Exoplanets Project Review

This week, I had the pleasure of visiting Jack and Ruohan during their fifth session on their extremely exciting Exoplanets project. Despite this being the fifth session, many students had missed one due to mock exams.

Preparation and Flexibility: 

Jack and Ruohan had prepared an excellent lesson plan, which they shared with me in advance. They ensured that all students had logins and access to laptops for learning Python. Their quick thinking and flexibility were evident when they had to adjust the session plan at the last minute because half the students were absent due to mock exams.

Engaging Content: 

They introduced a recent news story about supersonic winds on a nearby exoplanet, which helped relate the project to real-world events. They openly admitted not understanding all the science behind the story, which helped dispel the myth that scientists know everything and encouraged students to ask questions. The students were introduced to the Stellarium app to identify stars and planets, which sparked interest among many. They also recapped the previous session and outlined the current session's agenda, demonstrating good pedagogical practice.

Fundamental Physics: 

The project was broken down to basic physics concepts that the students needed to understand, such as the electromagnetic spectrum and electron excitation in atoms, to introduce spectroscopy.

Interactive Tools: 

They used a brief quiz to test understanding and sketched on the whiteboard to explain how the geometry of a star/planet system affects detection via Doppler shift which helped students to visualise the problem.

Visual Aids and Demonstrations: 

They used engaging slides with lots of credited images and demonstrated the background physics using spectral tubes. This led to a great conversation about the fundamental physics and its applications with respect to Exoplanets.

Conclusion and Future Plans: 

The session concluded with an explanation of how this knowledge applies to exoplanet hunting, exciting the group about their upcoming research. They also shared information on their personal research, such as looking for biomarkers in exoplanet atmospheres. Finally, they outlined what the students would be doing in the next session.

Overall, Jack and Ruohan's session was well-prepared, flexible, and engaging, providing a great learning experience for the students.