Advances in Modern Astronomy (B2+) 1104-5`AMA

The main focus of the first part of the class is on student presentations. Each class will be opened with a short introduction/tutorial by instructor on the effective techniques of presenting scientific results. This will be followed by 2-3 students test presentations which are to be based on the current research in general field of astrophysics. Papers that will be presented by students are to be chosen from the most popular and largest astrophysics database: astro-ph. Students will be encouraged to follow daily listings of abstracts in the database and along the way to get acquainted with the current lines of research. They will be expected to choose interesting papers and after approval from instructor they will deliver oral presentations . The presentation will be critically evaluated by instructor and the entire group taking part in the class. This is to help a given presenting person to improve on her/his communication/presentation skills.

The second part of the seminar focuses on useful skills and modern ways of conducting astrophysics research. The students have an opportunity to learn about and try modern tools for literature browsing and citation statistics. We then discuss the observing tools available for Polish astronomers, including ESO, HST, Swift, OPTICON, and we practise preparing a real observing proposal. The next topic is the funding opportunities for astronomy, including Polish and European sources. We also practice an academic job interview.

As the last part of the seminar, students learn about and prepare presentations about their own research, which can then be used at their defence or at a scientific conference. Students present their talks to each other and receive feedback. Students also learn how to prepare a poster about their research.