Courses

I have taught:
  • ASTRO 010: The Astronomical Universe (Spring 2011, 2013), an introductory survey course in astronomy for non-majors.
  • ASTRO 020S: First-year undergraduate seminar (Fall 2011-5) for those interested in the astronomy majors at Penn State.
  • ASTRO 530: Stellar Atmospheres (Spring 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2020), a graduate course.  The focus is the radiative processes of optically thick media, with the Solar atmosphere as the example.  There is also significant emphasis on programming, numerical methods, and document preparation.
  • ASTRO 534: Stellar Structure and Evolution (Spring 2015). The focus is on solving the equations of stellar structure with the Sun as an example, and understanding the advantages of codes such as MESA.  There is also significant emphasis on programming, numerical methods, and document preparation.
  • ASTRO 585: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Spring 2018).  This is the first instance of a graduate course in SETI at Penn State, and is part of the dual-title astrobiology dual-title program. Syllabus and website here.
  • ASTRO 589: Seminar in Current Astronomical Research (The Science of Exoplanets) (Fall 2009)
  • SC 200: Science in Our World: Certainty and Controversy (Fall 2017-9)