Astronomy courses will return to the university next semester for the first time in five years.
Astronomy, the study of everything in the universe beyond Earth, has informed humankind’s knowledge of the inner and outer workings of space. The course offered at Ferris will satisfy general education requirements and include hands-on learning opportunities, such as astrophotography experience.
Physics professor Dr. Dinesh Shetty has spearheaded the new course.
Shetty explained that the course is designed to introduce students to various astronomical concepts.
“People have been wondering for ages, what is our relevance in this vast universe,” Shetty said. “In this particular class, we talk a lot about how astronomy has evolved in different cultures and about interpreting the night sky.”
The nearly 60-year-old observatory recently received an update with the addition of a new telescope purchased by the university. This purchase was a preparation for the course beginning in the spring.
The newly procured telescope for the observatory was chosen with the help of the Center of Teaching and Learning, the Dean’s Office of the College of Arts, Science and Education and the head of the Physical Sciences department.
Before the purchase of the telescope, the observatory sat unused for five years while Ferris searched for a professor to teach the astronomy course. Now that a class has been scheduled, the observatory will be utilized again.
The astronomy class is an introductory course focused on planetary characteristics, radiation concepts and distance determination methods.
The course offered currently contains one section, with the hope for expansion in the future.
Shetty also noted outreach efforts for community participation. These ideas include opportunities for people of all ages and majors to experience stargazing.
The added element of astrophotography to the course is intended to give students the unique experience of seeing the stars in real-time, rather than on the internet.
“When I teach students in my astronomy class, I tell them that there’s carbon in your DNA,” Shetty said. “There is iron in your blood, there’s calcium in your bones, there’s gold in your jewelry. You are basically star material.”
Students expressed excitement and interest in the return of this course as well.
Psychology junior Alexa Wohlscheid heard discussions about the new astronomy class that has circulated in the physical sciences department for quite some time now.
“It originally started because we had some high school students interested in it as a dual enrollment class,” Wohlscheid said. “We talked to some of the physics professors, and Dr. Shetty was really excited about it.”
Wohlscheid stated that the class can provide not only students enrolled opportunities to learn about space but also the campus community with outreach efforts.
Much of the excitement stems from the class offering something different from the usual general education science courses.
“It’s important to have diverse options for gen eds because it opens your field of view to so many different things,” Wohlscheid said. “A lot of freshmen and sophomores don’t know if they want to take organic chemistry or thermodynamics until they take a gen ed that focuses on that.”
Environmental biology junior Janelle Lekies also heard talk of the astronomy class around campus. The importance of a diverse education drew Lekies to consider the course.
“I think that being well-rounded in general is important for all majors, especially since we have a lot of education majors,” Lekies said. “You can’t just be biology or chemistry focused, because high school students might care more about something like astronomy.”
The return of astronomy courses at Ferris marks an exciting chapter for students to indulge in their curiosity about the stars and to gain an appreciation of their place as star material in our vast universe.