There are five possible ways to make up a missed lab this semester (in addition to the usual way of signing up for an alternate lab section using the signup sheet on the door of SWR 360). They are described below:
Meteorite Museum Lab (Tue Sep 25 - Sat Nov 23)
During the Museum's regular operating hours (Tuesday through Friday, 1pm-4pm and Saturday, 9am-4pm), you will have the chance to complete a self-paced lab activity in the Monnig meteorite museum. Give yourself at least one hour to complete the assignment, so plan to arrive at the museum sometime between 1pm-3pm on a weekday, 9am-3pm on a Saturday.
To get credit for this activity, you will need to pick up a worksheet from the museum assistant stationed at a table outside the entrance to the museum or in the office adjacent to the museum next to the museum exit. Ask for the ASTRONOMY (Physics 10273) lab worksheet, and the assistant will give you a three double-sided page worksheet filled with questions you can answer while in the museum. When you are finished, return the completed worksheet to the assistant, and Dr. Ingram will collect these periodically for grading.
You will need to get a grade of at least 70% on this assignment for it to count as a lab. If you get less than 70%, you will be allowed to try again starting with a new worksheet. Graded labs will not be returned to students, but you will be able to ask your TA for your grade any time starting about 2-3 weeks after you did the lab. This opportunity will be available for all students from Wednesday, October 16 until Saturday, November 23 (the Saturday before Thanksgiving).
Noble Planetarium Lab (Tue Oct 1, Wed Oct 2, Wed Oct 9, Tue Oct 22, Wed Oct 23, Thu Oct 24)
On the dates listed above, all students will have an opportunity to attend a supplemental lab at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. The museum is located about 2-3 miles north of TCU on Montgomery St with parking accessible on Gendy St (for mapping: 1600 Gendy St, 76107). The museum's website is www.fwmsh.org, and you can find maps and directions there. All students who wish to attend these labs are responsible for providing their own transportation to the site. There is free parking near the museum (in the neighborhood to the West, across Montgomery street) and also some paid parking. You may wish to go early so that you can find some free parking on the streets near the museum if you wish to avoid paying to park in a museum lot.
In order to attend one or both of these optional labs, you will have to sign up on the sheets posted outside of the lab room. You will not be allowed to sign up unless you have completed and turned in a "Student Release Form." You will not be allowed to attend any planetarium event unless you have turned in a student release form and signed up for one of the nights. Only 76 students maximum will be allowed to sign up for any given night due to limited space in the planetarium. TA's will hold on to the signup sheets until 1pm on the day of the lab.
There will be TWO ROUNDS of planetarium labs, so you may only attend one lab during each round. The first round is Tue Oct 1, Wed Oct 2, Wed Oct 9. The second round is Tue Oct 22, Wed Oct 23, Thu Oct 24. The labs will begin at 6pm sharp. Please arrive on time, as the museum will be locked after 6pm (we will be running this lab outside of the museum's regular operating hours). If you arrive late, you will not be able to get into the museum, and you will not get credit for attending the supplemental lab.
Observing Labs (Mon Oct 7, Tue Oct 8, Wed Oct 9, Thu Oct 10)
On the nights of Mon Oct 7, Tue Oct 8, Wed Oct 9, and Thu Oct 10, there will be an observing lab (weather permitting) held starting at 800pm in the parking lot northwest of University Christian Church. If you walk north about 100 yards along Rogers street from Ed Landreth Hall, then the parking lot will be on your left. This lab activity will last for about an hour. You need to bring something to write with and a small light source. I will provide the worksheet. Only 60 students will be allowed to sign up for any given night (of the 4 possible nights). TA's will hold onto the signup sheets for these labs until 2pm of the same day of the lab. Like the planetarium labs, you will not receive credit if you arrive late.
