Education and History in Tucson

ur Tucson meeting will begin on Saturday 0evening at the Steward Observatory with a Schedule of HAD Sessions lecture on Southwest by Ed Saturday, Jan. 7,7:00-8:00 p.m. Krupp. Weather permitting, this will be followed Public hcture by Edwin C. Krupp by a party with a at the Observatory. at Steward Observatory, followed by a star party. Tucson's amateur will be out in force, setting up their own on the lawn. Please Sunday, Jan. 8,2:00-4:45 p.m. note ~lat:he Obser~~toryis ?lot the sire nf the History in Eitucation I other AAS or HAD sessions. Steward Observatory Barbara J. ~ecker is on the University of Arizona campus, near the David S. P. Dearborn Flandreau . Parking is available. Woodruff T. Sullivan I11 With the AAS Education Officer, Mary Kay David DeVorkin Hemenway, and the Working Group on Astron- Michael Zeilik & Shannon Hall omy Education, we are sponsoring a pair of ses- Jan. sions on History in Astronomy Education. Monday, 9, 10:OO-11:30 a.m. Abstracts for these sessions follow: Contributed papers Monday, Jan 9, 1:OO-2:00 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7,7:00-8:00 p.m. HAD Business Meeting fi Cekstial Seusoning~:Astronomy and Rock Monday, Jan.9,2:00-3:30 p.m. Art in the American Southwest History in Astronomy Education II Edwin C. Krupp (Griffith Observatory) Owen Gingerich, Invited Rewiew Paper Astronomical interpretations of prehistoric rock Discussion Panel, including Sunday's speakers art have played a significant part in the develop- and Richard Berendzen. ment of modern archaeoastronomy since 1975, when interest was renewed in the possibility that maps, markers for astronomid observing stations the Crab supernova explosion of 1054 A.D. was markers for celestially tempered shrines, images represented in rock art of the American South- intended to invoke and exploit cosmo-magical west. (This hypothesis was actually first formu- power, seasonally significant light-and-shadow dis- lated in 1955.) In the last two decades, avariety of plays. Examples of astronomical connotations in astronomical functions for rock art have been pro- prehistoric rock art from the Southwest and Cali- posed and investigated. These include representa- fornia illustrate the necessity of understanding the tion of specific historical celestial events, symbolic culture in any attempt to understand its astronomy. representation of elements of celestial myths, star Tucson Meeting continued on page 2. Tucson Meeting continued from page 1. Sunday, Jan. 8, * ConstructingNew WorM Iriews: Learning Archaeoastronomy provides a vehicle to teach Science in a Historical Contern both scientific methodology, and the range of hu- Barbara J. Becker (SWRL) man reason for the pursuit of science. As a study of Recent research has shown that children, like sci- the interaction between societies and their science, entists, can tolerate a wide range of observations it may included the development of mathematics, that do not match their expectations, or that even navigation, surveying, units of measurement, and directly conflict with them, without abandoning urban planning. Astronomy serves as a focus across their personally constructed system of beliefs about many cultures, because the need to respond to the the natural world. Traditional approaches-even seasons is biologically based, and these seasons are laboratory experiences that support textbook pre- driven and defined by celestial motions. This con- sentations of theories-do not guarantee students nection between and earth exists for all people, will alter their convictions concerning how things and sophisticated sky watching activities devel- "oughtyyto work. In contrast, a history-grounded oped on every inhabited continent. approach to presenting scientific concepts has the At the foundation of archaeoastronomy stud- potential for doing precisely that. In this paper, ies are the mechanics of astronomical observation, the author argues that embedding science learning methods for organizing those observations, and in a historical context engages students in think- making interpretations. The celestial phenomena ing about science in a way that complements and of interest are readily available and easily observ- enriches a "hands-on" approach to inquiry learn- able. This permits a discovery basis for teaching ing. It conveys the creative and very human char- how the scientific method developed and how is acter of scientific explanation-its tentative, used. probabilistic, and serendipitous nature. By inte- A course in archaeoastronomy permits students grating well-chosen historical images and ideas into of wide disciplinary and cult~rral~backgrocnds to traditional content-centered science units, educa- appreciate the interrelation between science and tors can stimulate productive classroom discus- society. Additionally, students that will not pur- sion and establish a classroom atmosphere that sue scientific research, who will instead become nurtures students to think critically about the leaders in other areas, will be enriched with an