Department of Computer Science
The University of Texas at Austin
Computational Astrophysics - HSRA (Summer 2024)
MTWThF 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, WEL 3.310
Instructor: Dr. Shyamal Mitra
E-mail: mitra@cs.utexas.edu
Peer Mentor: Juhi Malwade
E-mail: juhi.malwade@gmail.com
Peer Mentor: Hanyu Wei
E-mail: hywei787@gmail.com
Peer Mentor: Anthony Yang
E-mail: anthonyang2027@utexas.edu
Scope of the Course
This is an intense 5.5 weeks research course. In the first three weeks
we will cover the foundational knowledge that you will need in astronomy,
programming, and data science. You will then formulate a research
problem, do a review of the work that has already been done, design a
research plan, and then execute that plan. The end goal will be a paper
that you will present in class and a poster that will be displayed in a
college wide poster session.
Research Goal
In our 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 Hobby Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment
(HETDEX), the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), and the NASA Extragalactic
Database (NED).
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 that 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.
Lectures
Our lectures will be in-person. Attendance to the lectures is mandatory.
We expect you to be punctual. If you are not there for a lecture, you or
your parent must send me a letter explaining why.
Research Journal
You will be maintaining a research journal where you record the work
that you did that week. You will note what you accomplished that week,
the problems that you encountered, the work that you plan to do the
following week, and any other issues that you would like to discuss.
All journal entries will be due on Sundays on Canvas.
Quizzes
There will be a quiz every lecture day. The quizzes will be short and
will be based on your readings and the lecture material of the previous
day.
Tests
There will be two tests - midterm and final. The tests will be in class.
The tests will have short answer questions in astronomy and programming.
The final will be comprehensive.
Online Courses
Our research stream straddles many disciplines. We do not have a single
textbook for our stream. We will use online courses in Coursera to fill
the gaps in our knowledge. You will be given the units to complete and
deadlines. There will be a late penalty for missed deadlines.
Assignments
There will be programming assignments in Python and in data science
using Jupyter notebooks. You will also have assignments in astronomy
using the sources of data as mentioned above as well as other sources
of online data. These assignments will have deadlines with late penalty
for missed deadlines.
Papers
For your research you will write three papers. You will first choose a
research question. The first paper that you will write will be a history
of the field that you are interested in doing research. The second paper
will be on the data that you collected and the preliminary analysis that
you performed on the data. The third paper will summarize your research
findings. This is also the paper that you will be presenting in class and
on a poster.
Grades
Your performance in this course will be evaluated using your scores for
the journal entries that you record, the quizzes and tests that you take,
the online courses that you complete, the assignments that you work on,
and the papers that write. The weights of each of these components are
listed below. There are no extra credit projects or assignments to
improve your grade. We do not drop any of the scores to compute the
weighted average.
- Journal Entry: 10%
- Quizzes: 10%
- Tests: 20%
- Online Courses: 20%
- Assignments: 20%
- Papers: 20%
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:
- A: 90 - 100
- B: 80 - 89
- C: 70 - 79
- D: 60 - 69
- F: 0 - 59
Study Groups
Do find a compatible group to work with in class. You will be working
groups of at most three people. This does not preclude you from working
with others in the class.
All our class discussion will be on Ed Discussion on Canvas. We
expect your posts to be professional and courteous to every member in the
class.
Your Responsibilities in This Class
- Your performance in this course will be determined by you! It will
require a strong dedication to learning the material and will require
a substantial time commitment to complete all the readings and
assignments.
- You are expected to show up on time for all class meetings and
stay for the whole class period.
- You are required to have your cell phones off at all times during
the class. You may not make or receive calls on your cell phone or
send or receive text messages during class.
- You are responsible for all material posted to the web site and
sent as email. Ignorance of such material is no excuse.
- You are responsible for all material presented in the class, and
your reading of online resources.
- We expect scrupulous honesty in all the work that you do.
- Your conduct in class should be conducive towards a positive learning
environment for your class mates as well as your self.
General Policies
If you are absent from class for a doctor's appointment, major family
event, or the observance of a religious holy day you may turn in your
assignment or paper on an alternate date provided you or your parent have
given me written notice prior to the class absence.