To show graduate students how to critically read, evaluate, write, and referee scientific papers. Students will become familiar with frontiers of research, develop independent ideas for research, and gain experience in making effective public oral presentations at conferences, interviews, and other professional venues.

Astrophysics Seminar - The First Stars:

ASTR 6000 is the graduate astrophysics seminar, tied to one or more of the astrophysics courses each semester. After an introduction to the field by the instructors, students will read, present, and discuss scientific papers on the topic of "The First Stars". We will select class papers on the formation and evolution of the first stars, sometimes called "Population III" or "Zero-Metallicity Stars". We will then read current articles at the forefront of research. Related topics include reionization and reheating of the intergalactic medium (IGM), production of heavy elements, galaxy formation, cosmological simulations.

Seminar Format:

This seminar will meet 15 times during the term, each Thursday from 4-5 pm, starting on August 28 and ending on Dec 11. After 3 preliminary lectures (reading review papers), the class will devote the next 12 sessions to reading and discussing scientific papers. We will assign teams of 2 students to lead the discussions of the "paper of the week". Thus, each student will be responsible for reviews in 2 sessions, but all students are responsible for reading the weekly paper. Please come to prepared to describe the major results of the papers, and write down one or two questions about the results or claims in the article.