Professor: Loris Magnani Office: Physics 238 Phone: 542-2876

E-Mail: loris@physast.uga.edu

Class Time: Tuesday 3:30 – 4:45 PM, Physics 302

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 – 11:30 AM

Grading: Your grade is based on 10 short essays, some done in class, some done at home. The topic of the essays will be assigned in class. The essays will

be graded on the traditional A, B, C, D, F system, with pluses and minuses.

NOTE: If you are taking this course for ASTR 6330 credit, in addition to the attendance requirement you will also have to write a 10 page paper on a mutually agreed-on topic.

Objective: The purpose of the ASTR 4330 seminars is to present to the student

the way that astronomy research is conducted in a particular field

by the given faculty member. Although I am a radio astronomer who

does research on interstellar gas and dust, I have decided that this semester we will discuss another or my interests, cosmology. We will discuss my research specialty, the cold interstellar medium in the Spring of 2008.

LIST OF TOPICS

Date Topic

Aug. 21 - Why Cosmology?

Aug. 28 - Space and Time I

Sep. 4 - Space and Time II

Sep. 11 - Classical Cosmology I

Sep. 18 - Classical Cosmology II

Sep. 25 - Omega was (is) Destiny

Oct. 2 - The Rise of Dark Matter

Oct. 9 - MOND

Oct. 16 - Type I Supernovae

Oct. 23 - CMBR I

Oct. 30 - CMBR II

Nov. 6 - Dark Energy I

Nov. 13 - Dark Energy II

Nov. 20 - C’mon, Really?

Nov. 27 - The Golden Age of Cosmology

Dec. 4 - No class – Friday Schedule