Leveraging a Zooniverse Discovery to Diagnose a Dominant Mode of Star Formation and Provide a CURE for Introductory Astronomy Students

This project, led by Dr. Kathryn Devine at The College of Idaho, will beta-test and implement a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience in the astronomy classroom using a tool we developed in order to determine the properties of a class of objects first discovered by volunteers working on the Milky Way Project. The Planetary Science Institute will receive a subaward, led by Dr. Grace Wolf-Chase, who commits to performing the following tasks towards the project’s goals:

1. Develop training guides and instructions for using the tool we will deploy in introductory astronomy classrooms.
2. Use the tool to serve as an “expert classifier” with which to compare student results.
3. Work with our collaborator, Molly Simon, to develop and distribute pre- and post-evaluation surveys to assess student learning and satisfaction.
4. Market our tool to astronomy classrooms.
5. Train introductory astronomy instructors to use our tool in their classrooms.
6. Provide two-way ongoing communication with student volunteers to share research results and answer students’ questions.