Department of Computer Sciences
The University of Texas at Austin

CS 378 - Geometry of Space - FRI (Fall 2024)
Section: 50680, TTH 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM, PHR 2.116

Instructor: Dr. Shyamal Mitra
Office Hours: By Appointment
Location: TBD
E-mail: mitra@cs.utexas.edu
Do not send mail on Canvas.

Scope of the Course

This is a two-semester research sequence. In the first semester (spring 2024), we covered the foundational knowledge you will need in astronomy, programming, and data science. You have been given reading assignments in machine learning and writing over the summer. In the second semester (fall 2024), you will formulate the research problem, review the literature of the field you are interested in, and then design and execute a research plan. The end goal will be a paper you will present in class and publish in a journal.

Research Goal

In this research stream, we will begin to understand the large-scale structure of the universe through a study of the distribution of galaxies and clusters of galaxies using algorithms developed in computational geometry and applying techniques in data analytics. The galaxy data will be obtained from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), NASA Extragalactic Database (NED), Gaia, and SIMBAD.

We will use computational geometry to obtain the size and center of clusters of galaxies and data analytics to determine member galaxies and outliers. We will compute the velocity dispersion of the clusters and their mass-to-light ratio. Specifically, one of the questions we will try to answer is - are there interconnections between clusters, and are the clusters themselves clustered to form superclusters? We will provide 3-dimensional maps of the distribution of galaxies.

Research Methodology

You will work in teams of two or three students for your project. Over the summer, you have done exploratory work on different research problems. By summer's end, your team should have already selected a research project. We have divided the fall semester into four time intervals.

During the first interval for the research question that you have selected, you will survey the field. You will write a review paper summarizing that field's history and current status.

During the second time interval, you will gather data from various sources, do a preliminary assessment (statistics of the data), and visualization of the data. At the end of this period, you will write a summary of your findings.

You will complete most of the computations and write a preliminary report of your results by the end of the third time interval.

During the last week of this course, you will present your computations to the class and solicit feedback from your classmates. Think of the presentation as a mini-defence of your thesis.

You will incorporate the changes suggested during the presentation and submit the final paper in a research journal.

There will not be any formal lectures this semester. The class time will be used for discussion and consultation.

Meetings

There will be two modalities for this course. We will meet in person or online. We will give you at least one week's notice when we go from virtual to in-person or vice versa.

When we meet online, the lectures and office hours will be on Zoom on Canvas. We will meet in the classroom listed above when we meet in person.

For online meetings, be sure that you have the latest version of Zoom and Duo. Log in to Zoom using your ut_eid@eid.utexas.edu. Since these are not lectures, our meetings will not be recorded. We will not record our office hours.

Grades

Your grade for this course will be based on the following components:
  1. Journal Entry (10%): You will keep a journal to chronicle what you did during the week. The journal entries are due every Sunday evening.
  2. Paper I (20%): Project proposal and literature survey. Due on Fri, 13 Sep 2024.
  3. Paper II (20%): Description and assessment of the data collected. Due on Fri, 11 Oct 2024.
  4. Paper III (20%): Preliminary computations and results. Due on Fri, 15 Nov 2024.
  5. Presentation (10%): 20-minute discussion of computations and results with the class during the period 19 Nov and 21 Nov 2024.
  6. Paper IV (20%): Revised final paper due 09 Dec 2024.

All scores will be entered on Canvas. Check your scores regularly on Canvas to make sure that we have entered them correctly. Remember the average score as shown on Canvas is not correct. It does not weight the average with weights as shown above. Your final grade will be assigned after we obtain the weighted average according to the weights as given above. Your grade will be based on the traditional scheme:

We assign grades using the +/- system. However, those finer cutoffs will be determined at the very end after the class's weighted average and standard deviation are computed.

Study Groups

We want to promote a collaborative learning environment in this class, not a competitive one. We want to share our knowledge and help each other learn. We will build a community of active learners working on similar research projects. The atmosphere that we want to establish is one of mutual respect.

We will use Ed Discussion on Canvas to discuss class-related questions. We expect your posts to be professional and courteous to every class member.

Your Responsibilities in This Class

University Time Table

General Policies

If you are absent from class for the observance of a religious holy day you may turn in your assignment or paper on an alternate date provided you gave me written notice fourteen days before the class's absence. For religious holy days that fall within the first two weeks of class notice must be given on the first class day.

Students with disabilities who need special accommodations should contact the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office (471-6259 or 471-4641 TTY).