Astrobiology—At the Brink of Finding Earth-Like Planets
Instructor: Qingzhu Yin, Department of Geology, College of Letters and Science
Description: A major step forward finding an Earth-like planet may be as early as next week…Astronomers are actively hunting in the vast Universe… some group is ready to announce their latest discovery of planets placed in a position of habitable zone relative to the central star it is orbiting, where the temperature is just right that the water will be in liquid form, and the mass is approaching that of the Earth… The course is designed to kindle the interests and curiosity of freshman, and expose them to the new interdisciplinary field of astrobiology that incorporates many diverse research endeavors.
Format: The science will be discussed in terms of advancing basic knowledge, societal relevance, and philosophical implications. Information will be presented through informal lectures, readings latest findings from scientific journals, in-class discussions, and extensive use of internet resources. The participating students will obtain an outline of general knowledge, a primer to astrobiology. Student is required to present a short term paper. Grading: Students will present their term papers in written form and in class. The course grade will be based on the quality of their written (1/3) and oral (1/3) presentations of their research projects and on the frequency and quality of their participation in class discussion (1/3).
About the Instructor: Prof. Yin is a member of the faculty in the Department of Geology. His research interests include the using extinct radioactivity and general isotopic anomalies in the early solar system recorded in primitive meteorites as a tool to study the time scales and site of nucleosynthesis, the time of formation of the solar system and planetary differentiation; Isotope and trace element geochemistry with applications to crust-mantle evolution; Heavy metal stable isotope fractionation in low temperature environments on planetary surfaces using newly emerging high precision mass spectrometry techniques. The development of associated experimental techniques involving high precision mass spectrometry and ultra-clean sample processing in chemical laboratories.