meaning of scientific activity in different cultures understanding of how the process operates whether and times More importantly, the use of historic watching for the first appearance of the new moon, episodes in teaching science opens up opportuni- or attempting to detect the top quark. ties for students to identifjr their own untutored beliefs about the workings of the natural world, to * Time in Histoy: Examples of Historical examine them critically in the light of considered Issues of Time and Calendars Usefirl in historical debate, and to confront these beliefs in a UndergraduateAstronomy Teaching way that results in positive, long-lasting concep- Woodruff T. Sullivan, I11 (U. Wash.) tual change. The can be used as much more than a diversion in teaching the principles of h Archaeoastronomy and Science Education astronomy. In this talk I will focus on several his- David S. P. Dearborn (LLNL) torical aspects of time and calendrics that teach Acquisition and utilization of knowledge can be a both science and history, and in the process cause determinate for survival and prosperity. As a pro- students to realize that things have not always been cess for exploring nature, science has enabled people (nor are they likely to remain) as they now are in with the tremendous capabilities of modern tech- the late 20th century. Examples include: (1) records nology, but many students fail to see the connec- of ancient solar eclipses that, despite their crude tion between their lives and this process. Even nature, precisely indicate the long-term slowing of those students that do appreciate a connection, the earth's rotation (why do they have those puz- frequently leave high school or non-major college zling "leap seconds" one often hears about on New classes, confusing the scientific process itself with a Year's Eve?), (2) problems of constructing a solar catalog of abstract facts. Tucson Meeting continues on page 3. Tucson Meeting continued from page 2. or (especially) a lunisolar calendar and various so- ceptions mimic pre-Newtonian notions and in a lutions (why did the date 7 October 1582 never loose sense recapitulate the history of astronomy. occur? Why did the Soviet Union celebrate the Is taking a historical approach a good heuristic "Glorious October Revolution" in November?), device for teaching introductory astronomy? Or (3) the 18th-19th century dilemmas surrounding does it reinforce alternative concepts and so con- sundial ("true") time, mean time, and standard fuse students? time as clocks became more accurate and trans- This work is supported in part by NSF grant portation faster (Which is the "correct" time, any- DUE-9253983. way?), and (4) the 18th c. quest to "discover the longitude", eventually fulfilled by a chronometer Monday, Jan. 9,2:00-3:30 p.m. that was seaworthy and accurate for months (how Invited Review Paper and Panel Discussion can you and a distant friend easlly determine your difference in longitude?). ~2 The Use of Hzitoty in Astronomy Education Owen Gingerich (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA) Textbooks and the Rzie of Modem Astro- Three persuasive reasons for using historical mate- pbysics rials in astronomy education are: David DeVorkin (NASM) The simplest concepts are introduced first in One way to appreciate the problems associated natural sequence. with the emergence of a new discipline or specialty For non-science students, history can bridge to is to look at how the tools and techniques of the other interests. new line of research were transmitted from gen- The historical perspective shows the changing eration to generation. The emergence of theoreti- and iterative nature of scientific explanatory struc- cal in the 1920s and 1930s provides a tures. useful case-study where one of the problems was To illustrate these points, this invited review how to create textbooks astronomers could read paper will present a series of specific examples from that also provided an adequate introduction to my core science course, "The Astronomical Per- modern physical theory, especially quantum theory. spective," believed to be Harvard's longest-run- Case studies of specific textbook projects, pub- ning course still under the same management. lished and unpublished during the 1920s and (Contrary to some students' beliefi, it does notdate 1930s, will highlight the obstacles textbook writ- back to the time of Ptolemy.) ers faced. An earlier version of this presentation is de- scribed in J.M. Pasachoff and J.R. Percy (eds.) ~2 Can Astronomy Be Taught Without Hktoty? The Teaching ofRrtronomy: Proceedings of the 109 Michael Zeilik & Shannon Hall (U. of NM) Colloquium of the InternationalAstronomical Union. Many introductory astronomy courses for the non- (Cambridge, 1990), pp. 39-44. science major take a somewhat historical approach, especially at the start of the course. At the Univer- sity of New Mexico, we are developing an innova- In Memoriam tive course in a large (about 300 students) lecture format. The main thrust has been to restructure Erich Robert Paul, Professor of