EAS 1601
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EAS 1601, or Habitable Planet, is a 4-credit hour lab course introducing students to the field of astrobiology. The course is centered around the Drake equation, which is a mathematical model which tries to estimate the probability that intelligent life exists in our universe. Throughout the course, students explore each term of the Drake equation, including the rate of star formation, how astronomers find stars with planets, what kinds of planets are suitable for the formation of life, and the lifetime of intelligent, communicating civilizations.
There are no pre-requisites for the course, and it can be used to fulfill part of a lab sequence for some majors.
Topic List[edit | edit source]
The following is a topic list from Dr. Frances Rivera-Hernandez's Fall 2022 section of the course.
| Units | Lecture Number | Dates: | Lecture: | Lab: |
| Unit 1:
Building a Planetary System Aug. 23rd: 1st day of classes |
1 | 23 Aug (Tues) | Intro: Science, Scales, & the Drake Equation | NO LAB |
| 2 | 25 Aug (Thurs) | The Big Bang & First Atoms | ||
| 3 | 30 Aug
(Tues) |
Properties of Stars | Lab 1 | Math/Science Starter | |
| 4 | 1 Sept
(Thurs) |
Stellar Life Cycles | Post-lecture Session | ||
| 5 | 6 Sept (Tues) | Formation of the Elements | Lab 2 | Universe to Stars | |
| 6 | 8 Sept (Thurs) | Elements and Habitability | Post-lecture Session | ||
| 7 | 13 Sept (Tues) | Elements to Molecules
Discussion Assignment 1 Due |
Lab 3 | Properties of Stars | |
| 8 | 15 Sept (Thurs) | Planet Formation | Post-lecture Session | ||
| 9 | 20 Sept (Tues) | Our Planetary System | Lab 4 | Element & Planet Building | |
| 10 | 22 Sept (Thurs) | Q&A Session for Exam 1 | Post-lecture Session | ||
| --- | 27 Sept (Tues) | Exam 1 | ||
| Only ARGOS; NO LAB | ||||
| Unit 2:
Establishing a Habitable Environment Oct 18th: Fall Break |
11 | 29 Sept (Thurs) | Finding Extrasolar Worlds | |
| 12 | 4 Oct (Tues) | Planet Composition | Lab 5 | Planet Structure & Detecting Exoplanets | |
| 13 | 6 Oct (Thurs) | Plate Tectonics | Post-lecture Session | ||
| 14 | 11 Oct (Tues) | Planetary Atmospheres | Lab 6 | Atmospheres | |
| 15 | 13 Oct (Thurs) | Planetary Energy Balance | Post-lecture Session | ||
| --- | 18 Oct (Tues) | Fall Break | NO CLASS | Make up labs (Wed, Thurs) | |
| 16 | 20 Oct (Thurs) | Planetary Thermostats | ||
| 17 | 25 Oct (Tues) | Planetary Climates 1
Discussion Assignment 2 Due |
Lab 7 | Energy Balance | |
| 18 | 27 Oct (Thurs) | Planetary Climates 2 | Post-lecture Session | ||
| 19 | 1 Nov (Tues) | Q&A Session for Exam 2 | Lab 8 | Earth's Thermostat | |
| --- | 3 Nov (Thurs) | Exam 2 | ||
| Unit 3:
Supporting Life and Intelligence Dec. 7th & 8th: Reading Period Dec. 8th-15th: Final Exams |
20 | 8 Nov (Tues) | Planetary Evolution | Lab 9 | Habitability |
| 21 | 10 Nov (Thurs) | The Habitable Zone | Post-lecture Session | ||
| 22 | 15 Nov (Tues) | Life and Metabolism 1 | Mission Proposal Project | |
| 23 | 17 Nov (Thurs) | Life and Metabolism 2 | Post-lecture SessionUnits [w/links to recordings+slides] | ||
| 24 | 22 Nov (Tues) | Evolution and Extinction
Discussion Assignment 3 Due |
Thanksgiving | No Lab | |
| --- | 24 Nov (Thurs) | Thanksgiving Break | NO CLASS | ||
| 25 | 29 Nov (Tues) | Humans in a Planetary Context | Mission Proposal Project | |
| 26 | 1 Dec (Thurs) | Q&A Session for Final Exam | Post-lecture Session | ||
| --- | 6 Dec (Tues) | NO CLASS | Make Up Labs (Mon, Tues, Wed) | |
| --- | Exam 3 (Final Exam): Thursday, Dec. 8th @ 2:40-4:00 PM EDT (80 minutes) | |||
Class Structure[edit | edit source]
The course is composed of two weekly lectures and one weekly lab. Students use the ARGOS platform to run simulations and complete weekly homework assignments.
Lab Structure[edit | edit source]
This information is accurate for Dr. Frances Rivera-Hernandez's Fall 2022 section.
A pre-lab assignment is given at the start of each week, to be completed asynchronously before Tuesday at noon.
During labs, students are given a set of problems and occasionally, science experiments to conduct with the assistance of the lab TA. These assignments are due by the end of the 2 hour and 45 minute long lab session. ARGOS lessons are part of the lab grade and are due by Sunday at midnight.
Prerequisite Knowledge[edit | edit source]
No prerequisite knowledge in astrobiology is expected. Students should be familiar with basic scientific principles including dimensional analysis and the scientific method. Coming in with existing knowledge on basic chemistry will be useful.
