Every so often we offer a class on Instrumentation and Data Analysis. This class was originally started back in 1993 with the pure intent of empowering the astronomy graduate students, in the (then) Physics Dept., with the knowledge and tools necessary to use the telescopes and detectors at facilities here in Arizona to successfully complete their graduate work. With the movement of the astronomers into the new School of Earth & Space Exploration, we have decided to broaden the scope of this class and include the technologies and techniques also used in remote sensing employed by geologists and planetary scientists in the School. The class continues to be deliberately designed to cover the basics but to then augment the coverage with information pertinent to the individual students' needs and as such the class is never the same whenever it is taught.
The main instructor has been Prof. Paul Scowen, but he has received material help from Dr. Rolf Jansen and Prof. Jeff Hester to name a few. The class is open to all SESE students as space and interest provide. There is usually a class project that is intended to allow the students to test out their new skills reducing datasets provided to them. While a formally structured class, there is flexibility to take tangents from time to time as need arises. Students should not be bashful to make suggestions as they occur to them.
This website is maintained as an online resource for students both here at ASU and elsewhere, as needed. Changes and additions will be posted from time to time and notice will be made through the headlines box on this banner page.
The class was most recently taught in Fall 2006 and Spring 2009. As such we do not expect to offer it again until Fall 2010 at the earliest.
During the course, the notes delivered or presented during each class are also made available online as PDF documents to download and save for future reference. There was a lot of assigned reading, as laid out on the Class Curriculum page, and this reading had to be done before the class to which it is germane, so all the students are on the same page concerning the material in question.
Class texts are detailed here, please visit this page for more information.
