| Cycle |
Topic |
Work |
Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Library Excursion I Introduction to FYS Philsophical Underpinnings of Science Scientific Reasoning I: Fermi Estimates |
Library Exercise Fermi Estimates Discussion on Philosophy of Science Diagnostic Essay |
Angier paper on Fermi Estimates Par: Introduction Philo: Chapter 1 |
| 2 |
The nature of intelligence Artificial Intelligence |
Assign paper on philosophy of science Exercise on "what is science" Discuss Artificial Intelligence First Draft of paper due |
Par: Chapter 5 Handout Nobel Chapter 1,3 Robot Introduction & "Liar" |
| 3 |
Some historical and Fictional Women in Science |
Individual meetings about draft 2 of paper 1 Discussion about Meitner and Noether Discussion about Susan Calvin and Madame Curie Final version of paper due Paper about a chosen scientist and Susan Calvin assigned |
Nobel Chapter 4, 2 Robot "Little Lost Robot" and "Escape" |
| 4 |
Some more recent Women in Science |
Small group discussion of draft of second paper Discussion contrasting modern women scientists and Meitner, Noether, and Madame Curie |
Nobel Chapter 11,15 Robot "Evidence" |
| 5 |
The Drake Equation |
Exercise on the existence of Extraterrestrials Discussion contrasting modern women scientists and Meitner, Noether, and Madame Curie/Discussion on "The Evitable Conflict" Discussion of Drake Equation |
Robot "The Evitable Conflict" Paradigm's Chapter 6 |
| 6 |
The search for other extra-solar planets Planet-finding spacecraft The search for extraterrestrial intelligence |
Discussion of search for extra-solar planets Recent planet finding missions Kepler and CoRoT discuss SETI |
American: Looking for Planets by Dennis Overby Nova Science Now: Hunt for Alien Earths NASA Planetquest: Overview, Science - Finding Planets, and Science - Finding Life. Video Podcast about Kepler Mission links to several formats in bottom half of page. For Alien Life-Seekers, New Reason to Hope First Results from Kepler Spacecraft: Press release and journal article The CoRoT Mission CoRoT's discovery of the smallest extra-solar planet yet discovered - Press Release and journal article. In the journal article, you are only responsible for the abstract, introduction, and discussion sections, though you may want to skim the rest of it and see what you can get from some of the graphs. American: "Seeking Life as We Know It" by K.C. Cole Nova Science Now: The Search for ET Scientists Reach Out to Distant Worlds by Natalie Angier Searching for Good Science: The Cancellation of NASA's SETI Program The New and Improved SETI |
| 7
|
|
Discuss Contact Speeches on topics related to finding extraterrestrial life |
watch Contact |
| 8 |
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| 9 |
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| 10 |
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| 11 |
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| 12 |