The observing lab will only be held if the weather is clear is enough to see the stars. If it is mostly cloudy, rainy or worse, then no lab will be held. If there is any uncertainty about whether or not there will be a lab on a given evening, I will broadcast an email about the lab status to all students. If no lab is held, you need simply to sign up on some other night (if a night is cancelled, I will hold a make-up night one week later). To get credit, you need to show up on time, participate in the lab, and turn in the appropriate lab worksheet to be graded and returned to you later. Dress warmly!
Lake Mineral Wells Star Party (Sat Oct 26)
The 20th Annual North Texas Skywatch Star Party will occur on Saturday, October 26, with the main program starting at about 7:00 PM (observations will begin at dusk, around 7:30pm), and it will last as long as observers want to stay up. The intent is to give the residents of the North Texas area a nearby meeting place and dark sky location to get together. Included as part of the star party's daytime activities are informational booths on local college and university astronomical programs, planetariums, and local astronomy clubs. There will be informal talks on various topics. The only cost is the normal State Park admission (a few dollars per person). You will be able to camp out for the night if you want. Contact Lake Mineral Wells State Park about camping fees and reservations, (940) 328-1171.
Lake Mineral Wells Park is about 40 miles west of Fort Worth, off of HWY 180. For mapping apps, you can use the address 100 Park Road 71, 76067. If you follow either I-20 or I-30 west from Fort Worth (I-30 merges into I-20 heading westbound before you will need to take any exits), you will take the Highway 180 exit off of I-20 to Weatherford. The Highway 180 exit is about 10 miles west of Loop 820. Pass through Weatherford along Highway 180.
There is a fork West of downtown Weatherford, and you must stay to the right to remain on 180 or you will end up on Spur 312 which goes back to I-20. After the fork in the highway, proceed about 15 more miles. The Lake Mineral Wells State Park turnoff is on the right hand (North) side of the road (State Road 71), about 1.5 miles past the turnoff for State Road 113. If you pass the city limits of Mineral Wells, you have gone too far west by about 100 yards. Once inside the park, stay to the right, and you will see signs directing you to park as you approach the Star Party location. For more information about the park and maps, see http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/lakemine/lakemine.htm
Expected attendance is 500 or more if the weather is good. Most are the curious who want to learn a little about astronomy and look through telescopes. However, many North Texas amateur astronomers will attend and there are usually a few dozen telescopes set up for viewing.
Any student who wishes to attend this event and complete a simple homework assignment and attend a sky tour of the constellations at the event at 800pm will receive credit for two labs attended with a grade of 100. PLEASE BE AWARE, however, that this is a significant time investment; it will take about an hour to get there (if you try to arrive much later than 6:00, plan on another 15 minutes waiting in line to get into the State Park), and you must arrive before 8:00pm to find me, attend the sky tour and receive your assignment, so the total time investment is AT LEAST 3-4 hours, including travel).
To receive credit, you must find me (Dr. Doug Ingram - I will wear a name tag for those who haven't met me) at the TCU table. I will be in an area with a few other tables set up in a big football-field-sized parking lot. When you find me, tell me your name so I can check it off of my class roster, then complete a short homework assignment to return to me (in person or in my mailbox in SWR 308) the next time you attend class. I intend to leave the event after the 800pm sky tour (when it is dark enough to see more than a few stars), so if you are late, then I cannot verify your attendance and you will not receive credit for the lab. Plan on sunset being at about 7:15pm. In the event of bad weather, the lab opportunity will still be available (but worth only one lab credit since there will be no sky tour). There will be no telescopic observations, but there will still be talks and presentations starting at about 5:00pm that you can attend while there (but it will probably be a lot less fun, so I don't recommend you go unless you are just nuts about telescopes and amateur astronomy).
You must sign and turn in a student assumption of risk form (get one outside of the lab room) if you plan to go to the Star Party for lab credit. Turn in this release form to your TA. You do not need to sign up on a list to attend the Star Party. This is the same form you need for the planetarium lab, so if you've already filled one out, you don't need to fill out another.