ASTRO 376 (UNIQUE 49555)/FALL 2009
           	 A PRACTICAL INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
                	  COURSE OUTLINE 

I will try to adhere to the course calendar below as closely as possible, 
but there may be small changes. The most current version of the calendar 
can be found at 
    http://www.as.utexas.edu/~sj/a376-fa09/
In-class activities and quizzes can take place at any time in the semester 
and are not always listed on the course calendar. 


===  Tu Sep 1 + Th Sep 3
Introduction   
Liunx Tutorial

===  Tu Sep 8 + Th Sep 10
Liunx Tutorial
Emacs Tutorial: Basic file editing with the Emacs editor

===  Tu Sep 15 + Th Sep 17
- In-class assignment with Linux and Emacs
- Background: Introduction to Galaxies  and IRAF 

 ===  Tu Sep 22 + Th Sep 24

- IRAF Tutorial 1  & Demo 
-- Setting up the IRAF login file
-- Starting and Ending an IRAF session
-- Getting Help and Loading Packages in IRAF
-- Setting the Parameters of a Task and Running a Task
-- Displaying  an Image
-- Examining an Image
 - Examples  of Using Imexamine
  (A) Using imexamine to Measure the PSF
  (B) Using imexamine to Display True Pixel Values
  (C) Using imexamine to Make a Vector Plot
-- Image Statistics
-- Arithmetic Operations on  Images
-- Further Image Manipulation
   photometry 

===  Tu Sep 29 + Th Oct 1

- Introduction to CCD reduction
- "IRAF Exercise 2: Basic CCD Reduction  & Relative Photometry"
 You will work with images taken on 82-inch at McDonald Observatory.
 You will carry out basic CCD data reduction and apply bias, dark, 
 and flat field corrections, in order to remove instrumental effects.
 Then you will perform relative differential photometry to produce
 a light curve of a variable white dwarf star.
  

===  Tu Oct 6  + Th Oct 8
- Introduction to Photometry 
- "IRAF Exercise 3:   Dissecting Galaxies Along the Hubble Sequence"


===  Tu Oct 13 + Th Oct 15
Getting started with IDL

===  Tu Oct 20 + Th Oct 22    
IDL based exercise: Reading multi-dimensional catalogs; Array 
manipulations Basic statistic; Producing scatter plots & histograms)

=== Tu Oct 27  to Tu Nov 24
- IRAF and IDL-based exercises
- The Galaxies and Cosmos Explorer Tool
 (GCET; http://www.as.utexas.edu/gcet/)
- Exploration of extreme systems at early epochs using IDL & GCET

===  Th Nov 26 = Thanksgiving

===  Tu Dec 1 
- Writing Papers with Latex and AAStex
- Research Overview at UT and Beyond
- Applying for Research Projects, REUs, & Graduate School (eventually)

=== Th Dec 3
Final lecture and  Epilogue