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Dr. Aileen A. O'Donoghue
is an Associate Professor of Physics at St. Lawrence University in
Canton, New York. In 2001-02 she is on sabbatical leave from St. Lawrence
and is a visiting scholar with the Vatican Observatory Research Group
(VORG) at Steward Observatory of the University of Arizona in Tucson,
Arizona. At the VORG she is contributing to the NStars project examining
the spectra of all stars within 150 light years of the sun. Under
the auspices of NASA's Space Interferometry Mission, the goal of the
project is to characterize the nearby stars seeking those most similar
to the sun to be the initial focus of the Terrestrial Planet Finder
mission of NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Aileen's
personal goal at the VORG is twofold: first, to gain experience and
expertise in optical astronomy in order to engage her students in
astronomical research that is more accessible to undergraduates than
radio astronomy, second, to deepen her exploration of the science
and religion interface by through reading, writing, and discussions
with the Jesuit astronomers on the observatory staff.
Born in Denver, Colorado, Dr. O'Donoghue graduated from Fort Lewis
College in Durango, Colorado. She then went on to the New Mexico Institute
of Mining and Technology where she earned her M.S. with a study of
comets at the Joint Observatory for Cometary Research and her Ph.
D. with a study of galaxies at the Very Large Array Radio Telescope.
She joined the faculty of St. Lawrence University as she was finishing
her Ph. D. and was granted tenure there in 1993. In 1995 she was a
visiting professor and scientist at Cornell University where she became
involved with optical observations of galaxies, funded by the Judge
Francis Bergan Career Development Award in Astrophysics, awarded by
the Dudley Observatory in Schenectady, New York. She returned to the
VLA for four months in 1996 to continue her galaxy studies in radio
astronomy.
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The world we know,
with its cultures, climates, plants, animals, mountains, rivers,
planets, and stars, is a "snapshot" in the midst of
changes on every scale. This course will focus on the origin and
evolution of stars. We will use telescopic observations as well
as data from books and the internet to explore the variety of
stars at various stages in their evolution and the nebulae marking
the places of their births and deaths. With an understanding of
the origin of the sun and solar system, we will then explore the
evolution of Earth throughout geologic history. Over the Halloween
weekend, we'll also consider the cultural evolution of views of
the sky that led to many of our current holidays being placed
near astronomically significant dates. At last turning to today,
we will look at current changes in Earth's ecosystems and climate
in the context of the evolving universe to examine the human causes,
probable consequences, and possible responses.
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The Class Reading List: (These books and articles supplied
by OSLEP)
* The Little
Book of Stars, James B.Kaler
*The Oceans, Ellen J. Prager with Sylvia A. Earle
*365 Starry Nights, Chet Raymo
*A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets, Jay M. Pasachoff
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