History of the traditional "descriptive" astronomy course into Science and Computer Science at Dickinson one that focuses on the process of science by iden- College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, died Octo- titjring and linking essential concepts. The goal: to ber 12, 1994, of cancer. He was most recently teach explicitly the structural knowledge of as- the author of The Milky Way Galaxy and Sta- tronomy, which is dear to experts but opaque to tistical Cosmology, 1890-1 924, (Cam bridge novices. To focus on the process of science, we University Press, 1993), and an annotated uans- have decided to minimize a historical treatment of lation of Henrietta Hertzsprung-Kapteyn's The the material. But this strategy results in a cognitive Life and Works ofj. C. fipteyn (Kluwer, 1993). wist. We know that students bring into class their A full obituary will appear in the Bulktin of the personal world views, largely unexamined, about American Astronomical Society. how nature works. Some of these alternative con- FSU Journal Fund June HAD Meeting A year ago, Owen Gingerich and Albert Van In June 1995, HAD will meet with the AAS in 9 Helden proposed that HAD establish a fund to Pittsburgh. Since this will be the centennial of the purchase subscriptions to the Journalfor the His- Astrophysical Journal, we'll hold special sessions tory of Aseonomy for institutions in the Former devoted to its history. Soviet Union. At IAU meetings this past August, At first blush, Pittsburgh might seem like an FSU historians confirmed that financial pressures unlikely place to celebrate the centennial of the have forced leading institutions, such as the Rus- ApJ George Ellery Hale was the principal force sian Academy of Sciences and the Pukovo Obser- behind its creation, and he is associated with Chi- vatory, to drop subscriptions to Western journals. cago. However, Hale convinced his friend James Not surprisingly, historical journals are among the E. Keeler, Director of Allegheny Observatory, to first to go. serve as founding coeditor. Keeler, in fact, prob- HAD'S International Relations Committee ably did much more editorial work than Hale in (IRC) took this on as a special project. Michael the long run. So Pittsburgh isn't so unlikely after Hoskin, editor of the JHA, cooperated by allow- all. Besides, in 1799 we'll celebrate the founding ing us to purchase subscriptions for FSU institu- of the AAS, and for that the AAS will meet in tions at the reduced "individuals" rate. So far, we Chicago, with a likely excursion to Williams Bay. have received $100 in contributions to this fund, Ron Brashear, of The Huntington Library, is enough to purchase a single subscription, with a organizing our ApJ sessions. For more informa- bit left over. tion, you should communicate with him. Plans Now that the end of the tax year is approach- for these sessions will be discussed at our business ing, please consider contributing to the fund. meeting in Tucson, of course. A Checks payable to H.A.D., with a designation to the FSU Journal Fund, should be sent to LeRoy Doggett Nautical Almanac Office, U. S. Naval HASTRO 7 Observatory, Vlshington, DC 20392. A For the past year or more, Steve McCluskey at the University of West Virginia has been running an e-mail history of astronomy discussion group, Second Notre Dame HASTRO. We have occasionally reprinted items Conference (with attribution, of course) in HAD News. Dis- cussions have covered everything from method- The Second Biennial History of Astronomy ology in archaeoasuonomy to the arguments for Workshop (HAW!!) will be held June 22-25,1975 adopting Copernican cosmology, to the origin of at the University of Noue Dame. Plans for the the light year and parsec. It is sometimes profound, meeting were discussed by the History of As- sometimes trivial, and absolutely invaluable. tronomy Special Interest Group of the History of You can join by sending the following message Science Society at its recent meeting in New Or- to [email protected]: leans. Michael Crowe and Steven Dick will co- chair. Plans for sessions are still in the early stages SUB HASTRO-L your name of organization, and all ideas are welcome. You Example: SUB HASTRO-L A1 Biruni may write to either Michael Crowe, Program of Liberal Studies, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, or Steven Dick, U. S. Naval HAD Membership Observatory, 3450 Massachusetts Ave., NW, When you fill out your AAS membership re- Washington, DC 20392-5420. newal, remember to renew for HAD. For AAS Those who attended the first meeting in 1993 members, annual dues are $4. will recall the splendid setting, excellent sessions, If you don't belong to the AAS, Affiliate Mem- spirited formal and informal discussions, and rea- bership in HAD is $10 a year. For information, / sonable room rates. More detailed information will contact LeRoy Doggen, Nautical Almanac Office, //3/&- be forthcoming in the next HAD News. Mean- U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, DC 20392 while, mark your calendar! A or [email protected]. 12 7/~/,