ASTR105 Lab

Hi, I'm Malynda Chizek, your ASTR 105 T.A. I'm really not as scary or intimidating as I look. To find out what I do when I'm not teaching this lab section, check out my homepage at: http://astronomy.nmsu.edu/mchizek/

Announcements

Be prepared for each lab by reading the lab for that day ahead of time and bringing the following items: a copy of the lab for the day, any part of the previous lab you have not yet turned in (including the takehome section!), a writing utensil, extra paper, and a calculator.

Lab Policies

* Lab meets on Wednesdays from 1:30 - 3:30 pm. There will be 14 labs during the semester, worth a total of 20% of your grade
* Attendance is mandatory and will be reflected in your final lab grade. If you have to miss lab one week (for a legitimate reason, which is at my discretion) and let me know ahead of time, or if you are sick and have a doctor's note, it will not be held against you. You are still required to turn in the previous week's lab on time. If you miss a lab and you do not have an excuse, you will receive a zero for that day's lab. There are no make-up labs available (remember, I am a full time student, just like you).
* Read the lab before showing up to do the lab. If I notice that students are not reading the lab beforehand, I might begin giving quizzes at the beginning of each lab on the material you should have read. Some labs do provide the opportunity for some Extra Credit points. These Lab EXTRA CREDIT points can be earned ONLY if all other portions of that lab are also completed.
* A scientific or graphing calculator is required. Calculators are cool! Bring one. I will not allow the use of cell phones as calculators in lab (not even iPhones or Droids), so be prepared.
* You may work in groups of 3 or 4. Each group must turn in one copy of its in-lab work, and each individual must turn in his/her own take home section. Any instances of plagiarism will earn a zero for all parties involved.
* The group in-lab section must list all the group members' names. Please staple your lab and make sure the pages are in order.
* Labs are due one week from when they are assigned at the beginning of lab. A late lab assignment will be worth zero points.
* Campus observatory is run on Monday and Wednesday nights from 9 to 9:50 pm. This is a cool place to check out our telescopes on campus and see some interesting objects. There will be two sets of objects shown during the semester. If the weather is looking questionable, check the Observatory Web Page (http://astronomy.nmsu.edu/astro/observatory/) or call the Hotline (575-646-6278) to find out whether the observatory will be open a couple of hours before you show up.
* I reserve the right to answer any cell phone which rings during lab. It's probably better if you turn off your phone. The same applies if I see anyone text messaging. I feel it is perfectly okay for me to inform those you are communicating with that you are busy and will have to get back to them later. I will not attempt to impersonate you on your phone or use it for my own personal business. I find students more attentive when they are not playing with their phones.
* I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus as I deem necessary. Changes will be announced in lab as well as added to the syllabus online.
* Rules for the university on disabilities, plagiarism (i.e. working together on takehomes and writing down the exact same words), student conduct, etc. are located in your syllabus located at http://atmos.nmsu.edu/pub/MGS/ASTR105G-M040506-SPR2013/SYLLABUS/.

Hints for Success in Lab

*Read the lab before coming to do the lab I may choose to give a quiz at the beginning of each lab based on the material that you should have read through beforehand.
*Know how to use your calculator! Most errors made in labs are a result of calculator-student-error. This usually happens with division. While you might implicity know that when you divide a quantity by 2*pi, you are dividing it by the quantity two times pi, the calculator will require you to put 2*pi in paranthesis (i.e. Quantity/(2*pi)... NOT! Quantity/2*pi. The later case here will divide the quantity by 2 and then multiply that result by pi).
*Be on time. I will typically begin each lab by running through the methodology of how to do the lab. If you miss this intro, I might have time to give you a quick run through of the lab, but most likely, you'll have to pester your lab group for the information.
*Count Question Marks: The questions in the lab and lab takehome usually ask you to answer more than one thing. For example, a question might ask you to provide a few facts, and then explain how they are linked together. A good rule of thumb, is to see how many question marks there are, and provide an answer for each one that you count.
*Be interactive/Ask Questions: I have yet to pick up the talent of reading minds. If I don't know that you are confused or stuck, I won't help you. If you ask me questions, I'm more than happy to help.
*Show your work. I'm a big fan of partial credit, but it's hard to give you points if the only thing you write down is a wrong answer.
*Remember your units. 2 hours is very different from 2 seconds, and 26.2 miles is very different from 26.2 cm.

If you have questions outside of lab time call me, come by my office, or send me an email.

My Contact Information

• Office Hours:
• W: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
• Or by appointment
• Office:
• 219 Astronomy Building
• Phone:
• (575)646-4914
• Email:
• mchizek@nmsu.edu