each section within the allotted time.
The evaluations should be done individually and handed in to the instructors. You should work out the
paper exercises or problem sets on your own. You may then consult with your group about the answers.
Once you are sure you know the answer, you must hand in your own writeup. Problem sets will be due
at the end of each segment (note that, for the computer interfacing segment, you will need to demo your
knowledge rather than do a problem set). Each project team will have a preliminary review of their design
and a final review of the project. At the two reviews, each member of the team will be expected to be
able to stand up and make any part of the presentation. At the preliminary review, approximately six
weeks before the end of classes, each team member will have to turn in a written description of the
instrument, how it will work, and how it will be built. This document should be about two pages long,
plus figures.
Class Meetings
In order to transfer information between the groups and teams and between these entities
and the instructors, to settle scheduling conflicts, and to provide an opportunity for making adjustments in
the material, we will have at least a brief class meeting each MWF at 1:00. Once in a while, I will present a
class lecture/activity on an instrumentation topic. The other time will be used for meetings of groups and
teams, together with the Prof. or TA. Attendance at the meetings is a course requirement. Do not be late
for class. We will notice.
Getting Help
(a) Your Segment or project group: You are all working together, so split up the learning task in a way that
makes sense to you and then teach each other what you know.
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